§ Mr. David Youngasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what representations he has had from individuals, organisations and coroners to increase the penalties contained in, or the effectiveness of, the law on air guns; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. MayhewDuring the past 12 months, we have received representations about air weapons from one coroner, 84 other individuals and 23 organisations. These figures include letters forwarded or written by Members of both Houses. In addition, one hon. Member forwarded a petition containing 342 signatures.
Most of the representations suggest that air weapons should be subject to licensing control. While we recognise the concern over the misuse of air weapons, most incidents that come to our attention already involve the commission of offences under existing legislation, and we are not persuaded that the introduction of a licensing system would justify the substantial extra work load that would be created for the police. There is some evidence of a general lack of knowledge of the legislation and the dangers of misuse, and a national campaign designed to heighten public awareness is being planned.