§ Mr. Lubbockasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many offences involving the use or threatened use of shotguns have occurred in 1968 to the latest convenient date; whether he is satisfied that the powers taken in the Firearms Act, 1968 are proving effective; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Elystan MorganProvisional statistics indicate that, during the first six months of 1968, there were known to the police in England and Wales 121 indictable offences in which a shotgun was fired or presented.
Restrictions on the possession, purchase and acquisition of shotguns—introduced in the Criminal Justice Act, 1967 and now consolidated in the Firearms Act, 1968—did not come into force until 1st May, 1968. It is too soon to assess their effect.