§ Mr. Arthur Lewisasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if in view of the growing practice of thieves and burglars carrying, and in some instances using, sawn-off shotguns, he will seek to change the law so as to make it mandatory for any person caught in possession of a sawn-off shotgum to be sentenced to life imprisonment.
§ Mr. BrittanNo. As the law stands, the maximum penalty for possession of a sawn-off shotgun is five years' imprisonment; for possessing a firearm with criminal intent, 14 years' imprisonment; and for carrying a firearm with intent to resist arrest or with intent to injure, life imprisonment. We would not think it sensible to make the mere possession of a sawn-off shotgun subject to the same mandatory penalty as murder.