§ 41. Mr. McAllionTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps he is taking to reduce the incidence of crimes in which firearms are used with intent to injure.
§ Mr. Peter LloydWe have taken a number of steps to deter the use of firearms in crime and to prevent their availability to criminals which have continuing effect. These include the firearms amnesty in 1988 in which almost 43,000 firearms were removed from circulation; the stricter controls on the possession of firearms and shotguns, including the prohibition of the more lethal types of weapons, introduced under the Firearms (Amendment) Act 1988; and, under the Criminal Justice Act 1988, increased penalties for the illegal possession of a shotgun and for possessing or carrying a firearm in the furtherance of crime.