HC Deb 01 February 2000 vol 343 cc510-1W
Mr. Lidington

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what was the total number of criminal incidents in which shotguns were used in the United Kingdom, excluding Northern Ireland, which resulted in(a) unlawful death, (b) unlawful wounding and (c) no physical injury, and in each category showing the total number of incidents in which a licensed weapon was used by a person with legal access to that weapon, for 1994 to 1999; [107054]

(2) how many criminal incidents involving illegally modified shotguns resulting in (a) unlawful death, (b) unlawful wounding and (c) no physical injury there were in Great Britain in each year since 1994, separately identifying the number of incidents in which a licensed weapon was used by a person with legal access to that weapon; [107112]

(3) what was the total number of criminal incidents in which (a) firearms, excluding revolvers and automatic pistols, and (b) (i) revolvers and (ii) automatic pistols were used in the United Kingdom, excluding Northern Ireland, and which resulted in (1) unlawful death, (2) unlawful wounding and (3) no physical injury, in each category showing the total number of incidents in which a licensed weapon was used by a person with legal access to that weapon, for 1994 to 1999. [107059]

Mr. Charles Clarke

The table relates to Great Britain and provides the readily available information. 'Handguns' include pistols/revolvers, no further breakdown being available in the statistics collected centrally. 'Other firearms' includes all other firearms except shotguns (ie rifles, air weapons, imitations, 'supposed' and 'other' firearms). Fatal and other injuries involve weapons being fired and, for England and Wales only, being used as a blunt instrument. Only in cases of fatal injury (ie homicide) is the legal status of the firearms collected centrally and this is shown in cases where the weapon was known to be legally held.

Figures for 1999 are not yet available.

Notifiable offences 1 recorded by the police in which firearms were reported to have been used, by type of weapon and degree of injury, Great Britain, 1994 to 1998
Total number Fatal injury Of which firearm legally held or certificate not required Other injury No injury Total
Sawn off shotguns
1994 14 1 53 529 596
1995 10 50 419 479
1996 7 30 368 405
1997 5 12 266 283
1998 7 1 28 290 325
Long barrelled shotguns
1994 24 7 106 659 789
1995 20 6 81 543 644
1996 14 4 71 534 619
1997 12 1 47 302 361
1998 6 1 38 314 358
1 Crimes and offences in Scotland
2 Rifles, air weapons, imitations, 'supposed' and 'other' firearms

Source:

Home Office, Crime and Criminal Justice Unit and Scottish Executive, Justice Statistics Unit

Mr. Lidington

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many(a) revolvers, (b) automatic pistols, (c) other firearms and (d) shotguns have been obtained from (i) civilian registered owners, (ii) public bodies and (iii) owners who are unregistered or illegally in possession of such a weapon since 1997. [107113]

Mr. Charles Clarke

Information on the source of firearms is not collected centrally.