§ Mr. StunellTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many handguns have been surrendered under the provisions of the Firearms (Amendment) Act 1997; and of these how many have been(a) destroyed, (b) retained for training purposes, (c) retained for museum and display purposes, (d) sold for (i) export and (ii) re-use and (e) earmarked for other uses. [104802]
§ Mr. Charles ClarkeA total of 162,198 handguns were surrendered to the police under the terms of the Firearms (Amendment) (No. 2) Act 1997. The vast majority of these handguns will have been, or will be, destroyed when the associated compensation claims have been resolved. There are now less than 800 claims outstanding. A small number of surrendered handguns will be retained by the police, Her Majesty's Customs and the Forensic Science Service for training purposes. No central records are held of the number of handguns retained for this purpose. Examples of particular note or historic interest will be made available to suitably authorised museums. The National Museums Consortium, which represented museums in England and Wales for the purposes of the surrender exercise, has selected approximately 4,600 handguns for consideration for retention by museums. No surrendered handguns have been sold, either here or abroad, and none are earmarked for other purposes.