§ Norman BakerTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many offences involving the use of firearms have been recorded for each of the last five years where the offender was(a) under 10, (b) 10, (c) 11, (d) 12, (e) 13, (f) 14, (g) 15, (h) 16 and (i) 17 years. [7248]
§ Mr. DenhamThis information is not collected centrally.
§ Norman BakerTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to restrict the(a) sale, (b) possession and (c) use of air guns and rifles. [7246]
§ Mr. DenhamThere are already laws which govern the circumstances in which air weapons can be sold, possessed or used. We believe that much can be done to tackle air weapon misuse through the enforcement of these laws and through public education on the safe and responsible handling of these firearms. We have asked the Firearms Consultative Committee to consider how best to take this forward and to consider whether there are any other measures which might usefully be taken to guard against misuse.