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Young People

Gun crime

If you're worried about guns in your local area or concerned about the general issue of teenagers and weapons, find out the facts here.

What counts as gun crime?

Gun crime can cover any crime that involves the use of a gun or other firearm. This includes:

  • a murder where the victim was shot
  • any situation where a gun was fired, whether anyone was injured or not
  • a robbery or burglary where the thieves carried a gun as a weapon
  • intimidating people with a weapon
  • carrying a gun that is banned, such as a handgun
  • carrying or using an imitation gun

Is there really a gun problem in this country?

Although incidents involving guns make up less than one per cent of the total number of crimes committed every year, the number of reported offences has been growing steadily over the past few years. Much of this is because of an increase in the use of imitation guns.

There has also been a sharp increase in the number of young people who say they carry real or fake handguns to supposedly protect themselves. It's not just towns and cities that are affected by gun crime - it's also a problem in the countryside.

Gun laws

To tackle the problem of gun-related crime, sentences for people convicted of crimes involving a gun or other firearm have been made a lot tougher.

Anyone who is found guilty of illegally possessing a prohibited firearm faces a minimum sentence of five years in prison. Also, you now have to be at least 17 years old before you can buy an air rifle.

There are plans to make the sale of realistic imitation guns illegal, even if they could never be turned into weapons that fire real ammunition.

What can you do?

If you have information about gun crime in your area and you're nervous about going to the police, you should call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111. They will never ask for your name or try to trace the number that you're calling from.

There are also a number of local anti-gun crime initiatives run by police authorities and councils that you may want to get involved in. They organise activities within communities to highlight the problem, and some hold discussions about how the problem can be tackled.

If you're interested, call in to your nearest police station to find out about groups in your area. The government's Connected programme also has details of local organisations on their website.

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