A firearm designed to be held in one hand.
- pistol - originally referred to any handgun except a revolver, but that distinction is often lost today. Semi-automatic pistols (usually between .22 and .45 calibre) fire one cartridge for each trigger pull. Often designed to fire 10 or more bullets from a single magazine.
- revolver - a handgun with a cylinder containing multiple chambers. Each chamber is loaded by hand, and firing the revolver causes the cylinder to turn and line up the next chamber.
Source :- Wikipedia
NOTE - Handguns are prohibited weapons in Great Britain, but other weapons that look like handguns, eg. air pistols, starter pistols, bb/imitation guns and airsoft guns are not.
However, from 4th June 2010 the Olympic .380BBM Revolver starter pistol will be banned. This gun has been adapted to fire real bullets and accounted for over eighteen percent of firearms seized by the Metropolitan Police last year. Police in 13 forces across England and Wales have recovered 179 of the converted pistols since 2007, with the bulk being found in London. Others were recovered in Bristol, Manchester and North Yorkshire. After 4 June the weapon will be prohibited under the 1968 Firearms Act and anyone caught possessing it faces a mandatory prison sentence of five years. Police have urged owners to hand in their pistols during an amnesty before the ban begins.
Source:- BBC 16 April 2010
RECENT HANDGUN CASE
48 year old Andrew Richardson was jailed for 5 years after a .22 revolver (a prohibited weapon) and amunition was found amongst other belongings he had placed in store with a company in Norwich. However he has been freed due to 'a technicality' but will face further proceedings.
Source:- www.eveningnews24.co.uk
GUN COLLECTORS
Individuals claiming to have a 'genuine interest' in antique guns flout the law by 'collecting' old guns and keeping them illegally. These weapons are available for criminal use, including domestic violence.
For Example:
Gun collector Clive Hadley has been given a 12-month prison sentence, suspended for two years after admitting three offences of possessing a firearm without a certificate and one of possessing ammunition without a certificate. He had been charged after his wife handed police a loaded revolver at an antiques fair at the University of Derby. Two flare guns and 96 rounds of live ammunition were found at his home in West Bridgford, Nottingham, for which he did not have certificates.
Source: Derby Evening Telegraph. 11th April 2009
INTERNATIONAL HANDGUN LAW
To view information provided by IANSA, International Action Network on Small Arms, about civilian ownership of handguns in 16 other countries, and the numbers of guns deaths which occur visit http://www.iansa.org/documents/HandgunLawsIANSA2008.pdf
IRELAND: CABINET AGREES TO BAN HANDGUNS
The government's decision to ban the weapons comes after a period in which their use has grown exponetentially in the Republic. Gun owners who have weapons will not have their licences renewed.
Source: The Irish Times November 2008
HANDGUN OFFENCES
Handguns are consistently recorded as being used in offences and the trend is rising. There were 2636 handgun offences recorded in 1997/98 and 4172 in 2007/08.
Source: Home Office Statistical Bulletin 02/09 - Homicides, Firearm Offences and Intimate Violence 2007/08 (Supplementary Volume 2 to Crime in England and Wales 2007/08). To access on this site select 'Home Office Statistics' from the 'Links and Resources' page.
The rise is of great concern, but it has been suggested that where the weapon recorded as a 'handgun' is not fired, and/or not recovered, the weapon may not be a 'real' handgun, but something that looks like a handgun, eg. an air pistol, bb/ imitation / replica, starting pistol or airsoft gun. This suggestion seems likely due to the unprecedented numbers of bb/imitation and replica guns being marketed in the UK.
What are Handguns used for?
Olympic shooting. At the Bejing Olympic Games in 2008, three out of a total of fifteen shooting events, involved the use of handguns (prohibited weapons in the UK following the Dunblane Primary School massacre). Great Britian failed to win any medals in any of the fifteen shooting events in the 2008 Bejing Olympic Games, the financial support given to shooting has therefore recently been reduced.
DUNBLANE PRIMARY SCHOOL MASSACRE
Following the Dunblane Primary School massacre on 13th March 1996, when Thomas Hamilton murdered 16 children and their teacher, and injured another 12 children and two teachers then killed himself, using his legally owned weapons, Dunblane parents and others began 'The Snowdrop Campaign'. They called for legislative changes to prohibit handguns. Their campaign received unprecidented support from the public, the media and politicians, and resulted in '1997 Firearms Act'.
HOW DO HANDGUNS CONTRIBUTE TO GUN CRIME?
Killing and Injuring adults and young people
- Although the trend in handgun homicides is decreasing, from 42 in 1999/2000 to 39 in 2007/08 the trend in injuries is increasing. There were 317 handgun injuries in 1997-98 and 881 in 2007/08.
Source: Home Office Statistical Bulletin 02/09 - Homicides, Firearm Offences and Intimate Violence 2007/08 (Supplementary Volume 2 to Crime in England and Wales 2007/08). To view on this site select 'Home Office Statistics' from the 'Links and Resources' page.
To read about reported handgun incidents click on 'Gun Incident' heading and from the 'Issue type' options select 'handguns'.
Enabling Crime (robbery etc.)
- Handguns are used to enable many crimes each year. Even if the gun is not fired (which may suggest that the gun is not a 'real' handgun but something which looks like a handgun, ie an air pistol, bb/softair gun, starting pistol, replica or imitation gun), victims are threatened, frightened, coerced. raped, intimidated, and held captive, which can cause long lasting psychological damage.
To read about these crimes click on the 'Gun Incident' heading and from the 'Issue type' options select 'handguns'.
Domestic Violence
- Handguns are used in domestic violence. Victims are fatally wounded, injured, coerced, raped, threatened and held captive.
For information on campaigns and issues of domestic violence visit www.iansa.org/women or visit our 'Links and Resources' page.
For help with domestic violence ring the 24 hour free telephone helpline 080 2000 247.
For information visit www.womensaid.org.uk
To read about incidents affecting women and girls click on 'Gun Incidents' and from 'Issue type' options select 'women/girls'.
