BB IMITATION AND REPLICA GUNS ARE BEING CONVERTED INTO REAL GUNS

Converted guns 'used in murders'

Two men ran an illegal gun factory to turn replica guns into live weapons later used in 51 shootings including eight murders, a court has heard. Grant Wilkinson, 34, and Gary Lewis, 38, deny nine charges of firearms offences after the discovery of weapons and ammunition near Reading. Mr Wilkinson bought 90 replica guns in 2004, which he told the dealer were for a James Bond film, the jury heard.  But the prosecution told Reading Crown Court the guns were converted and sold. The pair converted the replicas into real Mac 10 sub-machine guns in the factory at The Briars in Basingstoke Road, Three Mile Cross, jurors heard.

Prosecuting counsel John Price told the court that 51 shootings had been linked to guns which had been converted at the factory. Eight of these were murders, 24 were non-fatal shootings and the other 19 were incidents where the gun was discharged but no-one hurt.  A total of 46 shootings took place in London, four in Birmingham and one in Manchester. The majority of the murders took place in London, dating back to the summer of 2004. Mr Price told the court: "On 26 July 2005, a shooting in Denmark Hill, Peckham, which resulted in a fatality, involved one of these converted guns." He also said that on 25 April 2005 police raided an address in Whitcomb Street, London, where they seized one of the converted Mac 10s alleged to have been made at the factory. Mr Price said: "It is impossible to understate the find at The Briars, nor the seriousness of crime carried out across the country, mainly in Greater London, which has featured the carrying and discharging of Mac 10 sub-machine guns converted from replicas at the humble outbuildings here in Reading."  The court heard Mr Wilkinson used a fake name to buy the 90 guns, worth £55,201, from Sabre Defence Industries in Middlesex.

Source: BBC

BB IMITATION AND REPLICA GUNS ARE FREQUENTLY USED IN CRIME

For instance:-

Brian Vickers has been jailed for two years after threatening a man with a BB gun in Chalfont St. Peter, Buckinghamshire. Vickers reportedly assaulted the man over a debt in August, and was sentenced for possession of an imitation firearm with intent to cause fear of violence.

Source: Bucks Free Press, 14 October 2011

A woman was shot by a BB gun as she walked through the Blackpool town centre on a Friday afternoon. She was reportedly struck in the face by a pellet as the shooter rode past in a car. She suffered swelling to her left eye but did not sustain any serious injuries.

Source: Blackpool Gazette, 11 October 2011

Pupils at a primary school were shot by a BB gun in Newbury, West Berkshire. A 13-year-old boy reportedly was responsible for the shooting, in which the children were hit by plastic pellets. The school's head teacher said the children were not injured in the incident.

Source: Newbury Today, 14th October 2011

A 13-year-old boy brandished an imitation gun in Clevedon, North Somerset. The boy reportedly pointed the gun at a woman in a youth centre and at others in a supermarket. He pleaded guilty to two charges of possessing an imitation firearm with intent to cause fear or violence and was given an 18-month youth rehabilitation order.

Source: Weston Mercury, 6 October 2011

Troy Mackrell, 19, was found guilty of possessing an imitation gun with intent to cause fear of violence, assault, dangerous driving and driving without a license or insurance. He hit another person with a BB gun and drove at the victim's father during an incident in Leeds in April, before getting his cheekbone broken as the victims retaliated. Mackrell was sentenced to a 12-month community order with 150 hours of unpaid work.

Source: The Telegraph and Argus, 28 September 2011

David Penn has been jailed for nine years after admitting robbery and possessing an imitation firearm. Penn and an accomplice threatened a pair of women in a betting shop in Medway, Kent with a BB gun in September 2010. They left with cash but police linked DNA found on a pistol discarded nearby to Penn, who has 14 prior convictions and a history of drug and alcohol problems. The other robber reportedly has not been found.

Source: Medway Messenger, 12 September 2011

Two women were shot with a BB gun in Banbury, Oxfordshire. A 16-year-old girl was hit in the chest and another woman was shot in the jaw while driving. Police said both suffered pain but no serious injuries.

Source: Banbury Guardian, 3 June 2011

A man was attacked and shot with a BB gun in Kidderminster, Worcestershire. The victim was reportedly shot several times in the leg by two men and had his wallet stolen. The alleged perpetrators and a woman were all arrested on  suspicion of their involvement.

Source: Kidderminster Shuttle, 20 May 2011

A 14-year-old boy was shot in the face with a BB gun pellet in Loscoe, Derbyshire. The incident reportedly happened after a car drove by the boy as he was cycling, pointing a BB gun at him.

Source: Derbyshire Times, 3 May 2011

Simon Pittman has admitted robbery and having an imitation firearm after he held up a betting shop in Trecynon, Mid Glamorgan, in September 2010 (see Incidents).  The weapon was a Magnum BB gun which he pulled from a pillowcase and cocked in front of two workers.  He has been jailed for five and a half years.  The judge comments that "It's difficult for someone to imagine the degree of fear created by your actions".

Source: South Wales Echo, 28 October 2010

A man was shot in the face with a BB gun in Redditch, Worcestershire.  He was walking when a car pulled up alongside him and a male passenger shot at him before the car sped off.

Source: Redditch Advertiser, 10 August 2010

A man with learning difficulties was shot three times with a BB gun when he visited a neighbour in Workington, Cumbria, to borrow some milk in June 2009.  The neighbour Paul Goddard has pleaded guilty to common assault.  He shot the man in the foot.  Andrew Carney who fired the other two shots admitted grievous bodily harm.  Goddard was given a two-year supervision requirement.  Carney has been sent to prison for two years (News & Star, 4 August 2010).

Source: News & Star 7 July 2010

Source: This is Nottingham, 21 November 2009

One of a number of complaints about anti-social behaviour relating to a youth and community shelter in Wyke, West Yorkshire, is that young people have used a ball-bearing gun to fire at younger children.

Source: Evening Courier, 24 November 2009

Because many bb guns and imitation guns are created as exact replicas of 'real' guns, victims, experts, and experienced firearms officers find it difficult to tell the difference.  This has resulted in tragedies involving Armed Response Officers who have shot and killed individuals armed with BB/imitation/replica guns.

A report published in the Daily Post North Wales in July 2009 reveals that more than 60 people have been shot with ball bearing (BB) guns/air weapons in a shocking wave of violence in North Wales.  These weapons have been used in robberies, sexual assault and a BB gun was also involved in a conspiracy to commit murder. 

BB GUNS USED IN DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AND CHILD CRUELTY

For example:-

A man from Hartshome, Leicestershire, is on trial accused of 26 offences of cruelty to his two sons and two daughters and two counts of actual bodily harm against his wife.  The alleged incidents which occurred between 1987 and 2000 include shooting at his children with a BB gun.

Source: This is Leicestershire, 31 October 2009

BB GUNS USED IN CRIMES AGAINST WOMEN

Phillip Hopkins has admitted rape and having a firearm with intent to commit an offence.  In September 2009 his victim was driven around Peterborough to the scene of the attack where he threatened her with a gun, put tape across her mouth, tied her up and assaulted her.  The weapon was a ball bearing gun which the victim believed was real (Evening Telegraph (Peterborough), 11 July 2010).  Hopkins, an ex-soldier, has been given an indeterminate prison sentence and will serve at least four years and 78 days.

Source: BBC, 9 July 2010

BB GUNS BEING USED BY CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE

Children are able to buy and use BB / toy guns because they are cheap and accessible. They are sold in shops, at markets, and car boot sales and offered as prizes on stalls at charity / fund raising events.  Children use them maliciously to bully, threaten and  intimidate other children, and in 'revenge' shootings. They also use them 'for a laugh' not understanding the consequences. The seriousness of the injuries sustained varies according to the proximity of the gun to the victim and the area of the body affected.  Because of the nature of the manufacture of these and other similar guns, it is not possible to accurately select a target area on a victim, projectiles  follow random trajectories.  

For Example:

A boy of 11 years sparked an armed police operation in Burgess Hill, West Sussex. Police said reports of a person with a handgun were initially issued, and upon investigation discovered the boy in possession of a BB gun.

Source: The Argus 10 May 2011

An 11-year-old boy has been shot in the face with a BB gun while he was playing in a park in Derby.  A 14-year-old has been arrested on suspicion of causing actual bodily harm.

Source: BBC 12 August 2010

A 13-year-old girl needed hospital treatment after being shot in the eye with a BB gun in Barton, Oxford.  The pellet hit the iris in her eye and bounced off.

Source: BBC 12 August 2010

Two boys, aged 11, suffered bruising after they were shot with a BB pistol by a youth in Clevedon, Somerset.  One victim was struck twice in the ribs, the other was hit in the bottom.  Police are speaking to several youths in connection with the incident.

Source: Evening Post (Bristol) 10 August 2010

A 14-year-old was arrested after three pupils were shot with a BB gun on the premises of a high school in Cyncoed, Cardiff.  The victims received minor injuries.

Source: Wales Online 29 June 2010

A 10-year-old boy was shot in the face with a BB gun in Highbridge, Somerset.  The shot was fired by another boy after two small groups of youths were involved in an altercation in a park.  The victim suffered an injury to his mouth.  A 14-year-old suspect has been dealt with by means of restorative justice (Weekly News, 27 May 2010).

Source: Burnham-on-Sea.com, 24 May 2010

BB REPLICA AND IMITATION GUNS - FINANCIAL COST TO MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC

Senior Police Officers have expressed their concerns regarding the financial cost of responding to call outs to firearms incidents which ultimately are found to be BB, replica or imitation guns. This happens when members of the public alert local Police when they see individuals brandishing guns in public.  The cost of these operations is currently met by taxpayers, not the perpetrators who waste police resources and public money by their use of BB/imitation etc. guns. 

For example:

Police responded to alarms that a man was carrying a handgun in Cumbria. They arrested the perpetrator and seized a BB gun, before issuing a statement reasserting the threat to the public that imitation guns carry due to their closely resembling more powerful firearms.

Source: News and Star, 21 June 2011

Two replica machine guns were found in bushes in Betchworth, Surrey.  The police confiscated the weapons and later destroyed them.  Police later revealed that the BB guns had been left on the pavement following a fancy dress party the previous night.

Source: This is Surrey Today, 5 November 2010

Armed police were called to a street in Malmesbury, Wiltshire, in response to reports to a gun being waved out of a window.  A 16-year-old was arrested and questioned and a BB gun was confiscated.

Source: Wilts and Gloucestershire Standard, 7 September 2010

The financial and human costs involved in dealing with frequent incidents of vandalism and criminal damage caused by bb and other guns are considerable.  Such incidents involve repairs, replacement and insurance claims. They cause distress and disruption to individuals, families and groups when homes, cars, schools,  and  local amenities are damaged. These incidents generate additional costs to public services which are ultimately funded by tax payers.  These little publicised incidents are 'hidden costs' which occur as result of the widespread possession and misuse of bb and other guns.  

For example:-

Three windows at a community hall in Watton, Norfolk, have been damaged by pellets fired from either an air pistol or BB gun.

Source: Watton & Swaffham Times, 24 May 2010

RAISING AWARENESS ABOUT THE DANGERS OF HAVING BB/IMITATION/REPLICA WEAPONS

Children, young people and adults who have these sort of guns often do not understand the risks they face when playing with their guns in public. 

Many constabularies are so concerned about this issue they have created presentations and demonstrations and visit schools in campaigns to raise awareness.  They talk about the difficult decisions armed officers have to take when faced with someone brandishing a weapon which may or may not be 'real' and remind children and young people that the guns used by Armed Response Officers are always 'real'.

The exellent work being done by several Police teams in schools may well be having an effect.  The number of armed response call outs which result in the apprehension of young people with BB/imitation/replica etc guns has fallen significantly in some areas.

For example:

"Derbyshire police attended fewer incidents involving firearms in the last year compared to five years ago and senior officers believe this is due in part to anti gun campaigns run by the force in schools,  tougher legislation and the 'Gunsafe' campaign which encourages traders not to sell BB/imitation weapons. In 2007-08, armed response officers attended 32 incidents where knives and replica or toy guns were recovered, compared to 61 incidents in 2002-03.  They attended 18 incidents where air pistols or rifles were seized compared to 43 in 2002-03.  In 2002-03, officers recovered 26 shotguns and other prohibited weapons, compared to 19 in 2007-08. Officers arrested 137 offenders in 2002-03 and 103 in 2007-08.

	Replicas, Blank firing, BB Guns, Knives	Air rifles, pistols, gas propelled weapons	Shotguns, Sect. 1, Sect 5, Prohibited Weapons	Offender Arrested
2002/03	61	43	26	137
2003/04	72	39	25	153
2004/05	49	52	22	197
2005/06	41	31	10	163
2006/07	27	29	5	89
2007/08	32	18	19	103

(Source Derbyshire Constabulary. August 08)

BB, IMITATION AND REPLICA GUNS INCREASE THE FEAR OF CRIME  

The large numbers of BB/imitation//replica/guns in our society fuels fear of gun crime. Victims faced with a criminal holding a BB/imitation/replica gun do not know the potential of the weapon, and the criminal intends the victim to believe it is capable of killing and injuring. Victims therefore may suffer psychological trauma, even if there is no physical injury. 

To read about incidents involving BB/imitation/replica gun misuse click on 'Reported Incidents' and from the 'Issue type' option select 'bb/imitation'