G. Crossbows
Crossbows
are not "firearms" for legal purposes. Setting aside
those rare types of crossbow that possess a barrel, they are not
therefore subject to the Firearms Acts 1968-97 but are controlled
under separate legislation.
WHAT IS
A CROSSBOW?
A
crossbow is a form of bow in which the bow-stave (prod) is fixed
crosswise to a stock. The bow can then be spanned back by hand
or by means of a lever or windlass, and the string held in place
by a catch that is released by a trigger to shoot an arrow, bolt
or quarrel. The crossbow was used in hunting and warfare in medieval
times, being slower to reload than a longbow but requiring less
strength to draw. Traditionally they were popular on the Continent,
the English favouring the longbow. Crossbows fell into disuse
for these purposes during the Sixteenth Century with the development
of muzzle-loading firearms, but in recent decades they have been
revived for target shooting purposes.
LEGISLATION
The main
legislation in this area is the Crossbows Act 1987. This applies
to those crossbows with a draw weight of 1.4 kilograms or greater.
It makes it an offence to sell or hire such a crossbow to any
young person under the age of 17, both for buyer and seller, and
prohibits any young person under 17 from possessing a crossbow
or its components unless supervised by someone aged 21 or over.
Crossbows
may also be considered potentially "offensive weapons"
for the purposes of section 1 of the Prevention of Crime Act 1953.
This makes it an offence to possess any offensive weapon in a
public place without lawful authority or reasonable excuse, proof
whereof lies on the individual. An offensive weapon is defined
as any article made or adapted for causing injury to the person.
While a target crossbow may not be an offensive weapon as such,
people found in possession of a crossbow in a public place might
be charged on the same basis as if they had a knife, club or other
similar weapon with them.
LEGITIMATE USES
There
are no official statistics on the number of crossbows in lawful
circulation in the UK. The vast majority are used lawfully and
safely for target shooting purposes. Hunting animals with any
sort of bow in the UK is unlawful.
CRIMINAL MISUSE
Anecdotally,
it is apparent that crossbows have been used for poaching and
to injure wildlife, and occasionally in other crime. Figures for
this misuse are not collected centrally, but levels of misuse
are thought to be low and not to have risen in recent years.
CONCLUSIONS
As with
other provisions dealing with offensive weapons, the Government
continues to keep this area under review. However, the Government
is not aware of any evidence that the misuse of crossbows is either
a substantial or a growing problem. On this basis the Government
has no current plans to change the law in this area.
October 1999
ANNEX A
Shotgun and Air weapon offences by force, 1995-1998
| | Total offences
| | | Per 100,000 population | |
| | Shotguns | Air weapons | Average no. shotguns covered by certificates | Urban/Rural Ranking | Shotguns | Air weapons | Shotgun offences per 100,000 shotguns covered by certificates |
| Dyfed Powys | 33 | 151 | 36,699 | 10 | 6.9 | 31.5 | 89.9 |
| North Wales | 24
| 385 | 28,399 | 29
| 3.7 | 58.6 | 84.5
|
| Lincolnshire | 20
| 302 | 32,391 | 33
| 3.2 | 48.5 | 61.7
|
| North Yorkshire | 28
| 382 | 38,147 | 35
| 3.8 | 51.5 | 73.4
|
| Group 1—Most rural
| 105 | 1,220
| 135,636 | | 4.2
| 48.8 | 77.4 |
| Suffolk | 11
| 122 | 40,348 | 40
| 1.6 | 18.2 | 27.3
|
| Cumbria | 7
| 189 | 21,763 | 41
| 1.4 | 38.3 | 32.2
|
| Devon and Cornwall |
22 | 298 |
77,969 | 42 | 1.4
| 19.1 | 28.2 |
| Norfolk | 20
| 120 | 55,304 | 42
| 2.5 | 15.2 | 36 2
|
| Wiltshire | 10
| 143 | 27,289 | 42
| 1.7 | 23.6 | 36.6
|
| Cambridgeshire | 61
| 334 | 31,976 | 46
| 8.5 | 46.4 | 190.8
|
| Gloucestershire | 21
| 289 | 26,330 | 50
| 3.8 | 51.9 | 79.8
|
| Durham | 24
| 248 | 13,510 | 52
| 3.9 | 40.8 | 177.6
|
| West Mercia | 50
| 289 | 65,218 | 53
| 4.4 | 25.4 | 76.7
|
| Group 2 | 226
| 2,032 | 359,707
| | 3.2 | 28.5
| 62.8 |
| Northamptonshire | 34
| 478 | 19,348 | 61
| 5.5 | 77.6 | 175.7
|
| Avon and Somerset |
48 | 707 |
47,378 | 65 | 3.2
| 47.5 | 101.3 |
| Derbyshire | 54
| 921 | 29,136 | 65
| 5.6 | 94.9 | 185.3
|
| Gwent | 23
| 422 | 14,653 | 65
| 4.1 | 75.7 | 157.0
|
| Leicestershire | 37
| 291 | 25,119 | 65
| 4.0 | 31.3 | 147.3
|
| Thames Valley | 90
| 1,027 | 71,367 | 65
| 4.3 | 48.9 | 126.1
|
| Warwickshire | 13
| 248 | 20,282 | 65
| 2.6 | 48.9 | 64.1
|
| Bedfordshire | 55
| 278 | 14,127 | 66
| 9.9 | 49.9 | 389.3
|
| Dorset | 20
| 200 | 24,991 | 67
| 2.9 | 28.9 | 80.0
|
| Humberside | 58
| 1,956 | 24,285 | 67
| 6.6 | 221.5 | 238.8
|
| Essex | 66
| 914 | 45,542 | 68
| 4.3 | 59.6 | 144.9
|
| Hampshire | 28
| 444 | 47,025 | 68
| 1.6 | 25.1 | 59.5
|
| Sussex | 57
| 506 | 47,400 | 68
| 3.8 | 33.8 | 120.3
|
| Group 3 | 583
| 8,392 | 430,653
| | 4.1 | 59.5
| 135.4 |
| Kent | 119
| 1,052 | 45,793 | 70
| 7.6 | 66.8 | 259.9
|
| Cheshire | 15
| 263 | 28,544 | 72
| 1.5 | 26.7 | 52.6
|
| Staffordshire | 33
| 764 | 31,565 | 72
| 3.1 | 72.0 | 104.5
|
| Surrey | 25
| 149 | 24,390 | 74
| 3.2 | 18.9 | 102.5
|
| South Wales | 40
| 1,189 | 21,627 | 76
| 3.2 | 95.9 | 185.0
|
| Nottinghamshire | 77
| 1,526 | 23,442 | 77
| 7.5 | 147.9 | 328.5
|
| Lancashire | 47
| 441 | 27,712 | 79
| 3.3 | 30.9 | 169.6
|
| South Yorkshire | 95
| 1,284 | 16,404 | 79
| 7.3 | 98.5 | 579.1
|
| West Yorkshire | 162
| 3,193 | 24,065 | 80
| 7.7 | 151.1 | 673.2
|
| Hertfordshire | 26
| 55 | 21,809 | 81
| 3.0 | 6.3 | 119.2
|
| Northumbria | 165
| 966 | 19,817 | 81
| 11.6 | 67.8 | 832.6
|
| Cleveland | 29
| 653 | 5,212
| 83 | 5.2 | 117.4
| 556.4 |
| Group 4 | 833
| 11,535 | 290,380
| | 5.8 | 80.2
| 286.9 |
| Greater Manchester |
343 | 1,365
| 21,435 | 97 | 13.3
| 53.0 | 1,600.2 |
| Merseyside | 122
| 2,098 | 8,413 | 97
| 8.7 | 148.9 | 1,450.1
|
| City of London | 1
| 2 | 59 | 99
| 19.2 | 38.4 | 1,694.9
|
| Metropolitan Police |
696 | 3,194
| 62,600 | 99 | 9.1
| 41.6 | 1,111.8 |
| West Midlands | 227
| 1,670 | 20,840 | 99
| 8.6 | 63.5 | 1,089.3
|
| Group 5—Most urban
| 1,389 | 8,329
| 113,347 | | 9.7
| 58.2 | 1225.4
|
|
