Key Facts
- Firearms were used in 14,250 offences recorded by the police in England and Wales in 2008/09, including 6,042 cases involving air weapons and 8,208 cases involving other firearms.
- 45% of police recorded offences involving firearms other than air weapons related to violence against the person, 44% to robbery and 6% to criminal damage.
- 77% of police recorded offences involving air weapons related to criminal damage and 19% to violence against the person.
- Just over a third of fatal or serious injuries were caused by handguns, just under a third by rifles or "other" firearms, 18% by shotguns and 17% by air weapons.
- There were 39 firearms homicides in 2008/09, which represented 6% of all homicides during the year: 4 of these deaths involved a weapon that was held on a certificate; 17 involved a weapon that was not held on a certificate; the status of the weapons in the remaining 18 deaths was unknown.
- The most recent figures show 138,728 firearm certificates on issue in England and Wales, covering 435,383 firearms; and 26,072 firearm certificates on issue in Scotland, covering 70,856 firearms.
- The most recent figures show 574,946 shotgun certificates on issue in England and Wales, covering 1,366,082 shotguns; and 50,308 shotgun certificates on issue in Scotland, covering 137,768 shotguns.
- 24 out of 9,668 firearms licence application renewals, and 93 out of 25,408 shotgun licence application renewals, were refused in 2008/09.
- Some 260 firearm certificates and 1,009 shotgun certificates were revoked during 2008/09.
- There are 34 pieces of legislation governing the control of firearms.
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