Available data relate to the number of offences recorded by the police involving the use of a BB gun or soft air weapon, where they were fired, used as a blunt instrument against a person, or used as a threat. Latest data relate to 2007-08 and were published in table 2.03 of ‘Homicides, Firearm Offences and Intimate Violence 2007-08’ (Home Office Statistical Bulletin 02/09, 22 January 2009), which is available online at:
http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs09/hosb0209.pdf
A copy of the relevant table is shown as follows.
How suspected offences are investigated is an operational matter for the force concerned. To help them tackle the misuse of any kind of imitation firearm we have strengthened the controls considerably on several recent occasions. It is now an offence to have an imitation firearm in a public place without reasonable excuse; they cannot be sold to persons under 18; and there is a general ban on the sale, importation and manufacture of realistic imitations. It is also a serious offence to threaten other people with an imitation firearm.
Recorded crime Principal weapon 1998-991 1999-2000 2000-01 2001-022 2002-033 2003-04 2004-054 2005-06 2006-07 2007-08 Long-barrelled shotgun 322 353 303 380 361 424 306 375 360 365 Sawn-off shotgun 320 340 305 332 311 294 291 267 252 237 Handgun5 Converted imitation — — — — — — 20 7 12 7 Reactivated — — — — — — 2 2 2 1 Converted air pistol — — — — — — 14 12 13 11 Other — — — — — — 866 1,022 908 895 Type unknown — — — — — — 3,458 3,629 3,238 3,258 Handgun total 2,687 3,685 4,110 5,874 5,549 5,144 4,360 4,672 4,173 4,172 Rifle 43 67 36 64 52 48 54 71 69 71 Imitation firearm5 Imitation handgun — — — — — — 355 368 299 322 BB gun/soft air weapon — — — — — — 2,863 2,755 2,094 2,124 Deactivated firearm — — — — — — 1 4 2 2 Blank firer — — — — — — 27 17 21 21 Other imitation — — — — — — 127 133 100 93 Imitation firearm total 566 823 787 1,246 1,814 2,146 3,373 3,277 2,516 2,562 Unidentified firearm 665 762 950 1,176 1,431 1,356 1,500 1,362 1,276 1,325 Other firearm5 Unconverted starting gun — — — — — — 9 9 3 6 CS gas — — — — — — 516 461 436 552 Pepper spray — — — — — — 141 154 179 228 Machine gun — — — — — — 25 34 39 18 Stun gun — — — — — — 143 133 108 118 Other converted imitation weapon — — — — — — 1 2 — 4 Other reactivated weapon — — — — — — — 2 1 2 Disguised firearm — — — — — — 14 19 57 87 Other firearm (specified) — — — — — — 336 250 176 118 Other firearm total 606 813 980 952 730 926 1,185 1,064 999 1,133 All firearms excluding air weapons 5,209 6,843 7,471 10,024 10,248 10,338 11,069 11,088 9,645 9,865 Air weapon 8,665 10,103 10,227 12,377 13,822 13,756 11,825 10,439 8,836 7,478 All firearms 13,874 16,946 17,698 22,401 24,070 24,094 22,894 21,527 18,481 17,343 1 There was a change in the counting rules for recorded crime on 1 April 1998. 2 Figures may have been inflated by some police forces implementing the principles of the National Crime Recording Standard before 1 April 2002. 3 The National Crime Recording Standard was introduced on 1 April 2002. Figures for some crime categories may have been inflated by this. 4 More explicit guidelines for the classification of weapons introduced on 1 April 2004 may have increased the recording of firearm offences, particularly those committed by imitation weapons. 5 Further weapon breakdowns were available for the first time on 1 April 2004.