IMITATION AND REPLICA GUNS ARE BEING CONVERTED INTO REAL GUNS

Paul Alexander, an ex-soldier, set up gun factories from which he supplied weapons to street gangs in Liverpool, Manchester and the West Midlands.  Using skills he acquired while serving in the Royal Artillery he converted replica guns at factories in Bardfield Saling, Essex, and Bath.  His DNA was discovered on a handgun seized by police during a crackdown on gang violence in Liverpool following the death of Rhys Jones.  Alexander was arrested at the property he rented in Essex where police uncovered 28 firearms and more than 10,000 bullets.  He has been linked to ammunition and guns used in 28 incidents including one alleged murder, four attempted murders, nine other shootings and an armed robbery.  He pleaded guilty to two counts of possessing a firearm with intent to endanger life, converting imitation firearms into real guns, possessing or manufacturing prohibited ammunition and other offences.  Sentencing was adjourned awaiting background reports.

Source: Guardian 21st September 2009

David Hampson was described by a judge as a "dealer in death" when he was jailed for 20 years after pleading guilty to a number of charges of conspiring to supply guns and ammunition.  He had transformed the kitchen in his home in Huyton, Merseyside, into a workshop where he could manufacture weapons.  He could transform a replica firearm into a handgun in 20 minutes, and his speciality was converting miniature torches into single-shot weapons.  Hampson would buy up replica firearms and starting pistols from army supplies stores.  Other members of the gang were jailed, Thomas March for 30 months after being convicted of conspiring to supply ammunition and firearms and Neil Perry and Martin Pearson, who admitted the same charges, for five and seven years, respectively.  Dean Gerrard will be sentenced later.

Source: Times, 12 September 2009

A man who survived an attempted execution in Harrow, north west London, in April 2009 (see Incidents) has been jailed for six and a half years after being caught with a modified imitation handgun loaded with three bullets in Harrow in June 2009.  Garth Robinson, who had 24 previous convictions including possession of weapons, was found guilty.

Source: Harrow Times, 11 December 2009

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

IMITATION GUNS ARE FREQUENTLY USED IN CRIME

Imitation guns, bb guns and replica guns are frequently used in crime. 

For example:-

Three men have been jailed for a total of 18 years and nine months for a string of armed robberies at video stores in Berkshire and Buckinghamshire.  Troy Tutin and Alexander Davies both pleaded guilty to three counts of robbery and three counts of being in possession of an imitation firearm and were sentenced to six years.  Davies was also sentenced for a drugs offence.  Paul Barzey was sentenced to six years and nine months after pleading guilty to two counts of robbery and two counts of being in possession of an imitation firearm and assaulting a member of staff.  He was also sentenced in connection with a burglary.  The robberies took place in Slough in February 2009 (see Incidents) and Maidenhead in March 2009 (see Incidents) and in Hazlemere in March 2009 (Bucks Free Press, 12 February 2010).

Source: Slough & Langley Observer, 11 February 2010

Two men used a gun to try and hold up a newsagent's in Pinehurst, Wiltshire.  They were confronted and quickly made their getaway empty-handed.  An imitation gun was found at the scene.  One man has been arrested (Swindon Advertiser, 10 February 2010).

Source: This is Wiltshire, 9 February 2010

Because many of these are created as exact replicas of real guns, victims, experts, and experienced firearms officers find it difficult to tell the difference.  In October 2009 three men from the black country were jailed, two for 7 years and one for 5 years, for armed carjacking with an imitation gun bought from Poundland.

Because of the difficulties in identifying imitation guns from real weapons there have been several tragedies involving Armed Response Officers who have shot and killed individuals armed with imitation/ bb/ replica /disguised guns.

For example:

A man who reportedly threatened a member of the public with an "Uzi-style" sub-machine gun was shot dead by armed police officers in Stansted, near Sevenoaks in Kent.  Police challenged the man and fired two shots.  The incident will be investigated by the Independent Police Complaints Commission. The incident is being reported to have been "suicide by cop" (Telegraph, 31 December 2007).  It later emerged that the gun carried by Dayniel Tucker was a replica (This is Kent, 18 September 2008).  A ballistics specialist told an inquest that when he first saw the firearm he believed in was real.  The inquest also heard that Tucker had attempted suicide in the past and was likely to have been under the influence of drugs at the time of his death.  The jury found that he was lawfully killed (BBC, 1 March 2010).

Source: BBC 30 December 2007

In Canada following several of these fatalities involving Police marksmen there have been calls for imitation guns be  licensed.  To find out more about this visit http://://www.cbc.ca/canada/ottawa/story/2010/02/23/ottawa-fake-guns-firearms-act.html  

IMITATION GUNS ARE USED IN ROAD RAGE INCIDENTS

For instance:-

Ian Smith from Luton, Bedfordshire, has admitted brandishing a toy gun at another driver during a road rage incident on the M1 in July 2009 which involved a van.  He admitted possessing an imitation firearm with intent to cause fear of violence and was given a 16 week suspended jail sentence and ordered to do 100 hours unpaid work.

Source: BBC, 11 February 2010

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 imitation, replica and bb guns. This happens when members of the public alert local Police when they see individuals brandishing guns in public.  The cost of these operations, including scrambling police helicopters, is currently met by taxpayers, not the perpetrators who waste police resources by their use of imitation/bb etc. guns. 

For example:

Three juveniles were arrested after a police helicopter was scrambled and armed police called after reports of a man waving a gun in the centre of Abbots Bromley, Staffordshire.  The gun turned out to be an imitation handgun, but the response caused much of the village to be brought to a standstill.

Uttoxeter Advertiser, 11 December 2009

Armed police went to a street in the centre of Wolverhampton after witnesses reported seeing a man brandishing a gun.  Two men found with two plastic BB guns were arrested.  They have been charged with possession of imitation firearms in a public place.

Source: Express & Star, 17 April 2009

RAISING AWARENESS ABOUT THE DANGERS OF HAVING IMITATION/bb/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.  Some 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 imitation 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)

FEAR OF CRIME  

The large numbers of imitation/bb/replica/guns in our society fuels fear of gun crime. Victims faced with a criminal holding an imitation/bb/replica gun do not know it is an imitation 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 imitation/bb/replica gun misuse click on 'Reported Incidents' and from the 'Issue type' option select 'bb/imitation'. To find out more about imitation/bb and replica guns hover on 'Gun types' and select 'Imitations'