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Four Years After the Dunblane Massacre, Britain's Tighter=20
Gun Laws Have Failed Completely=20

-- by Peter Woolrich


Britain's gun control laws, introduced after the Dunblane massacre in =
1996, have proven to be a disaster. There are now an estimated three =
million illegal firearms in the UK, perhaps double the number of four =
years ago, and the only effect the knee-jerk political reaction that led =
to the Firearms (Amendment) Act 1997 has had is to shut down legitimate =
gun clubs.

Fears that Britain is on the way to adopting a US-style gun culture are =
now a reality "We look to Los Angeles for the language we use," =
Morrissey once sang, but it was never envisaged that "drive-by shooting" =
and "Big Mac" (the Mac 10 sub-machine gun, which fires 20 rounds a =
second) would become as much a part of the vocabulary of street-wise =
teenagers in Merseyside, Glasgow and London as hamburger and fries.

Some believe the three million figure, collated by Home Affairs =
Committee researchers working on a recent parliamentary report into the =
gun trade, is overstated.

Either way, vast stockpiles of weapons have fuelled a spate of shootings =
in Britain's cities, including Manchester where a 17-year-old was =
recently killed.

The new research suggests that in some areas a third of young criminals, =
classed as those aged 15 to 25 with convictions, own or have access to =
guns ranging from Beretta sub-machine guns to Luger pistols, which =
change hands on street corners and in pubs for as little as =A3150.

"There is a move from the pistol and shotgun to automatic weapons," says =
Detective Superintendent Keith Hudson of the National Crime Squad. "We =
are recovering weapons that are relatively new - and sometimes still in =
their boxes - from eastern European countries." In London there were =
more than 20 fatal shootings last year allegedly linked with the =
Yardies, gangsters who have their roots in Jamaica, compared with nine =
killings in 1998. In one, Andy Balfour, 32, was shot eight times with a =
Mac 10, and last summer BBC hip-hop disc jockey Tim Westwood was shot by =
a man on a motorbike who opened fire as he drove home from a gig in =
Kennington, south London.

Last month, Gabriel Egharevba, 17, was also shot by a man on a =
motorcycle in Longsight, Manchester, the eighth fatal shooting in the =
city in seven months. The previous year, two teenagers aged 14 and 17 =
were gunned down in the same area by a gang with automatic machine guns.

Police say that modern weapons are fast becoming fashion accessories, =
along with trainers and jewellery, among young drug dealers protecting =
themselves and their territory. Unarmed officers now find themselves =
being confronted by youngsters on mountain bikes brandishing automatic =
guns.

In Birmingham there have been about 100 crimes a month involving =
firearms since last March, compared with 88 a month in the year ending =
April 1998.

Two men were shot dead in the city in separate incidents at Christmas.

The government declared an amnesty on guns after Thomas Hamilton shot =
dead 16 children and a teacher in Dunblane, resulting in 162,000 weapons =
being handed in, but this has failed to make even a dent in the =
underworld's supply of pistols and revolvers. A steady flow continues to =
come in from former Eastern bloc countries, but criminals have now found =
an even cheaper and safer source of weaponry.

"Factories" up and down the country are churning out decommissioned =
guns, often stolen from private collectors and sold at trade fairs and =
through the classified ads of specialist magazines, that have been =
reactivated by re-boring the barrels and replacing the firing pin.

Another growing source of illegal guns are "cloning" or "off-ticket =
sale" dealers, who operate in a similar way to car ringers. Stolen =
firearms disappear by being given the identity of an older =
decommissioned weapon, details of which don't have to be recorded under =
present laws. Last year, ex-Special Constable Tony Mitchell was jailed =
for eight years for supplying criminals with hundreds of guns - he =
specialised in Mac 10s at =A31,100 apiece. He used his engineering =
skills to convert the guns from deactivated products bought via mail =
order catalogues. One was traced to a 1997 street murder in Brixton and =
another shooting of a police officer by a youth in Manchester's Moss =
Side. In all, police linked guns supplied by Mitchell to 130 crime =
scenes.

As an indication of how Mitchell and other dealers feel they can operate =
with impunity in Britain, he continued his activities even after a =
police raid that saw him arrested and released when no guns were found.

Detective Constable Cliff Purvis of the National Crime Squad said: "Some =
of the weapons which bore Mitchell's 'signature' mark have been used in =
killings and to fire at police.

"I'm sure he was one of the major contributors to illegal firearms in =
this country. He was a big fish. There's no question of that." A big =
fish or not, Mitchell's shoes were very quickly filled in what is =
thought to be a multi-million pound black market industry. Opponents of =
the handgun ban, introduced after Dunblane, claim it has failed to cut =
gun crime because of the multiple sources of weapons available to =
criminals.

Home Office figures soon to be released will show that, overall, armed =
crime rose 10 per cent in 1998. There were 13,671 armed offences =
compared with 12,410 the previous year. Firearms experts have long =
called for more research to assess the accurate flow of illegal weapons =
and, although attempts are being made by the Home Affairs Committee, it =
remains to be seen if the government will act upon its recommendations. =
It is a relatively simple measure to clamp down on identifiable gun =
clubs and collectors, but another to penetrate the underworld.

Bill Harriman, a member of the Firearms Consultative Committee and a =
spokesman for the British Association for Shooting and Conservation, =
says that current legislation focuses on law-abiding citizens who belong =
to gun clubs. "It should," he says, "have been directed at illegally =
held firearms." Even though pistols were banned under the Dunblane =
regulations, they are still the weapon of choice for armed criminals and =
were used in 1,854 of the 3,029 armed robberies in England and Wales in =
1997.

The government had plenty of evidence at its disposal to realise that =
simply banning certain types of weapons is ineffective. For example, =
fully-automatics have been prohibited since 1937 but it has not stopped =
criminals using them.

Harrirnan believes that, far from being discouraged from using guns, =
criminals, as well as people with no criminal record, are becoming more =
trigger-happy.

"Firearms are now being used to settle minor disputes," he comments.

"There's an argument in the pub and it's settled in the car park with a =
bullet, or someone keeps a pistol in the glove compartment of his car =
and uses it in a fit of road rage.

"The Dunblane legislation should have been directed at stopping this =
attitude, and taking handguns out of the grasp of, criminals. If the =
=A395 million paid in compensation to former pistol owners had been used =
to target armed robbers, something fundamental could have been done to =
end gun culture." Harriman's view is supported by a large number of =
police officers who privately say that the 1997 legislation is a =
nonsense, but are afraid to speak publicly for fear of offending their =
political masters. One exception is Superintendent Nigel Sutcliffe of =
West Yorkshire, who says in a submission put before the Home Affairs =
Committee: "It is clear that the bans introduced in the Firearms =
(Amendment) Act in respect of handguns have not worked, in that for the =
first six months of 1999, 59 handguns have been used in West Yorkshire.

"Clearly, these handguns could not be lawfully possessed and, therefore, =
must have been illegally imported into the country or already be in the =
unlawful possession of someone.

"These facts tend to support those shooting organisations who were =
opposing the ban of handguns... in that handguns in the lawful =
possession of those involved in target shooting were rarely used in =
criminal activity." However, the gun used at Dunblane was legally held =
by Hamilton, a gun club member.

As well as eastern Europe, America is also a foreign source of illegal =
weapons.

British security services recently revealed that weapons bought at =
Florida gun shows and posted to the UK had been intercepted in north =
London and Manchester.

MI6 has no idea how many packages have already got through, but are =
aware of larger consignments being brought across the Atlantic by =
private yachts and dropped into the sea off the Kent coast. The bundles =
are fitted with remote-controlled flotation tanks and beacons, the =
signals from which can be picked up by global positioning systems.

One effect the handgun ban does seem to have had is to lead to a =
shortage of ammunition, which means that the illegal armouries make even =
more money by supplying that as well.

Perversely, the law actually assists criminals in building their own =
ammunition because a loophole does not make it an offence to own or even =
to have the component parts sent through the post. Anyone can buy =
primers, cases, propellant and bullets (the missile) without any form of =
certification. The gun only needs to be registered once the pieces are =
put together to form a whole.

In written evidence to the Home Affairs Committee the Police Federation =
has pointed out the "laxity" of the Dunblane legislation in not dealing =
with ammunition, as well as a number of other "inconsistencies".

It says: "The time is now right for parliament to address the entire =
issue and produce a completely new Firearms Act. Any lesser step will be =
insufficient." The Police Federation is demanding that anomalies such as =
someone being legally permitted to own a shotgun while being deemed =
unfit to possess a firearm, as happened at Cardiff Crown Court in April =
last year, must be changed.

It's a question of whether the government has the mettle to enact =
something more effective than the cosmetic exercise it undertook last =
time.=20




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<DIV><FONT size=3D2><A=20
href=3D"http://www.thevanguard.org/thevanguard/other_writers/woolrich.sht=
ml">http://www.thevanguard.org/thevanguard/other_writers/woolrich.shtml</=
A></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=3D2></FONT>&nbsp;</DIV>
<DIV><STRONG><FONT face=3DArial size=3D4>Four Years After the Dunblane =
Massacre,=20
Britain's Tighter <BR>Gun Laws Have Failed Completely</FONT></STRONG>=20
<P></P>
<P><FONT face=3DArial>-- by Peter Woolrich</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face=3DPalatino><BR>Britain's gun control laws, introduced =
after the=20
Dunblane massacre in 1996, have proven to be a disaster. There are now =
an=20
estimated three million illegal firearms in the UK, perhaps double the =
number of=20
four years ago, and the only effect the knee-jerk political reaction =
that led to=20
the Firearms (Amendment) Act 1997 has had is to shut down legitimate gun =

clubs.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face=3DPalatino>Fears that Britain is on the way to adopting a =
US-style=20
gun culture are now a reality "We look to Los Angeles for the language =
we use,"=20
Morrissey once sang, but it was never envisaged that "drive-by shooting" =
and=20
"Big Mac" (the Mac 10 sub-machine gun, which fires 20 rounds a second) =
would=20
become as much a part of the vocabulary of street-wise teenagers in =
Merseyside,=20
Glasgow and London as hamburger and fries.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face=3DPalatino>Some believe the three million figure, collated =
by Home=20
Affairs Committee researchers working on a recent parliamentary report =
into the=20
gun trade, is overstated.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face=3DPalatino>Either way, vast stockpiles of weapons have =
fuelled a=20
spate of shootings in Britain's cities, including Manchester where a =
17-year-old=20
was recently killed.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face=3DPalatino>The new research suggests that in some areas a =
third of=20
young criminals, classed as those aged 15 to 25 with convictions, own or =
have=20
access to guns ranging from Beretta sub-machine guns to Luger pistols, =
which=20
change hands on street corners and in pubs for as little as =
=A3150.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face=3DPalatino>"There is a move from the pistol and shotgun to =
automatic=20
weapons," says Detective Superintendent Keith Hudson of the National =
Crime=20
Squad. "We are recovering weapons that are relatively new - and =
sometimes still=20
in their boxes - from eastern European countries." In London there were =
more=20
than 20 fatal shootings last year allegedly linked with the Yardies, =
gangsters=20
who have their roots in Jamaica, compared with nine killings in 1998. In =
one,=20
Andy Balfour, 32, was shot eight times with a Mac 10, and last summer =
BBC=20
hip-hop disc jockey Tim Westwood was shot by a man on a motorbike who =
opened=20
fire as he drove home from a gig in Kennington, south London.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face=3DPalatino>Last month, Gabriel Egharevba, 17, was also =
shot by a man=20
on a motorcycle in Longsight, Manchester, the eighth fatal shooting in =
the city=20
in seven months. The previous year, two teenagers aged 14 and 17 were =
gunned=20
down in the same area by a gang with automatic machine guns.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face=3DPalatino>Police say that modern weapons are fast =
becoming fashion=20
accessories, along with trainers and jewellery, among young drug dealers =

protecting themselves and their territory. Unarmed officers now find =
themselves=20
being confronted by youngsters on mountain bikes brandishing automatic=20
guns.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face=3DPalatino>In Birmingham there have been about 100 crimes =
a month=20
involving firearms since last March, compared with 88 a month in the =
year ending=20
April 1998.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face=3DPalatino>Two men were shot dead in the city in separate =
incidents=20
at Christmas.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face=3DPalatino>The government declared an amnesty on guns =
after Thomas=20
Hamilton shot dead 16 children and a teacher in Dunblane, resulting in =
162,000=20
weapons being handed in, but this has failed to make even a dent in the=20
underworld's supply of pistols and revolvers. A steady flow continues to =
come in=20
from former Eastern bloc countries, but criminals have now found an even =
cheaper=20
and safer source of weaponry.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face=3DPalatino>"Factories" up and down the country are =
churning out=20
decommissioned guns, often stolen from private collectors and sold at =
trade=20
fairs and through the classified ads of specialist magazines, that have =
been=20
reactivated by re-boring the barrels and replacing the firing =
pin.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face=3DPalatino>Another growing source of illegal guns are =
"cloning" or=20
"off-ticket sale" dealers, who operate in a similar way to car ringers. =
Stolen=20
firearms disappear by being given the identity of an older =
decommissioned=20
weapon, details of which don't have to be recorded under present laws. =
Last=20
year, ex-Special Constable Tony Mitchell was jailed for eight years for=20
supplying criminals with hundreds of guns - he specialised in Mac 10s at =
=A31,100=20
apiece. He used his engineering skills to convert the guns from =
deactivated=20
products bought via mail order catalogues. One was traced to a 1997 =
street=20
murder in Brixton and another shooting of a police officer by a youth in =

Manchester's Moss Side. In all, police linked guns supplied by Mitchell =
to 130=20
crime scenes.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face=3DPalatino>As an indication of how Mitchell and other =
dealers feel=20
they can operate with impunity in Britain, he continued his activities =
even=20
after a police raid that saw him arrested and released when no guns were =

found.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face=3DPalatino>Detective Constable Cliff Purvis of the =
National Crime=20
Squad said: "Some of the weapons which bore Mitchell's 'signature' mark =
have=20
been used in killings and to fire at police.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face=3DPalatino>"I'm sure he was one of the major contributors =
to illegal=20
firearms in this country. He was a big fish. There's no question of =
that." A big=20
fish or not, Mitchell's shoes were very quickly filled in what is =
thought to be=20
a multi-million pound black market industry. Opponents of the handgun =
ban,=20
introduced after Dunblane, claim it has failed to cut gun crime because =
of the=20
multiple sources of weapons available to criminals.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face=3DPalatino>Home Office figures soon to be released will =
show that,=20
overall, armed crime rose 10 per cent in 1998. There were 13,671 armed =
offences=20
compared with 12,410 the previous year. Firearms experts have long =
called for=20
more research to assess the accurate flow of illegal weapons and, =
although=20
attempts are being made by the Home Affairs Committee, it remains to be =
seen if=20
the government will act upon its recommendations. It is a relatively =
simple=20
measure to clamp down on identifiable gun clubs and collectors, but =
another to=20
penetrate the underworld.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face=3DPalatino>Bill Harriman, a member of the Firearms =
Consultative=20
Committee and a spokesman for the British Association for Shooting and=20
Conservation, says that current legislation focuses on law-abiding =
citizens who=20
belong to gun clubs. "It should," he says, "have been directed at =
illegally held=20
firearms." Even though pistols were banned under the Dunblane =
regulations, they=20
are still the weapon of choice for armed criminals and were used in =
1,854 of the=20
3,029 armed robberies in England and Wales in 1997.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face=3DPalatino>The government had plenty of evidence at its =
disposal to=20
realise that simply banning certain types of weapons is ineffective. For =

example, fully-automatics have been prohibited since 1937 but it has not =
stopped=20
criminals using them.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face=3DPalatino>Harrirnan believes that, far from being =
discouraged from=20
using guns, criminals, as well as people with no criminal record, are =
becoming=20
more trigger-happy.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face=3DPalatino>"Firearms are now being used to settle minor =
disputes,"=20
he comments.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face=3DPalatino>"There's an argument in the pub and it's =
settled in the=20
car park with a bullet, or someone keeps a pistol in the glove =
compartment of=20
his car and uses it in a fit of road rage.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face=3DPalatino>"The Dunblane legislation should have been =
directed at=20
stopping this attitude, and taking handguns out of the grasp of, =
criminals. If=20
the =A395 million paid in compensation to former pistol owners had been =
used to=20
target armed robbers, something fundamental could have been done to end =
gun=20
culture." Harriman's view is supported by a large number of police =
officers who=20
privately say that the 1997 legislation is a nonsense, but are afraid to =
speak=20
publicly for fear of offending their political masters. One exception is =

Superintendent Nigel Sutcliffe of West Yorkshire, who says in a =
submission put=20
before the Home Affairs Committee: "It is clear that the bans introduced =
in the=20
Firearms (Amendment) Act in respect of handguns have not worked, in that =
for the=20
first six months of 1999, 59 handguns have been used in West=20
Yorkshire.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face=3DPalatino>"Clearly, these handguns could not be lawfully =
possessed=20
and, therefore, must have been illegally imported into the country or =
already be=20
in the unlawful possession of someone.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face=3DPalatino>"These facts tend to support those shooting =
organisations=20
who were opposing the ban of handguns... in that handguns in the lawful=20
possession of those involved in target shooting were rarely used in =
criminal=20
activity." However, the gun used at Dunblane was legally held by =
Hamilton, a gun=20
club member.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face=3DPalatino>As well as eastern Europe, America is also a =
foreign=20
source of illegal weapons.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face=3DPalatino>British security services recently revealed =
that weapons=20
bought at Florida gun shows and posted to the UK had been intercepted in =
north=20
London and Manchester.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face=3DPalatino>MI6 has no idea how many packages have already =
got=20
through, but are aware of larger consignments being brought across the =
Atlantic=20
by private yachts and dropped into the sea off the Kent coast. The =
bundles are=20
fitted with remote-controlled flotation tanks and beacons, the signals =
from=20
which can be picked up by global positioning systems.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face=3DPalatino>One effect the handgun ban does seem to have =
had is to=20
lead to a shortage of ammunition, which means that the illegal armouries =
make=20
even more money by supplying that as well.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face=3DPalatino>Perversely, the law actually assists criminals =
in=20
building their own ammunition because a loophole does not make it an =
offence to=20
own or even to have the component parts sent through the post. Anyone =
can buy=20
primers, cases, propellant and bullets (the missile) without any form of =

certification. The gun only needs to be registered once the pieces are =
put=20
together to form a whole.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face=3DPalatino>In written evidence to the Home Affairs =
Committee the=20
Police Federation has pointed out the "laxity" of the Dunblane =
legislation in=20
not dealing with ammunition, as well as a number of other=20
"inconsistencies".</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face=3DPalatino>It says: "The time is now right for parliament =
to address=20
the entire issue and produce a completely new Firearms Act. Any lesser =
step will=20
be insufficient." The Police Federation is demanding that anomalies such =
as=20
someone being legally permitted to own a shotgun while being deemed =
unfit to=20
possess a firearm, as happened at Cardiff Crown Court in April last =
year, must=20
be changed.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face=3DPalatino>It's a question of whether the government has =
the mettle=20
to enact something more effective than the cosmetic exercise it =
undertook last=20
time.</FONT> </P>
<P>&nbsp;</P></DIV></BODY></HTML>

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