The further tightening of the firearms legislation follows a fatal double shooting in Birmingham last week and comes ahead of figures to be released today which are expected to show a continued increase in violent crime.
Announcing the UK-wide ban, David Blunkett, the Home Secretary, said the new legislation will make it illegal to carry a replica or air weapon in a "public place without a good reason".
The legislation, expected to be in the forthcoming anti-social behaviour bill, has been a long-standing demand in Scotland since the Dunblane massacre in March 1996. Police officers, north and south of the Border, have also been pressing for replica guns and air rifles to be incorporated into the existing firearms laws.
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| ‘Our crackdown on airguns is part of a commitment to tackle antisocial behaviour’ DAVID BLUNKETT | |
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The announcement is likely to provoke further accusations that the government is reacting for populist reasons to ease concerns after the shootings in Birmingham last week which left two teenagers dead and two others seriously wounded.
Mr Blunkett was forced to deny he had watered down plans for a minimum five-year jail sentence for gun possession announced immediately after the shootings.
The Home Office said the ban would cover anything that looked like a firearm, not just those capable of conversion to live ammunition.
In theory that could see offenders arrested for carrying a child’s toy or a gun-shaped cigarette lighter if they did not have a "reasonable excuse".
The age limit for possessing or using an air gun without adult supervision will be increased from 14 to 17 . Youngsters will only be allowed to use one if they are supervised by an adult, are a member of an approved rifle club or visit a shooting gallery.
Mr Blunkett said: "We are determined to tackle gun crime. Our guns laws are already among the tightest in the world, and these new controls will help the police to deal effectively with anyone misusing replica weapons or airguns.
"Our crackdown on airguns is part of the government’s wider commitment to tackle the antisocial behaviour which blights some of our most vulnerable communities and breeds a fear of crime."
Having a replica gun for use in historical re-enactments or plays will be considered a reasonable excuse.
The Home Office is also looking at a ban on the sale, manufacture and import of weapons, including certain models of Brocock, which can be readily converted to fire live ammunition.
Police have long lobbied for a ban on the sale of imitation weapons capable of conversion. In London, 75 per cent of guns seized are converted imitations or converted blank firers and senior officers claim many offences recorded as gun crime are carried out with such replicas.
The Brocock ME 38 air pistol, which can be illegally converted to fire bullets, now accounts for half of all converted firearms seized by police in London, according to the National Criminal Intelligence Service.
The weapon looks and feels like a real gun and can be bought legally over the counter for as little as £120.
Underworld dealers can easily convert a Brocock by inserting a metal rod into the barrel at a cost of about £70.
