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Gun laws and policies, collectively referred to as firearms regulation or gun control, regulate the manufacture, sale, transfer, possession, modification, and use of small arms by civilians. Laws of some countries may afford civilians a right to keep and bear arms, and have more liberal gun laws than neighboring jurisdictions. Countries that regulate access to firearms will typically restrict access to certain categories of firearms and then restrict the categories of persons who may be granted a license for access to such firearms. There may be separate licenses for hunting, sport shooting, self-defense, collecting, and concealed carry, with different sets of requirements, permissions, and responsibilities.
Execution by firing squad, in the past sometimes called fusillading, is a method of capital punishment, particularly common in the military and in times of war. Some reasons for its use are that firearms are usually readily available and a gunshot to a vital organ, such as the brain or heart, most often will kill relatively quickly.
In the United Kingdom, access by the general public to firearms is subject to some of the strictest control measures in the world. However, fulfilment of the criteria and requirements as laid out by the laws results in the vast majority of firearm licence applications being approved. Laws differ slightly in Northern Ireland due to Northern Ireland having its own firearms legislation. Concerns have been raised over the availability of illegal firearms.
Peter Crampton was a British Labour Party politician who was the Member of the European Parliament (MEP) from 1989 to 1999 representing the Humberside constituency. He was also the father of Times journalist Robert Crampton.
The Territorial Support Group (TSG) is a Met Operations unit of London's Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) which specialises in public order policing, amongst other specialist areas. In 2012 it consisted of 793 officers and 29 support staff. The TSG is a uniformed unit of the MPS that replaced the similarly constituted Special Patrol Group in 1987. TSG units patrol the streets of London in marked police vans or "carriers"; using the call sign prefix "Uniform". Generally each carrier has an advanced (police) driver, seven constables and a sergeant. Territorial Support Groups often comprise three carriers, twenty one constables, and three sergeants reporting to an Inspector. They separately patrol designated areas experiencing serious levels of gang violence or disorder. When deployed, it is by the MPS Information Room. Due to the public order nature of their role often numerous carriers will be assigned. TSG officers can be identified as TSG from the distinctive "U" in their shoulder numbers. Some TSG officers are also plain clothes officers, carrying a taser and handcuffs.
PC Sharon Beshenivsky was a West Yorkshire Police constable shot and killed by a criminal gang during a robbery in Bradford on 18 November 2005, becoming the 7th female police officer in Great Britain to be killed on duty. Her colleague, PC Teresa Millburn, was seriously injured in the same incident. Millburn had joined the force less than two years earlier; Beshenivsky had served only 9 months in the force at the time of her death.
Airsoft is considered to be a modern shooting sport. Airsoft guns themselves are legal in many parts of the world, although some countries, states, and cities have specific restrictions against the items. For example, California State Law states that peoples of all ages can use these items, classing them as both tools and toys. Safety regulations in many areas require bright markings on the items. They are officially classed as "soft air devices" or "air compressed toys", depending on the location. For example in the case of Arkansas you must be 18+ to buy an air soft gun. A handful of countries, namely Australia, China, Malaysia and Singapore, have existing laws that are deemed to be airsoft-unfriendly.
An antique firearm is a term to describe a firearm that was designed and manufactured prior to the beginning of the 20th century. Although the exact definition of what constitutes an "antique firearm" varies between countries, the advent of smokeless powder or the start of the Boer War are often used as cut-off dates. Antique firearms are usually collected because of their historical interest and/or their monetary value.
The United Kingdom is made up of four constituent countries: England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. In Northern Ireland, all police officers carry firearms. In the rest of the United Kingdom, only some police officers carry firearms; that duty is instead carried out by specially-trained firearms officers. This originates from the formation of the Metropolitan Police Service in the 19th century, when police were not armed, partly to counter public fears and objections over armed enforcers as this had been previously seen due to the British Army maintaining order when needed. The arming of police in Great Britain is a perennial topic of debate.
On 22 August 2007, Rhys Milford Jones, an eleven-year-old English boy, was murdered in Liverpool while walking home from football practice. Sean Mercer, aged 16 at the time of the shooting, went on trial on 2 October 2008, and was found guilty of murder on 16 December. Mercer was sentenced to life imprisonment serving a minimum of 22 years.
The gun laws of New Zealand are contained in the Arms Act 1983 statute, which includes multiple amendments including those that were passed subsequent to the 1990 Aramoana massacre and the 2019 Christchurch mosque shootings.
Carl Fellstrom is a British journalist, writer and broadcaster who specialises in crime and investigations. He has written for all the major UK national newspapers contributing particularly to the Sunday Times, The Observer, Sunday Telegraph and Daily Mail.
Ben Michael Kinsella was a 16-year-old student at Holloway School who was stabbed to death in an attack by three men in June 2008 in Islington. The significant media attention around his murder led to a series of anti-knife crime demonstrations, a raised profile for the government's anti-knife crime maxim "Operation Blunt 2" and a review of UK knife crime sentencing laws.
Rupert Bowers QC is a well-known English barrister.
Jamaican law allows firearm ownership on may-issue basis. With approximately eight civilian firearms per 100 people, Jamaica is the 92nd most armed country in the world.
Mark Duggan, a 29-year-old black British man, was shot and killed by police in Tottenham, North London on 4 August 2011. The Metropolitan Police stated that officers were attempting to arrest Duggan on suspicion of planning an attack and that he was in possession of a handgun. Duggan died from a gunshot wound to the chest. The circumstances of Duggan's death resulted in public protests in Tottenham, which led to conflict with police and escalated into riots across London and other English cities.
Forensic firearm examination is the forensic process of examining the characteristics of firearms or bullets left behind at a crime scene. Specialists in this field try to link bullets to weapons and weapons to individuals. They can raise and record obliterated serial numbers in an attempt to find the registered owner of a weapon and look for fingerprints on a weapon and cartridges.
Polish law allows modern firearms ownership under Police-issued permit for people who can provide an important reason. Hunting, sport shooting and collection are the most popular reasons and require membership in suitable organizations. Self-defense reason, while allowed, requires a proof of threat to life, health or property and is rarely allowed. Antique firearms or their replicas and some air guns are available without a permit. With approximately 2.5 civilian firearms per 100 people, Poland is the 166th most armed country in the world. Less than 0.6% of citizens have valid firearm permits.
The Chandler's Ford shooting was the shooting of armed robbers in the town of Chandler's Ford, Hampshire, England, on 13 September 2007. Two men were shot dead by Metropolitan Police officers while they were robbing a cash-in-transit van at gunpoint. The Metropolitan Police's Flying Squad had been tracking a gang of armed robbers from South London who were estimated to have stolen £500,000 from 18 robberies of security vans. The Flying Squad received intelligence that the gang intended to target the HSBC branch in Chandler's Ford and planned to lie in wait and apprehend the suspects as they attempted the robbery.
EncroChat was a Europe-based communications network and service provider that offered modified smartphones allowing encrypted communication among subscribers. It was used primarily by organized crime members to plan criminal activities. Police infiltrated the network between at least March and June 2020 during a Europe-wide investigation. An unidentified source associated with EncroChat announced on the night of 12–13 June 2020 that the company would cease operations because of the police operation.
References
- 1 2 3 "Man convicted of converting guns". 27 August 2008 – via news.bbc.co.uk.
- ↑ http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/crime/article4626240.ece [ dead link ]
- 1 2 "Life sentence for gun factory man". 28 August 2008 – via news.bbc.co.uk.
- 1 2 http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/crime/article4620362.ece [ dead link ]
- ↑ "Guns 'bought for James Bond film'". 1 August 2008 – via news.bbc.co.uk.
- ↑ "Man 'told police of gun factory'". 4 August 2008 – via news.bbc.co.uk.
- ↑ "BBC One - Crimewatch".