New air weapon legislation

New legislation to protect children from the dangers of accidents involving air weapons comes into effect on 10 February.

Air weapon owners face a fine of up to £1,000 if they do not take reasonable precautions to stop unauthorised access to their air weapons by people under the age of 18.

The strong message to parents and children is air weapons are not toys and, through misuse, can kill, seriously injure or disable.

Chief Inspector Phil Fortun, one of the force’s firearms incident commanders, said: "We welcome this new legislation that helps to safeguard children against being seriously injured or killed by an air weapon.

"We know parents can’t be with their children all the time, but we would advise them to make sure any air weapons they have are safely locked up so they can’t fall into the wrong hands.

"Not only are air weapons dangerous and can kill, but if children get the chance to use an air weapon without adult supervision, they could cause nuisance and worry in our communities.

"Owners should store their air weapons out of sight and separately from pellets. Use a robust, lockable cupboard and keep the keys separate and secure.
They should be stored inside a house rather than in an out building, such as a garden shed.

Never store a cocked or loaded air weapon.
"When using an air weapon, keep it under close supervision and never leave it unattended."

It is already illegal to carry an air weapon without good reason in a public place and could result in a minimum five-year prison sentence.

Ch Insp Fortun added: "People carrying or using air weapons, BB guns or fake guns could face the possibility of being confronted by armed police officers.

People reporting an incident to the police usually don’t know whether it is a real gun or not and even the most experienced armed officers can find it difficult to tell the difference when they initially respond to a reported incident."

"Thankfully gun crime in Staffordshire is rare but when it does happen, we tackle it swiftly and robustly."