Mark Lazarowicz: Edinburgh North & Leith

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	Airguns
	Mr. Mark Lazarowicz (Edinburgh, North and Leith) (Lab/Co-op): I welcome this opportunity to highlight what I believe is growing public concern about the use, ownership and possession of airguns. I am raising the matter because of the concerns of local residents and community organisations in my constituency, and in particular, the Lorne community council, which represents about 8,000 residents in the Leith part of the constituency. That organisation is a very effective and representative voice of a local community. We have three main concerns about airguns. First, people are concerned about the ability of young people in their area and elsewhere to get hold of not only air weapons but other devices, such as replica guns, including, of course, BB guns, which are a menace in many respects. Secondly, they have been shocked by several highly publicised incidents involving airguns that have taken place in Scotland, including some in Edinburgh. Among those was the tragic death of two-year-old Andrew Morton, in Glasgow, which many hon. Members will know about. Thirdly, the Lorne community council specifically raised with me the fact that firefighters in the Lothian area had become targets of violence, including from airguns, when attending emergencies. Brian Allaway, the firemaster of Lothian and Borders fire and rescue service, whom I contacted before the debate to confirm the view of his service on the issue, told me: " If this type of attack continues, which is almost inevitable unless something is done about controlling airguns, it could easily result in firefighters being seriously injured or even killed". He added: "I would be strongly supportive of any assistance to control and prevent these worrying occurrences". I should make it clear that my constituency does not have a particularly severe problem with airguns or gun crime in general compared with other areas of the country. Far from it; we are fortunate enough to have relatively low crime rates in general, including rates of gun crime, in comparison with those in many other urban centres in the UK. It is therefore significant that in a constituency such as mine there is a clear demand for action on control of airguns and replica guns. That underlines a country-wide concern to which the Government needs to respond. We can get a good idea of the problem by skimming almost at random through some of the newspaper headlines about incidents around the country. A couple of weeks ago, The Scotsman reported: A 12-year-old boy has died after he was shot in the eye with an air rifle by a 14-year-old friend as they played in a bedroom". That incident was in England. Another story, about Edinburgh, is headlined: "Police warn parents fake guns may end in child death", and it begins: "Police have warned it could only be a matter of time before a youngster brandishing a fake gun in the Capital is shot by armed officers." A report on a recent case from Clackmannan states: "A teenager has been charged after a 14-year-old boy was hit in the face with an airgun pellet." In addition: "A mother was hit on the back of the head in an apparent airgun attack while out jogging near her Lothians home." In another Edinburgh case: "A 14-year-old boy has been charged in connection with an incident in which a six-year-old was shot" with an airgun. I have, of course, already referred to the tragic case of Andrew Morton, from Glasgow, which aroused so much public concern. Those concerns are shared by the emergency services. I quoted the firemaster of Lothian and Borders fire and rescue service. The deputy chief constable of Lothian and Borders police, Malcolm Dickson, recently told the Edinburgh Evening News: "Fortunately, serious injuries with airguns are not that common, but when they do occur they cause great public concern and particular anguish to people involved. I still don't know why air weapons exist. I just cannot see what their purpose is. The number of air weapons used for pest control is very small and when they are used for this purpose, it is usually outside the city. I find it completely inappropriate for people to have these weapons in urban environments. It is also irresponsible for parents to allow children to run around with these weapons." I share Mr. Dickson's sentiments entirely. I raise this issue today in the knowledge that the Government are at the stage in the legislative timetable when they are considering what further measures should be taken to deal with the problem of airguns and replica weapons. There was an indication in the Queen's Speech that some form of legislation would be presented in due course. That legislation will, of course, apply on a UK basis, as these are reserved matters for which the UK Parliament has responsibility. There is concern in Scotland, as elsewhere in the UK, that the right type of legislation and controls should be put into effect. The media seem to be saying - perhaps my reading is incorrect - that the Government are still in the process of considering exactly what direction they will take and how far they will go in responding to public concern. I shall be blunt: my purpose in raising the issue today is to urge them to take tough measures to crack down on the misuse of airguns and replica guns, and to send them a clear message that the members of the public who speak to me want tough controls on airguns. I believe that I speak also for the vast majority of the public. I accept that there is room for debate about exactly what form such tightening of the laws on airguns should take. Some would argue for a total ban, and others will want a form of licensing system. I think that my hon. Friend the Member for Barnsley, East and Mexborough (Jeff Ennis), who is present, has tabled an early-day motion along those lines. I accept that we need laws that work and can be enforced. The deputy chief constable of Lothian and Borders police, whom I quoted earlier, also accepted that the matter could not be dealt with overnight, as there are clearly many millions of airguns in the country and it will take some time to change the law effectively. However, the issue certainly deserves both debate and action at an early stage in the current legislative timetable. Martin Salter (Reading, West) (Lab): I endorse my hon. Friend's comments, especially about replica weapons, which are an increasing menace. Does he accept that, as the law stands, no one under the age of 17 can legally purchase an airgun or pellets? There are about 30 separate offences under which the misuse of airguns to lead to a criminal prosecution. In addition to clarifying the law, should we not also ensure that the existing law is properly enforced by the police? Mark Lazarowicz : My hon. Friend is right. There is a lot to be done to ensure that the existing law is effectively enforced. The excellent campaign, If you don't need it, get shot of it", is being run by the Association of Chief Police Officers in Scotland and the Scottish Executive. It is designed to encourage members of the public to hand in unwanted airguns. The law needs to be enforced, but the signs are that we need changes in the law as well and that the existing law does not go far enough. Personally, I would be in favour of moving to a system in which all airguns were removed from use; the only exceptions would be those used for genuine sporting purposes or for acceptable reasons such as pest control—and then only under licence. I suggest that the age limit for possession and use should be raised to 18 and that there should be a ban on replica guns. I am glad that my hon. Friend the Member for Reading, West (Martin Salter) agrees with me about that. I have set out those three points in early-day motion 234. I am pleased to see that, within a couple of days, it has received the support of several hon. Members. I hope that those who have not yet signed it will do so, and that they will also sign other EDMs such as that of my hon. Friend the Member for Barnsley, East and Mexborough, to show their concern about the issue and their wish for action. With the support of Lorne community council—the local community organisation in my constituency to which I referred earlier—I have also launched a public petition and a campaign calling for the three changes to the law that I set out in my early-day motion. It is an indication of public concern about the issue that even before I formally launched the petition, constituents came into my office asking for copies so that they could circulate it among friends and family and in their communities to collect signatures. I would be happy to assist any hon. Members who would like copies of the petition for use in their own constituencies. I hope that there is a good response to my petition and to the others in many parts of the UK that have often been spontaneously launched following incidents in, I am afraid, all too many of our cities, towns and villages. I believe that the strong support shown in such petitions will have a major influence on the Government when they decide on the details of the legislation that they intend to introduce in due course. Jeff Ennis (Barnsley, East and Mexborough) (Lab) I congratulate my hon. Friend on calling this important and timely debate. He mentioned my early-day motion 221, which raises the possibility of introducing a licensing system, given that there are already more than 4 million unlicensed air weapons in this country. However, is he aware that I called an Adjournment debate on this very issue as long ago as 1999? Given that that is more than five years ago, it is time that the Government did something about the issue. The current legal controls are not working, and we need to tighten them up to ensure the safety of children in particular. Mark Lazarowicz : My hon. Friend is recognised throughout the House for the work that he has been doing on this issue and for the campaign that he has been running. I agree that it is time for action to be taken. We can have a debate about whether there should be a ban or a licence scheme, but we certainly agree that action is needed, and we expect the Government to introduce appropriate legislation. I congratulate the Government on the measures that they have taken so far to tighten up the law on airguns, and I certainly recognise that they have made a difference. As I said, there have been campaigns in Scotland and in England and Wales to deal with the problem, to encourage the public to hand in unwanted airguns and to draw attention to the laws that have been tightened up. However, we must do more. We must move further. That is why I hope that today's debate will encourage the Government to respond to the scale of the problem and to growing public concern by taking firm measures to clamp down on the misuse of airguns and the dangers presented by replica guns. It is time to take these weapons off our streets and out of our communities, where there is absolutely no need for them to be.

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	7th June 2005, Column 100-102 WH