tejek,
re: the statistics in the following links do not seem to support the suppostion you make
How about statistics from the British Government themselves?
archive.official-documents.co.uk
Key Points
In 1999/00, there were 6,843 offences recorded in which firearms other than air weapons were reported to have been used. This was 31 per cent higher than in 1998/99, and the highest number since 1993. The rise in recorded firearm offences in Scotland from 1998 to 1999 was 32 per cent. (Table 3.3)
The proportion of homicides involving firearms in 1999/00 was 8.1 per cent. The proportion of robberies involving firearms (including air weapons) has remained in the 4 to 5 per cent range for the last three years. The number of firearm robberies increased by 32 per cent between 1998/99 and 1999/00, close to the general increase in recorded robberies of 26 per cent. (Tables 3.2, 3.1, Figure 3.1)
Or this site: parliament.the-stationery-office.co.uk
THE CONSEQUENCES OF THE 1997 FIREARMS REGULATIONS
In summary the consequences of the regulations are that:
— legally-held (non-muzzle loading) pistols can no longer be held for sporting purposes which makes England, Scotland and Wales unique among democratic and many non-democratic states of the world;
— a majority of the more law-abiding members of a "free" society have been deprived of a sport and personal property through no fault of their own;
— the ban has cost the tax payer an undisclosed figure which officially is stated to be about £150,000,000 but is estimated to be closer to £1 billion;
— contrary to immediate post-ban announcements, the ban has not reduced firearms related crime which is hardly surprising given the predominance of illegally held firearms used;
Or this: foresight-cfs.org.uk
'The 1999 Criminal Statistics for England and Wales' report reveals that firearms crime has increased dramatically since the ban on handguns in 1997/1998.
It reveals an increase of 31% in firearms crime in the period 1999/2000 over the previous year - the highest since 1993. Furthermore, handguns feature in more than half of the total. The situation in Scotland is no better; figures released by the Scottish Executive for the year 1998/1999 show an increase in recorded firearms crime over the previous year by 32%, with 31% of the incidents involving handguns.
The site you provided hasn't updated their statistics since 1998, less than a year after the 1997 ban. The government statistics I have provided do support my supposition. |
