Hundreds of 'most dangerous' guns owned by south Yorkshire residents

An investigation by the Press Association has revealed that Yorkshire holds a disproportionately high number of a certain type of high-powered firearm, compared to other parts of the UK.
The Home Office in London.The Home Office in London.
The Home Office in London.

According to Government figures, more than 2,000 ‘section one ’ shotguns - defined by the Home Office as ‘weapons that contain a magazine holding more than two rounds’ - are legally held across Yorkshire and the Humber.

Figures show North Yorkshire - a sparsely populated but highly rural community - currently has 1,115 registered keepers of section one shotguns, a 1 per cent increase on the previous year.

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There were also 433 such weapons being held legally in Humberside, 319 in South Yorkshire and 309 in West Yorkshire, according to those same figures, meaning there are 2,176 held across Yorkshire and the Humber.

In total, figures show 59,259 weapons were licensed by the four Yorkshire police forces last year, of which 23,797 were by North Yorkshire Police. The majority of these were rifles, commonly used for shooting, while 1,338 were handguns.

When contacted by The Star’s sister title, the Yorkshire Post, a spokesman for North Yorkshire Police said it was unsurprising that such a large swathe of rural Britain should require these types of firearms.

The spokesman said: “Licensed firearms ownership tends to be prevalent in rural areas where they are used to manage the land and where more people work in rural occupations.

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"These areas are more sparsely populated. North Yorkshire is a vast rural county - the largest in England - with a high number of farms and some very large rural estates.

“The ownership of such firearms is closely regulated and controlled and the level of firearms offences in the county is extremely low.”

However, some groups continue to express concerns about the prevalence of some types of firearms held in the UK.

The Gun Control Network said it is specifically concerned by the legal status of multi-shot shotguns and semi-automatic .22 Calibre rimfire rifles.

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Prof Peter Squires, professor emeritus of criminology and public policy at the University of Brighton and member of the GNC organisation, said: “By virtue of their magazine capacities and rapid-fire potential they – multi-shot shotguns and semi-automatic .22 Calibre rimfire rifles - represent the most dangerous civilian-owned guns.

“The fact they are few in number and little-used makes the case they are manifestly not part of mainstream UK shooting traditions.”

The British Association for Shooting and Conservation said certificates are only granted following a rigorous licensing procedure.

Bill Harriman, firearms directo, said: "The number of section one shotguns held on certificates has not increased significantly and only relates to a small proportion of the total number of legally-held shotguns in England and Wales.

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“Our licensing system is among the strictest in the world, but is still open to all.

“BASC works continuously to see the right tone struck so that participants are not disadvantaged but public safety remains acceptable.”

A Home Office spokesman said: "The UK has some of the toughest gun laws in the world.

“Before anyone receives a firearms certificate, the police must be satisfied that the person is fit to possess one and they have powers to revoke certificates if there is a risk to public safety.”