EU votes to tighten gun laws

11.26.00am GMT Thu 29th Nov 2007

The European Parliament will today vote on a proposal to ban firearms than can be converted to handguns. The vote in Brussels comes on the same day as a UK-wide crackdown on gun crime, which saw more than 100 arrests made and more than 1,300 weapons seized in coordinated raids across the country. For South West and Gibraltar MEP, Graham Watson, the supply of guns to criminals is a Europe-wide problem and has to be tackled collectively.

Commenting in Brussels, Graham Watson MEP said:

"In the UK a ban on handguns was introduced after the murders of 16 schoolchildren and their teacher in Dunblane, but it has not stopped convertible guns from entering the country. As is evident from last night's raids, we are facing an ever-increasing problem with gun crime in this country, most notably in our large cities such as Bristol. But this is a problem mirrored in other EU countries and it is a problem which stems from the fact that many of these weapons are being imported into this country from other member states, so it is right for us to work together in trying to eradicate this menace from our streets."

In 2006 almost half the weapons seized by Greater Manchester Police had been converted after being imported from countries such as Germany or Lithuania as alarm guns, gas guns or blank-firing guns. In May this year, 12-year-old Kamilah Peniston was fatally shot at her home in Manchester while her brother was playing with a converted gun.

MEP wants stricter EU gun laws

The Parliament in Brussels will also consider a proposal to raise the age for obtaining firearms to 18. Earlier this month, a student shot dead eight people at a school in Finland, where gun ownership is among the highest in the world.