MPs call for a total ban on replica guns

Pressure mounted on the Government today to implement a full-scale ban on replica guns.

A group of MPs made the call in the wake of an Evening Standard investigation which revealed the ease with which replica weapons can be converted into deadly firearms.

The Group on Gun Crime called for urgent new laws to crack down on the problem, which they said is now spreading across Britain.

In the face of mounting calls for a complete ban, the Government has so far ruled out any new legislation which would make ownership of imitation weapons illegal.

Ownership of handguns which can actually fire bullets was banned in the wake of the Dunblane massacre-while other firearms can only be sold to holders of a police-issued licence.

The sale or ownership of imitation guns, which cannot fire but look realistic, remains legal, although later this year carrying them in public will be punishable with up to five years in prison.

But in a report today, the MPs said making, selling, importing or owning replica weapons should be made illegal as a matter of urgency.

Almost three quarters of all guns seized by Operation Trident, which tackles gun crime in the black community, were converted replica weapons.