Warning over air weapons

Shopkeepers and parents who break the law on buying and selling air weapons in Staffordshire could face prosecution this Christmas.

Parents are being warned by police and trading standards officers that recent changes in the law mean anyone under 18 caught with an air weapon in public could face a £1,000 fine.

It is also illegal to sell or give an air weapon to a young person.

Staffordshire Police and Trading Standards today say parents and shopkeepers can expect prosecution if they flout the law this Christmas.

Last year a 14-year-old Stoke-on-Trent boy died following an incident involving an air weapon and this summer there was a similar – but not fatal – incident involving a three-year-old girl in the city.

Earlier this year children in a Rugeley primary school playground suffered minor injuries during an incident involving BB guns.

Imitation guns – which are illegal to sell to under-18s – also put youngsters at serious risk. A report of a fake gun being used in public could lead to the deployment of police armed response officers.

Chief Inspector Phil Fortun, the force's air weapons campaign co-ordinator, said:"Parents who buy air weapons or imitation guns as presents this Christmas are putting their children at risk of harm and criminal prosecution. Air weapons and BB guns are not toys and can have lethal consequences if they fall into the wrong hands. We can make our communities safer if parents keep these dangerous weapons away from their children."