Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what discussions she has had with (a) Police Scotland and (b) Scottish trading standards bodies on compliance and enforcement activity relating to the sale in Scotland of non-convertible imitation firearms sold as costume, prop and fancy dress items and indistinguishable from real firearms.

The Home Office has not had recent discussions with Police Scotland or Scottish trading standards bodies in relation to realistic imitation firearms that are not readily convertible to fire live ammunition. Chief Constables have operational responsibility for enforcing the legislation which applies to realistic imitation firearms.

Section 36 of the Violent Crime Reduction Act 2006 makes it an offence for a person to manufacture, sell, import or cause a realistic imitation firearm to be brought into Great Britain and it also makes it an offence to modify an imitation firearm so that it becomes a realistic imitation firearm. Section 37 of that Act provides for specified defences to this offence which include making the realistic imitation firearm available for theatrical performances, the production of films or television programmes, and the organisation and holding of certain historical re-enactments or skirmishing activities.

In addition, it is an offence under section 19 of the Firearms Act 1968 for a person to have an imitation firearm in their possession in public without lawful authority or reasonable excuse.