Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of a review of legislation on imitation firearms which do not fall under the definition of Section 57(1) of the Firearms Act 1968.

Imitation firearms which do not fall under the definition for firearms in section 57(1) of the Firearms Act 1968 are covered by existing firearms controls.

Most recently, the Policing and Crime Act 2017 introduced a new offence to prevent the unlawful conversion of imitation firearms. Other controls include specifications on the manufacture of blank firing imitation firearms, and legislation to ensure that readily convertible imitation firearms must be held on a firearm certificate. Imitation firearms which are difficult to distinguish from real firearms are subject to specific controls, and it is an offence to possess an imitation firearm with the intent to cause someone to fear that unlawful violence will be used against them or another person.

We have no plans at present to review the existing legislation in respect of imitation firearms, but we keep firearms law under review and will not hesitate to act should the need arise.