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UK: Firearms

01 May 1996

A few weeks after a man shot dead 16 children and their teacher in Dunblane primary school, Splash, a summer programme for children organised by the police in Bristol, announced a new activity for 1996: Headhunters. "You may have already played indoor laser gun and outdoor paintball but we hope to whet your appetite by enjoying outdoor laser gun. It is intended as a leisure activity for all the family including boys and girls aged thirteen upwards. You will be using a rifle which closely resembles the style, weight and feel of the British Army SA80 weapon. These hi-tech electronic weapons project powerful but harmless infra-red beams with unerring accuracy to strike your opponents helmet sensors and disarm their weapon systems. The range of the rifle is approximately 45 metres and holds a magazine of 64 rounds of ammunition. The helmet is the target when in battle. It has four sensors that pick up the beam sent by the rifle, when on target." On 3 June a national firearms amnesty began. The Home Secretary, Michael Howard, acknowledged that it was no panacea, he said: "If we can get these weapons out of circulation, off the streets, out of people's homes and into police stations, that's something very much to be welcomed". After the first week of the amnesty, Avon and Somerset Police announced that 223 guns and weapons had been handed in. Guardian, 4.11.96, The What's Happening Guide, Bristol, Issue, Summer 1996; Points West, BBC News, 11.6.96.