In fact, according to the local newspapers, England is being swept by a wave of crime, including plenty of gun crimes. The London Times published a story on January 16th that sums up the situation rather well. The British experiment with gun prohibition has resulted in the same outcome as other forms of prohibition. Since guns are banned, every criminal wants one and it is very profitable to smuggle them in. According to a police spokesman, weapons from Eastern Europe, some still new in their boxes, are turning up during investigations.
Criminals now have unprecedented access to high quality guns at affordable prices.
Some gangs are armed with fully automatic weapons and the generally unarmed British police say that they risk confronting teenagers on mountain bikes brandishing machine guns. Our investigation established that guns are available through means open to any criminally minded individual. The government is expected to respond by further tightening the laws on weapons of all sorts. Additional regulations controlling knives and airguns are said to be in the works, although this might be likened to beating a dead horse. The very act of armed self defense is already punishable by law.