Thursday 4 November 2010

Deadly convertable weapons on sale


Police photo - staple gun converted to fire .22 ammunition.


It has been revealed that household items sold as 'staple guns' and 'staplers' can be converted into deadly weapons which could be used to kill and maim on our streets. Sold for as little as £3 on the internet and hardware stores, staple guns can be purchased without identity and easily converted to fire ammunition by simply attaching a piece of pipe, after which they can be sold to gangsters who terrorize our streets.


A UK based website going by the name 'Tooled-Up.com' boasts "(this is a) heavy-duty Sharp Shooter AntiJam Staple Gun. Easy push handle feature. Aluminium cast housing for greater durability. Lock down handle for easier storage."


A spokesperson for The Gun Control Network commented; "It's clear that if we are to take gun crime seriously, all avenues that criminals take to obtain firearms need to be closed. We expect the government to evaluate the laws surrounding the sale of these and move to licence or ban them completely."

This comes in the wake of recent legislation banning replica guns and race starting pistols, but this development puts into to quetion whether our laws go far enough. It is not known how many of these are possessed in the UK, as there is no system of registration in place. The retailers we contacted declined to comment.