Following a series of murders and high-profile incidents involving crossbows, the government has put forward proposals which would make the weapons harder to obtain.
There are currently no restrictions on anyone over the age of 18 buying or owning a crossbow, and the only restriction is on carrying one in public “without a reasonable excuse.”
The law on crossbows has not changed since legislation was passed in 1987 that made it illegal to sell them to anyone under the age of 18.
At least six people have been killed in England and Wales in the past seven years with crossbows, which are currently legal to purchase and own.
One of those was Sana Muhammad, who was eight months pregnant when her ex-husband, Ramanodge Unmathallegadoo, fired a crossbow bolt into her back at her home in east London in November 2018.
Ms. Muhammad died but the bolt narrowly missed her unborn son, who was safely delivered by emergency Caesarean section.
‘Crossbows ... Can Be Highly Dangerous’
Safeguarding minister Laura Farris said, “Crossbows are used rarely in violent crime in this country but they can be highly dangerous.”She said, “We’re doing all we can to ensure we have the appropriate measures in place against any risks these potentially dangerous weapons may pose.”
“I encourage the public and those in the industry to come forward to share their views so we can have the most accurate picture and take any necessary action to keep our streets safe,” she added.
It is not clear how many crossbows there are in Britain as the most recent estimate, which suggested there were “between 250,000 and 300,000 in circulation,” comes from a parliamentary answer in 1991.
On Tuesday an inquest was opened into Hodgson and the senior coroner, Julian Morris, said: “He had entered Bywater Place armed with various weapons, including a crossbow. Police were called to the scene and, when he exhibited some threatening behaviour, armed response units were called and subsequently shots were fired. He was pronounced dead at the scene.”
Chail, who was armed with a loaded crossbow, was detained by armed police in the grounds of Windsor Castle on Christmas Day 2021 and told police he was there to assassinate Queen Elizabeth II.
Chail, a Star Wars fan who described himself as a “sad, pathetic, murderous Sikh Sith assassin,” had shared sexually explicit messages with an artificial intelligence chatbot before entering the grounds of Windsor Castle armed with the crossbow.
After Chail was arrested in December 2021, then-Home Secretary Priti Patel ordered a review of the law and said the government was “considering options to strengthen controls on crossbows.”
Ms. Patel was sacked as home secretary in 2022 and replaced by Suella Braverman.
But the Home Office said, “This review has progressed and in light of this, the Home Office is now seeking views, through this call for evidence, on whether there should be any additional controls relating to crossbows to help minimise the risk to public safety from individuals who would misuse crossbows and use them to commit criminal offences.”
James Cleverly replaced Ms. Braverman in November 2023 and he has now given the green light for an eight-week consultation on tightening the law on crossbows.
It emerged during the trial of Unmathallegadoo he had bought crossbows online and stashed them in a bag behind a tree half a mile away from Ms. Muhammad’s home.
They were discovered several months before her death and reported to police, who took them away but failed to investigate who they belonged to, despite the bag containing a prescription in Unmathallegadoo’s name.
In January 2023 a domestic homicide review found the Metropolitan Police missed opportunities to protect Ms. Muhammad.
