THE partner of a man left paralysed by a BB gun has told of her horror at finding similar weapons for sale for just £1.
Father-of-three David Hazel, of Eastham, was shot in the back in a random attack as he left his house last year.
The former soldier was paralysed for life from the waist down when the pellet lodged in his spine.
Since then his partner Patti Williams and their family have been campaigning for the guns to be banned, with the support of Wirral West MP Stephen Hesford.
But this week, while shopping in Ellesmere Port, Ms Williams went into Pound World where she discovered BB guns being sold for £1 each.
She said: "I was fuming when I saw them. I can't believe I went into somewhere that sells kids' toys, sweets, and household things like bleach - and they had these guns on the shelves. And the fact that they were a pound made me more and more angry. Any kid could afford one with their pocket money, and even get an older brother or sister to buy it for them.
"Then there's no stopping someone modifying these - that is how accessible they are.
"If they're not that bad, why have they got an age limit on them? I would never in a million years buy my children something like that."
David Atherton of Cheshire trading standards said he suspected the guns would not fall into those covered by firearms legislation, although he said he would be checking the shop.
He said: "A lot of these are toys and sometimes have misleading age restrictions on them, where there is no reason for it in legislation. The age limit may be there to ensure they are not bought for very young children."
But he said even the toy guns can be dangerous and possession of them in a public place could put a person at risk of breaking the law.
A spokeswoman for Cheshire police said it was not illegal to sell the guns, and there was no record of any complaints to the police about the shop in Ellesmere Port.
She said: "People over 16 can have them, but those under 16 must be supervised with them."
Chief Inspector Leonard Gill, head of Wirral's antisocial behaviour team, said the force takesa "dim view" of air weapons. He said low powered weapons, often called BB guns, are classed as toys, but more powerful air weapons come under fire arms laws. He said: "There are laws against the using them in public and carrying them in public."
Darren Quigley, area manager for Pound World, confirmed they sell the guns in their shops, but said they have signs saying under 16s could not buy the weapons. He said the guns had also been moved closer to the tills to prevent them being stolen.
But he said the discount store planned to stop selling them once the current stock had been sold because of public reaction.
He said: "We have apologised to people who were offended. Our intentions were never to upset anyone, and we have learned from this. We will not be continuing the line anymore."
News RSS Feed