document_title: Money in the Bank ladder match

question_text: who is the current money inthe bank champion

text: Money in the Bank ladder match

text: Concept[edit]

text: The Money in the Bank ladder match can feature anywhere from 5–10 participants, with the objective being to retrieve a briefcase that is suspended 20 feet above the ring. The match was originally only for male wrestlers until 2017 when women began to have their own ladder match.[1] The briefcase contains a contract that guarantees a match for a world championship, and beginning in 2017, a women's championship. Originally, wrestlers had the option between the WWE Championship and the World Heavyweight Championship, regardless of the brand the wrestler belonged to. In 2006, ECW's world title, the ECW Championship, became a third option until 2010 as in February that year, the ECW brand along with the title was deactivated. Beginning with the inaugural Money in the Bank pay-per-view in 2010, the event featured two ladder matches, one for the Raw brand and one for SmackDown; Raw's ladder match featured a contract for a WWE Championship match while SmackDown's contract was for a World Heavyweight Championship match. Although the brand extension ended after the 2011 event, a ladder match dedicated to each championship continued through the 2013 event. In December 2013, the titles were unified into the WWE World Heavyweight Championship. The next three years' events featured a sole ladder match with a contract guaranteeing a match for the unified title. The brand extension returned after the 2016 event. The WWE World Heavyweight Championship was reverted to WWE Championship and made exclusive to SmackDown while Raw established the WWE Universal Championship as their top title. Despite this, the 2017 event was made a SmackDown exclusive pay-per-view and the contract was for its world title. Also at the 2017 event, the first-ever Women's Money in the Bank ladder match occurred with its contract for a SmackDown Women's Championship match.[1][2] Although the 2017 event was brand-exclusive, the 2018 event will be dual branded, featuring both the Raw and SmackDown brands.

text: The primary gimmick of the Money in the Bank briefcase is that it can be cashed in at the holder's sole discretion, at literally any time on any WWE programming, unless the contract is brand specific. This enables the holder to take advantage of a moment's weakness in the champion, even if the champion had just finished a title defense for the night. This strategic use of the briefcase was popularized by Edge, the first Money in the Bank holder, who cashed it in at New Years Revolution in January 2006, immediately after defending champion John Cena had finished a grueling Elimination Chamber match against five other wrestlers. Because Cena was exhausted and barely able to defend himself, Edge made quick work of the champion, thus setting a powerful precedent for all Money in the Bank holders to come.

text: The contract is valid for one year and the briefcase holder – dubbed "Mr./Ms. Money in the Bank" – can cash in the contract at the date, place, and time of their choosing.[1][3] The briefcase may also be defended in matches, similar to how championships are defended. All of the briefcase holders have successfully defended and cashed in the contract except Mr. Kennedy.[4] John Cena, Damien Sandow, and Baron Corbin are the only Money in the Bank contract holders to cash in and fail to gain a championship. To date, Cena has had the contract cashed in against him the most (three times) as Edge, Rob Van Dam, and Damien Sandow have all cashed in against him. Cena was also involved in all instances where the championship failed to change hands after cashing in the contract, once as the challenger (which he won by DQ against CM Punk) and the second time as champion (defeating Sandow clean), and lastly as a distraction causing Corbin to lose to champion Jinder Mahal. Edge, Daniel Bryan, and Seth Rollins are the only Money in the Bank contract holders to be given a title shot for a championship without having cashed in the contract for the title shot (Edge won a championship tournament in 2005 on Raw to earn him a title match against Batista, Bryan faced then-World Heavyweight Champion Mark Henry in a steel cage match on a live Christmas episode of SmackDown in 2011, and Rollins received a title shot in a triple threat match, also involving Cena and champion Brock Lesnar, at the 2015 Royal Rumble).

text: History[edit]

text: In WWE storyline, the concept for the Money in the Bank match was introduced in March 2005 by Chris Jericho. Jericho then pitched the idea to Raw general manager Eric Bischoff, who liked it and promptly began to book the match for WrestleMania 21. Edge won the inaugural match and held the contract until New Year's Revolution in January 2006. There, he cashed in his Money in the Bank contract against WWE Champion John Cena, who had just successfully defended the title in an Elimination Chamber match. Edge defeated Cena to become WWE Champion.

text: The Money in the Bank idea was revived by Carlito on a February 2006 episode of Raw. Mr. McMahon approved the suggestion and set up qualifying matches for the match that would take place at WrestleMania 22. It was later announced that the match was to be interpromotional, and SmackDown general manager Theodore Long also set up qualifying matches to select three members of his roster to compete. In the Raw brand qualifying matches, Rob Van Dam defeated Trevor Murdoch, Shelton Benjamin defeated Chavo Guerrero, and Ric Flair defeated Carlito. On SmackDown!, Finlay defeated Bobby Lashley, Matt Hardy defeated Road Warrior Animal, and Bobby Lashley won a "last chance battle royal".

text: Rob Van Dam won the WrestleMania 22 Money in the Bank ladder match after pushing Shelton Benjamin and Matt Hardy off of a ladder, while he was on another ladder, and retrieving the briefcase. That April, he defended the contract and won the WWE Intercontinental Championship in a contract vs. title/winner take all match against Benjamin at Backlash. Van Dam announced in May 2006 that he would cash in his contract at One Night Stand against Cena in an Extreme Rules match. The match ended with Cena losing after Van Dam performed a Five Star Frog Splash. Van Dam is the first person to give prior notice to an opponent before cashing in his contract, presumably to ensure Cena appeared at the event. He is also the first person to win the title in a match where the contract was cashed in with prior notice.

text: The third Money in the Bank ladder match was held at WrestleMania 23, and was the first to feature eight participants from Raw, SmackDown!, and ECW. Qualifying matches began on the February 19 episode of Raw.[5] On the February 19 episode of Raw, two former Money in the Bank winners (Edge and Rob Van Dam) faced off, with Edge earning a pinfall win to earn the first spot in the match.[6]

text: The next night on ECW, another cross-brand match took place, with CM Punk defeating Johnny Nitro to qualify.[7] On that week's SmackDown!, King Booker defeated Kane in a Falls Count Anywhere match following interference from The Great Khali to become the third man to qualify.[8] On the following episode of Raw, Jeff Hardy defeated Shelton Benjamin to become the fourth man to qualify.[9] The next night on ECW, Mr. Kennedy defeated Sabu in an Extreme Rules match to earn the fifth spot.[10] Two qualifying matches took place on the next SmackDown!'s episode, with Matt Hardy defeating Joey Mercury, while Finlay won a triple threat match against Chris Benoit and Montel Vontavious Porter to qualify.[11] What was to be the final qualifying match on Raw between Carlito and Ric Flair, it was deemed to be a no contest when The Great Khali interfered and attacked both men.[12] The match was rescheduled for the next week on Raw, with Randy Orton bribing his way into the match, which was to be a triple threat elimination match that Orton won by pinning both Carlito and Flair after performing an RKO on each of them.[13] Edge and Orton had recently stopped teaming together, and there was a lot of tension between them as they both attempted to get the other taken out of the Money in the Bank ladder match; both failed, as Edge ultimately won a "last chance battle royal" after feigning injury to retain his slot.[14] Orton was forced to fight Bobby Lashley on ECW to retain his spot, which he did.[15]

text: Kennedy ultimately won at WrestleMania 23, after ramming Punk off the ladder using another ladder (Edge had been taken out earlier by Jeff Hardy).[16] During the next few weeks, Kennedy kept declaring that he would cash in the briefcase at WrestleMania XXIV, but he suffered a legit injury, and on the May 7, 2007 episode of Raw, he lost the Money in the Bank briefcase to Edge. Kennedy is currently the only wrestler to lose the briefcase without cashing it in. The following night at the taping for the May 11, 2007 SmackDown!, episode World Heavyweight Champion The Undertaker and Batista fought to a draw in a steel cage match, after which a returning Mark Henry assaulted Undertaker and left him injured in the ring. As Henry was leaving, Edge came to the ring with his briefcase, handed it to referee Jim Korderas, and defeated the Undertaker after one spear to win the World Heavyweight Championship for the first time.

text: The fourth Money in the Bank ladder match took place at WrestleMania XXIV and was intended to be another eight-man match-up, consisting of wrestlers from Raw, SmackDown, and ECW. Qualifying matches began on the February 18 episode of Raw, as both Jeff Hardy and Mr. Kennedy qualified by defeating Snitsky[17] and Val Venis, respectively, in singles matches.[17] On the February 22 episode of SmackDown, Shelton Benjamin qualified by defeating Jimmy Wang Yang in another singles match.[18] Back on Raw, general manager William Regal placed Chris Jericho in a match against Jeff Hardy with the stipulation that if Jericho won, he would be in the ladder match. Jericho defeated Hardy in that match on February 25.[19] The following week on Raw, the two faced off once again, this time for Hardy's WWE Intercontinental Championship. Jericho won the match and title, and it was revealed that Hardy was suspended from WWE for 60 days for violating the wellness policy.[20] Hardy was subsequently removed from the Money in the Bank ladder match and WrestleMania altogether, making this ladder match a seven-man contest. Also on this episode of Raw, Carlito defeated Cody Rhodes to qualify.[21] On a SmackDown/ECW live event on March 9, United States Champion Montel Vontavious Porter defeated Jamie Noble to qualify.[22] On the March 11 episode of ECW, CM Punk defeated Big Daddy V to qualify.[23] On the March 14 episode of SmackDown, John Morrison defeated his tag team partner The Miz to be the last man to qualify.[24]

text: Punk won the WrestleMania XXIV match after trapping Jericho's leg in a ladder and then climbing the ladder. Punk cashed in his title shot on the June 30 episode of Raw. A farewell speech by Jim Ross was interrupted by then-World Heavyweight Champion Edge who had him removed from the ring and then began to insult the crowd, saying that they would never get to see a world championship being defended on Raw (as at the time both Edge and WWE Champion Triple H were members of the SmackDown brand and the ECW Championship was on the ECW brand after Mark Henry defeated then champion Kane of Raw and Big Show of Smackdown at Night of Champions (2008) in a triple threat match to win the title). When he was about to leave the arena, Batista came out and assaulted Edge in retaliation for Edge cheating to win their title match the previous night at Night of Champions. Punk then immediately ran to the ring with a referee to cash in his contract, then performed a Go to Sleep on Edge to win the World Heavyweight Championship, making it Raw-exclusive in the process.

text: The fifth annual Money in the Bank ladder match was announced for WrestleMania XXV. Qualifying matches began on the February 23 episode of Raw, in which CM Punk qualified by defeating John Morrison and The Miz in a triple threat match.[25] On the March 2 episode of Raw, Kane defeated Mike Knox and Rey Mysterio in another triple threat match.[26] On the March 3 episode of ECW on Sci Fi, Mark Henry qualified for the match by defeating Santino Marella.[27] Both Montel Vontavious Porter and Shelton Benjamin qualified for the match on the March 6 episode of SmackDown, defeating Matt and Jeff Hardy in respective single matches.[28] On the March 9 episode of Raw, Kofi Kingston qualified by defeating Chris Jericho, after Jericho was distracted by Ric Flair.[29] Christian qualified the following night on ECW on Sci Fi by winning a tri-brand battle royal.[30] Finlay was the final person to qualify for the match when he defeated The Brian Kendrick on the March 13 episode of SmackDown.[31]

text: At WrestleMania XXV, Punk won the match and became the first wrestler to win two Money in the Bank ladder matches, and the only one to win the match for two consecutive years.[32] On the May 1 episode of SmackDown, Punk challenged the World Heavyweight Champion Edge for a non-title match with the intent that if he defeated Edge, he would cash in his title shot right after the match. Later that night, Punk defeated Edge and attempted to cash in. However, before the ringside bell could ring to start the title match, Punk and Edge were both attacked by Umaga and Jeff Hardy respectively. As a consequence, the match never started and Punk retained his contract.[33] Punk again tried to cash in for a World Heavyweight Championship match against Edge on the May 15 episode of SmackDown, but was again stopped by Umaga.[34] After Jeff Hardy defeated Edge in a ladder match to win the World Heavyweight Championship at Extreme Rules, Punk cashed in to win the World Heavyweight Championship for the second time. As a result of the fans booing him for cashing on Hardy, who was very popular with the fans, Punk began a gradual change of character into a villain.[35]

text: February–April[edit]

text: On the February 22 episode of Raw, it was announced that the sixth annual Money in the Bank ladder match would take place at WrestleMania XXVI. The first qualifying match was held later that night, where Christian defeated Carlito to qualify.[36] Three more qualifying matches were held on the February 26 episode of SmackDown, with Dolph Ziggler defeating John Morrison and R-Truth in a Triple Threat match, Kane defeating Drew McIntyre, and Shelton Benjamin defeating CM Punk to qualify.[37] The March 1 episode of Raw saw both Jack Swagger and Montel Vontavious Porter qualify by defeating Santino Marella and Zack Ryder respectively.[38] Matt Hardy was the next to qualify for the match when he defeated Drew McIntyre on the March 5 episode of SmackDown.[39] In what was initially declared as the final qualifying match, Evan Bourne defeated William Regal on the March 8 episode of Raw to become the eighth competitor.[40] Due to his favorable association with WWE Chairman Mr. McMahon, McIntyre was given a third chance on the March 12 episode of SmackDown to qualify for the match. In what would also be made a WWE Intercontinental Championship defense by SmackDown general manager Theodore Long, McIntyre defeated local competitor Aaron Bolo to qualify.[41] On the March 22 episode of Raw, the number of participants was once again increased to a record ten, when Kofi Kingston defeated Vladimir Kozlov to qualify.[42]

text: At WrestleMania XXVI, Jack Swagger won the match after knocking Christian off a ladder with the briefcase itself.[43] The following night on Raw, Swagger attempted to cash in his shot against the WWE Champion John Cena after ambushing Cena. However, as Cena recovered too quickly from the ambush, Swagger cancelled his match and retained his contract.[44] The next night, at the taping for the April 2, 2010 episode of SmackDown, after Edge attacked then World Heavyweight Champion Chris Jericho, Swagger cashed in his contract and successfully claimed the World Heavyweight Championship.

text: June–November[edit]

text: In February 2010, WWE announced that "Money in the Bank" would be the title to their July 18 pay-per-view event at the Sprint Center in Kansas City, Missouri.[45] The event included two Money in the Bank ladder matches featuring the Raw and SmackDown brands respectively. Unlike previous iterations of the match, the winners could only challenge for their own brand's World Championship.[46] All eight competitors for the Raw brand's match were announced on the June 28 episode of Raw by guest host Rob Zombie. The eight competitors were Randy Orton, The Miz, R-Truth, Chris Jericho, Evan Bourne, Ted DiBiase, John Morrison and Edge. On the July 5th episode of Raw, R-Truth was involved in an injury storyline with The Miz and was subsequently removed from the match and replaced by Mark Henry.[47] Two days later, WWE announced six of the competitors for the SmackDown brand's match through its official website: Matt Hardy, Kane, Cody Rhodes, Christian, Kofi Kingston and Big Show. On the July 9 episode of SmackDown, Drew McIntyre and Dolph Ziggler both competed in qualifying matches and were added to the match.[48]

text: At the PPV, Kane won the SmackDown Money in the Bank match. Kane later cashed it in the same night by defeating Rey Mysterio to win the World Heavyweight Championship. He also became the quickest man to cash in the briefcase. For Raw, The Miz won that brand's Money in the Bank contract. After a couple of aborted attempts (which due to the bell not sounding to start the matches, which allowed Miz to keep the briefcase on said occasions), Miz finally cashed in his title opportunity on the November 22, 2010 episode of Raw, immediately after Randy Orton successfully retained the WWE Championship against Wade Barrett in which The Nexus attacked Orton before the match and injured his right leg. Miz defeated Orton to win his first WWE Championship.

text: The second Money in the Bank pay-per-view took place on July 17, 2011 at the Allstate Arena in Rosemont, Illinois. Raw's Alberto Del Rio and SmackDown's Daniel Bryan won their respective brands' 2011 Money in the Bank Ladder Match. At the end of the night, after CM Punk won the WWE Championship from John Cena, Mr. McMahon ordered Del Rio to come in and attempt to cash in his briefcase against Punk. (Punk had threatened to leave the company after the pay-per-view, as his contract was expiring.) Del Rio came out to do so, but Punk attacked him and fled through the crowd. A similar cash-in attempt was performed on then-champion Rey Mysterio on the July 25, 2011 episode of Raw, but Del Rio was again unable to cash in the briefcase. However, Del Rio was able to cash in his briefcase and defeated CM Punk for the WWE Championship at SummerSlam on August 14, 2011.

text: On the July 22, 2011 episode of SmackDown, Daniel Bryan announced that he was going to cash his contract in at WrestleMania XXVIII. On the November 25, 2011 episode of SmackDown, Daniel Bryan cashed in on World Heavyweight Champion Mark Henry, who had been knocked out by The Big Show. Bryan got the pinfall victory and was awarded the championship, however SmackDown General Manager Theodore Long overruled the match due to Henry not being medically cleared to compete, the first time a Money in the Bank cash-in match was reversed. Since the match never officially took place, Bryan was given the briefcase back and again reiterated that he planned on cashing in at WrestleMania XXVIII, although he was given a shot at the World Heavyweight Championship against Henry in a Steel Cage match on a live holiday-themed episode of SmackDown the following Tuesday, which Bryan lost. On December 18, 2011 at TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs, after Big Show defeated Henry to win the World Heavyweight Championship, Henry attacked Big Show with a steel chair, allowing Bryan to cash in his briefcase on Big Show to win his first World Heavyweight Championship.

text: The third Money in the Bank pay-per-view took place on July 15, 2012 at the US Airways Center in Phoenix, Arizona. There were the usual two Money in the Bank ladder matches; however, the matches were no longer separated by brands (as both Raw and SmackDown by this time had become full roster "Supershows"). Instead, they were separated by Championship (WWE and World Heavyweight).[49][unreliable source]

text: In the first match of the night Dolph Ziggler defeated seven other competitors to win the World Heavyweight Championship contract Money in the Bank ladder match. He attempted to cash it in on that same night for a title shot against Sheamus but was attacked before the referee could call for the bell so he retained his contract.

text: On the August 20 episode of Raw, Ziggler successfully defended his briefcase against Chris Jericho in career vs. contract match. As a result, Jericho was forced to leave WWE.

text: In the last match of the evening, John Cena defeated Kane, The Big Show, The Miz, and Chris Jericho to win the WWE Championship Money in the Bank briefcase in his first Money in the Bank ladder match. A special stipulation had been added before hand that only former WWE Champions could participate in the WWE Championship Money in the Bank ladder match for 2012. Cena won when the briefcase's handle snapped off while using it against Big Show, having previously blocked Show's KO Punch with it.

text: On the July 16, 2012 episode of Raw, Cena announced that he would cash his contract in the following week at Raw 1000. He became only the second wrestler after Rob Van Dam to give prior notice to the opponent. At Raw 1000, Cena failed to win the WWE Title when Big Show interfered in the match, causing champion CM Punk to be disqualified and retain the title (as championships don't change hands on disqualifications). This made Cena the first Money in the Bank winner to fail to win a title.

text: During the December 3, 2012, episode of Raw, managing supervisor Vickie Guerrero was forced by Mr. McMahon to make Cena and Ziggler's match at TLC: Tables, Ladders and Chairs a ladder match for Ziggler's World Heavyweight Championship Money in the Bank contract. On December 16, at the event, he successfully defended the briefcase with help from AJ Lee.

text: On April 8, 2013, an episode of Raw, Ziggler cashed in his contract on World Champion Alberto Del Rio, following Del Rio's handicap match win over Jack Swagger and Zeb Colter. Ziggler defeated Del Rio to win his second World Heavyweight Championship following nearly nine months of holding the briefcase.

text: A fourth Money in the Bank pay-per-view took place on July 14, 2013 at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. There was the traditional two Money in the Bank ladder matches – one for a WWE Championship contract, and the other for a World Heavyweight Championship contract.

text: On the June 24, 2013 episode of Raw, CM Punk, Daniel Bryan, Randy Orton, Sheamus, Christian, Kane, and Rob Van Dam were announced by WWE Chief Brand Officer Stephanie McMahon as the participants in the WWE Championship contract match. Kane was later removed after being injured due to an attack by The Wyatt Family on the July 8th episode of Raw. Orton went on to win the contract at the PPV.

text: At the tapings for SmackDown on June 25 (aired June 28), SmackDown Senior Advisor Theodore Long announced that the participants in the World Heavyweight Championship contract match would be WWE United States Champion Dean Ambrose, Fandango, Antonio Cesaro, Jack Swagger, Wade Barrett, Cody Rhodes and Damien Sandow. Sandow won the contract at the PPV.

text: At SummerSlam, Orton cashed in his contract on WWE Champion Daniel Bryan, who had defeated John Cena to win the championship. Orton defeated Bryan to win his seventh WWE Championship, after WWE COO Triple H, who was the special guest referee between Bryan and Cena, attacked Bryan with a pedigree, following five weeks of holding the briefcase.

text: On the October 28, 2013, episode of Raw, Sandow cashed in his contract on World Heavyweight Champion John Cena. Cena defeated Sandow, making Sandow the second wrestler to unsuccessfully cash in the contract and the first to lose a cash-in match via pinfall.

text: On December 15, 2013 at TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs, the WWE and World Heavyweight Championships were unified into the WWE World Heavyweight Championship.

text: A fifth Money in the Bank pay-per-view took place on Sunday, June 29, 2014, at the TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. The original plan for the event was that the winner of the ladder match would receive a contract for a match for the now unified title as normal. However, on June 9, defending WWE World Heavyweight Champion Daniel Bryan was forced to vacate the title due to a neck injury, and so the already announced ladder match (consisting of John Cena, Randy Orton, Alberto Del Rio, Bray Wyatt, Cesaro, Sheamus, Kane and Roman Reigns) became for the vacant championship instead.

text: On the June 17 episode of Main Event, Seth Rollins announced that in addition to the ladder match for the title, there would be a traditional Money in the Bank ladder match for a WWE World Heavyweight Championship contract at the PPV, and that Rollins would be the first entrant.[50] Further entrants were Bad News Barrett, Dolph Ziggler, Rob Van Dam, Jack Swagger, Kofi Kingston and Dean Ambrose. The latter, who had threatened to disrupt the match, was added to the match on Rollins' request. Bad News Barrett was later removed from the match due to an injury.

text: Seth Rollins won the match and the contract after Kane interfered on behalf of The Authority and knocked Dean Ambrose off the ladder. He attempted to cash in the following night on new champion John Cena, but was stopped from doing so by Ambrose. Rollins once again failed to cash in his Money in the Bank briefcase, this time against WWE World Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar at Night of Champions after attacking him with a curb stomp. This failed attempt to cash in came after John Cena attacked Rollins, before the bell could be rung, due to Rollins costing Cena the championship minutes earlier.

text: At WrestleMania 31, Seth Rollins cashed in his briefcase during the main event championship match between defending champion Brock Lesnar and challenger Roman Reigns. By doing so, he turned the singles match between Lesnar and Reigns into a Triple Threat match. Rollins then proceeded to pin Reigns following a curb stomp and successfully captured the WWE World Heavyweight Championship. As a result, Rollins set various records: first, Rollins became the first person to cash in a contract while a championship match was in progress. He also became the first person to successfully cash in to win the then unified WWE World Heavyweight Championship. He became the first person to cash in his briefcase at WrestleMania. He also became the first to win the championship after cashing in without pinning the champion.

text: On June 14, 2015, the sixth annual Money in the Bank pay-per-view took place in Columbus, Ohio. Dolph Ziggler, Sheamus, Kofi Kingston, Neville, Roman Reigns, Randy Orton and Kane participated in the traditional Money in the Bank ladder match. Sheamus won the match and received a WWE World Heavyweight Championship contract.

text: At Survivor Series, Sheamus cashed in his contract by defeating Roman Reigns, who had just won the vacant championship after defeating Dean Ambrose in the tournament finals.[51]

text: On June 19, the seventh annual Money in the Bank pay-per-view took place in Las Vegas. For the traditional Money in the Bank ladder match, Sami Zayn, Kevin Owens, Cesaro, Chris Jericho, Alberto Del Rio, and Dean Ambrose all won their qualifying matches on the May 23 episode of Raw to become entrants into the match. Originally slated to be a 7-man ladder match, the seventh slot was later removed. Ambrose won the match and received a WWE World Heavyweight Championship contract. After the conclusion of the main event, he cashed in the contract to challenge Seth Rollins, who had just won the title against Roman Reigns, and become WWE World Heavyweight Champion, thus making him the second wrestler after Kane to successfully cash in the contract on the same night as winning it.

text: The 2017 Money in the Bank pay-per-view took place on June 18, 2017 at the Scottrade Center in St. Louis, Missouri as a SmackDown brand exclusive event. For the traditional ladder match, which had a contract for a match for SmackDown's WWE Championship, SmackDown Commissioner Shane McMahon announced AJ Styles, Shinsuke Nakamura, Dolph Ziggler, Sami Zayn, and Baron Corbin as the original five participants. United States Champion Kevin Owens was added after he convinced Shane to make him the sixth participant. Mojo Rawley had the opportunity to make it a seven-man match if he could defeat WWE Champion Jinder Mahal, but failed to do so. At the event, Baron Corbin won the match and received a WWE Championship match contract. On the August 15, 2017 episode of SmackDown Live, John Cena had a non-title match against WWE Champion Jinder Mahal. As Cena was pinning Mahal, Corbin attacked him, causing a disqualification. Corbin then cashed in his Money in the Bank contract on Mahal, but as soon as the bell rung, he attacked Cena, who was on the apron, allowing Mahal to quickly roll-up Corbin for the win. This made Corbin the third wrestler to unsuccessfully cash in the contract and the second to lose a cash-in match.

text: On the May 30 episode of SmackDown Live, another Money in the Bank ladder match was added to the event, and for the first time, involving women. Charlotte Flair, Becky Lynch, Natalya, Carmella, and Tamina were originally scheduled to compete in a fatal five-way elimination match on that night to determine the number one contender for the SmackDown Women's Championship against Naomi at Money in the Bank. Before their match could begin, a brawl broke out between the five and the match never occurred. McMahon then scheduled the five to compete in the first-ever women's Money in the Bank ladder match at the event where the winner would receive a contract for a SmackDown Women's Championship match. Carmella won the match after James Ellsworth retrieved the briefcase, and threw it to her. On the following episode of SmackDown Live, however, SmackDown General Manager Daniel Bryan forced Carmella to relinquish the briefcase since Ellsworth retrieved it for her.[52] On that same episode, Bryan also scheduled a Money in the Bank ladder match rematch for the June 27 episode with Ellsworth banned from ringside (later from the arena). That episode, Carmella, with some aid from the banned Ellsworth, retrieved the briefcase herself and reclaimed the SmackDown Women's Championship match contract.

text: Matches[edit]

text:
Raw Brand

SmackDown Brand

text:
Year
Event
Prize
Winner
Other competitors
Time

2005
WM 21
World Heavyweight Championship match
Edge
Chris Benoit, Chris Jericho, Shelton Benjamin, Kane, and Christian
15:17

In the 2005 WWE draft, World Heavyweight Champion Batista was drafted to SmackDown and WWE Champion John Cena was drafted to Raw, thus enabling Edge to challenge for the WWE Championship instead.[53]
Successfully defended his contract in a Ladder match against Matt Hardy at WWE Homecoming on the October 3, 2005 episode of Raw.
Edge held the contract for 280 days.

2006
WM 22
Winner's brand's world championship match
Rob Van Dam
Matt Hardy, Shelton Benjamin, Ric Flair, Finlay, and Bobby Lashley
12:14[54]

Successfully defended his contract against Shelton Benjamin at Backlash in a contract vs championship winner take all match on April 30, 2006, winning Benjamin's Intercontinental Championship in the process.[55]
Van Dam is the first person to choose the event where he cashed in the contract and the first person to win a title in a match where opponent was given prior notice to the cashing in of the contract.
Van Dam held the contract for 70 days.

2007
WM 23
Any world championship match
Mr. Kennedy
Edge, Jeff Hardy, CM Punk, King Booker, Finlay, Matt Hardy, and Randy Orton
19:10[56]

Lost his contract in a match against Edge on the May 7, 2007 episode of Raw.[4]
Mr. Kennedy held the contract for 36 days.
As a result of the switch, Edge became a member of the SmackDown brand, marking the first time this occurred.
Edge held the contract for 1 day. (4 days according to WWE, due to the episode of WWE SmackDown airing on tape delay.)

2008
WM XXIV
Any world championship match
CM Punk
Mr. Kennedy, Chris Jericho, Shelton Benjamin, Carlito, John Morrison, and Montel Vontavious Porter
15:12[57]

As a result of the cash-in, the World Heavyweight Championship transferred back to Raw, marking the first (and only) time this occurred.
CM Punk held the contract for 92 days.

2009
WM XXV
Any world championship match
CM Punk
Christian, Shelton Benjamin, Kane, Finlay, Montel Vontavious Porter, Kofi Kingston, and Mark Henry
14:32

CM Punk held the contract for 63 days.
CM Punk was the first back-to-back Money in the Bank contract winner.

2010
WM XXVI
Any world championship match
Jack Swagger
Shelton Benjamin, Christian, Kane, Matt Hardy, Drew McIntyre, Kofi Kingston, Evan Bourne, Montel Vontavious Porter, and Dolph Ziggler
13:44

Swagger becomes second MITB winner to switch brands after cashing in his contract.
Swagger held the contract for 2 days. (5 days according to WWE, due to the episode of WWE SmackDown airing on tape delay.)

Money in the Bank
World Heavyweight Championship match
Kane
Christian, Matt Hardy, Big Show, Dolph Ziggler, Kofi Kingston, Drew McIntyre, and Cody Rhodes
26:18

Kane held the contract for 49 minutes. He was the first wrestler to cash in the contract on the same night as winning it.
Kane is the fastest wrestler to cash the money in the bank contract.

Money in the Bank
WWE Championship match
The Miz
Randy Orton, Chris Jericho, Edge, John Morrison, Evan Bourne, Ted DiBiase, and Mark Henry
20:26

The Miz held the contract for 127 days.

2011
Money in the Bank
World Heavyweight Championship match
Daniel Bryan
Wade Barrett, Kane, Cody Rhodes, Sheamus, Sin Cara, Justin Gabriel, and Heath Slater
24:27

His first cash-in and win against Mark Henry was nullified. This marks the first time that a successful cash-in was reverted.
Bryan held the contract for 154 days.

Money in the Bank
WWE Championship match
Alberto Del Rio
The Miz, Rey Mysterio, Jack Swagger, R-Truth, Kofi Kingston, Evan Bourne, and Alex Riley
15:54

Del Rio held the contract for 28 days.

2012
Money in the Bank
World Heavyweight Championship match
Dolph Ziggler
Cody Rhodes, Damien Sandow, Christian, Tyson Kidd, Sin Cara, Tensai, and Santino Marella
18:23

Successfully defended his contract against Chris Jericho on the August 20, 2012 episode of Raw in a career vs contract match.
Successfully defended his contract in a Ladder match against John Cena at TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs.[58]
Ziggler held the contract for 267 days.

Money in the Bank
WWE Championship match
John Cena
Chris Jericho, The Miz, Kane, and Big Show
20:15

Cena is the first wrestler to not win a world championship in a cash-in match. He is also the second wrestler to announce when he was going to cash it in.
Cena held the contract for 8 days.

2013
Money in the Bank
World Heavyweight Championship match
Damien Sandow
Cody Rhodes, Wade Barrett, Dean Ambrose, Jack Swagger, Fandango, and Antonio Cesaro
16:24

Second Money in the Bank winner to fail to win a world championship in a cash-in match.
First wrestler to cleanly lose a cash-in match
Sandow held the contract for 106 days

Money in the Bank
WWE Championship match
Randy Orton
CM Punk, Daniel Bryan, Christian, Sheamus, and Rob Van Dam
28:38

Orton held the contract for 35 days.

2014
Money in the Bank
WWE World Heavyweight Championship match
Seth Rollins
Kofi Kingston, Dolph Ziggler, Jack Swagger, Rob Van Dam, and Dean Ambrose
23:10

Rollins held the contract for 273 days.
Rollins is the first to cash in at WrestleMania, the first to win the championship after cashing in without pinning the champion and the first to cash in while a championship match was in progress.

2015
Money in the Bank
WWE World Heavyweight Championship match
Sheamus
Dolph Ziggler, Kane, Kofi Kingston, Neville, Randy Orton, and Roman Reigns
20:50

Sheamus held the contract for 161 days.

2016
Money in the Bank
WWE World Heavyweight Championship match
Dean Ambrose
Sami Zayn, Cesaro, Chris Jericho, Kevin Owens, and Alberto Del Rio
21:38

Ambrose held the contract for 57 minutes. Ambrose was the second wrestler to cash in the contract on the same night as winning it.
Ambrose was the third winner to announce that he would cash in the contract in advance, albeit without a set date and before he had won the ladder match to collect the contract.

2017
Money in the Bank
WWE SmackDown Women's Championship match
Carmella
Becky Lynch, Charlotte Flair, Natalya, and Tamina
13:20

This was the first Women's Money in the Bank ladder match.
Carmella held the contract for 2 days.
SmackDown General Manager Daniel Bryan stripped Carmella of the briefcase two days after the event because of interference by Carmella's manager James Ellsworth, who retrieved the briefcase for Carmella and dropped it to her. A rematch was scheduled for the June 27 episode of SmackDown Live.

Money in the Bank
WWE Championship match
Baron Corbin
AJ Styles, Dolph Ziggler, Kevin Owens, Sami Zayn, and Shinsuke Nakamura
29:45

Third Money in the Bank winner to fail to win a world championship in a cash-in match and the second to cleanly lose a cash-in match.
Corbin held the contract for 58 days.

SmackDown Live
WWE SmackDown Women's Championship match
Carmella
Becky Lynch, Charlotte Flair, Natalya, and Tamina
24:00

This was a rematch ordered by SmackDown General Manager Daniel Bryan after he stripped Carmella of the briefcase following the controversial finish at the Money in the Bank PPV. As a result of his actions during the original match, James Ellsworth was banned from the arena, though Ellsworth still interfered in the match on Carmella's behalf.
This was the first Money in the Bank ladder match to not air on pay-per-view, as well as the first to take place on SmackDown.
Carmella has held the contract for 7002283000000000000♠283+ days, which is the longest of any wrestler to hold the contract.

text: Record[edit]

text:
Championship
Successful cash-ins
Attempts
%

WWE (World Heavyweight) Championship
8
10
.800

World Heavyweight Championship
7
8
.875

WWE SmackDown Women's Championship
0
0
–

Total
15
18
.833

text: Cash-in matches[edit]

text:
Won match and title

Won match but not title

Lost match

text: Males[edit]

text:
No.
Case Holder
Championship
Date
Location
Event
Results

01 !1
Edge
WWE Championship
January 8, 2006
Albany, NY
New Year's Revolution
Edge defeated John Cena after two Spears to win the championship following Cena's victory in an Elimination Chamber match

02 !2
Rob Van Dam
WWE Championship
June 11, 2006
New York, NY
ECW One Night Stand
Van Dam defeated John Cena in an Extreme Rules match after an attack by Edge and a Five-Star Frog Splash to win the championship

03 !3
Edge
World Heavyweight Championship
May 8, 2007 (aired May 11, 2007)
Pittsburgh, PA
SmackDown!
Edge defeated The Undertaker after a Spear to win the championship after Undertaker went to a draw in a steel cage match with Batista and was attacked by Mark Henry

04 !4
CM Punk
World Heavyweight Championship
June 30, 2008
Oklahoma City, OK
Raw
CM Punk defeated Edge after GTS to win the championship after Edge was attacked by Batista

05 !5
CM Punk
World Heavyweight Championship
June 7, 2009
New Orleans, LA
Extreme Rules
CM Punk defeated Jeff Hardy after two GTSs to win the championship following Hardy defeating Edge in a ladder match to win the championship

06 !6
Jack Swagger
World Heavyweight Championship
March 30, 2010 (aired April 2, 2010)
Las Vegas, NV
SmackDown
Swagger defeated Chris Jericho after a gutwrench powerbomb to win the championship after Edge attacked an already injured Jericho

07 !7
Kane
World Heavyweight Championship
July 18, 2010
Kansas City, MO
Money in the Bank
Kane defeated Rey Mysterio after a Tombstone Piledriver to win the championship after Mysterio successfully defended the championship against Jack Swagger

08 !8
The Miz
WWE Championship
November 22, 2010
Orlando, FL
Raw
Miz defeated Randy Orton after a Skull Crushing Finale to win the championship after Orton was attacked by The Nexus following a successful defense of the championship against Nexus leader Wade Barrett

09 !9
Alberto Del Rio
WWE Championship
August 14, 2011
Los Angeles, CA
SummerSlam
Del Rio defeated CM Punk after a step-up enzuigiri to win the championship after Punk defeated John Cena to become undisputed champion and was then attacked by Kevin Nash

10 !10
Daniel Bryan
World Heavyweight Championship
December 18, 2011
Baltimore, MD
TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs
Bryan defeated Big Show after an attack by Mark Henry to win the championship after Show defeated Henry in a chairs match to win the title

11 !11
John Cena
WWE Championship
July 23, 2012
St Louis, MO
Raw 1000
Cena won his cash-in match against CM Punk via disqualification after Big Show interfered, but failed to win the title because championships cannot change hands via count-outs or disqualifications (unless the match stipulation says otherwise)

12 !12
Dolph Ziggler
World Heavyweight Championship
April 8, 2013
East Rutherford, NJ
Raw
Ziggler defeated Alberto Del Rio after a Zig Zag to win the championship after Del Rio was attacked by Jack Swagger, who he had defeated along with Zeb Colter in a 2-on-1 handicap match

13 !13
Randy Orton
WWE Championship
August 18, 2013
Los Angeles, CA
SummerSlam
Orton defeated Daniel Bryan after a Pedigree from Triple H (who was special guest referee) to win the championship after Bryan had defeated John Cena to win the title. This was the first cash-in to feature a special guest referee

14 !14
Damien Sandow
World Heavyweight Championship
October 28, 2013
Orlando, FL
Raw
Sandow attacked champion John Cena and immediately cashed in the contract, but became the first man to lose a cash-in match when Cena won the match after an Attitude Adjustment

15 !15
Seth Rollins
WWE World Heavyweight Championship
March 29, 2015
Santa Clara, CA
WrestleMania 31
During the main event between Roman Reigns and defending champion Brock Lesnar, Rollins cashed in his briefcase. The referee accepted the cash-in while the match was in progress and converted the singles match into a triple-threat match. Rollins then pinned Reigns after a Curb Stomp to win the title. This was the first cash-in where the contract holder did not pin the champion

16 !16
Sheamus
WWE World Heavyweight Championship
November 22, 2015
Atlanta, GA
Survivor Series
Sheamus defeated Roman Reigns after a Brogue Kick to win the championship after Reigns defeated Dean Ambrose to win the vacant title

17 !17
Dean Ambrose
WWE World Heavyweight Championship
June 19, 2016
Las Vegas, NV
Money in the Bank
Ambrose defeated Seth Rollins after a Dirty Deeds to win the championship after Rollins defeated Roman Reigns to win the title

18 !18
Baron Corbin
WWE Championship
August 15, 2017
Providence, RI
SmackDown Live
Corbin interfered in a match between John Cena and WWE Champion Jinder Mahal and attacked Cena, who won by disqualification. He then cashed in the contract after almost departing, but after the match started, he attacked Cena who was on the apron and was then rolled-up by Mahal.

text: Participant list[edit]

text: Males[edit]

text:
Wrestler
Victories
Appearances

CM Punk
2
4

John Cena
1
1

Seth Rollins
1
1

Baron Corbin
1
1

Mr. Kennedy
1
2

Damien Sandow
1
2

Daniel Bryan
1
2

Alberto Del Rio
1
2

Edge
1
3

The Miz
1
3

Rob Van Dam
1
3

Sheamus
1
3

Dean Ambrose
1
3

Jack Swagger
1
4

Randy Orton
1
4

Dolph Ziggler
1
6

Kane
1
7

Chris Benoit
0
1

Ric Flair
0
1

Bobby Lashley
0
1

Jeff Hardy
0
1

King Booker
0
1

Carlito
0
1

Ted DiBiase
0
1

Heath Slater
0
1

Justin Gabriel
0
1

Rey Mysterio
0
1

Alex Riley
0
1

R-Truth
0
1

Santino Marella
0
1

Tensai
0
1

Tyson Kidd
0
1

Fandango
0
1

Neville
0
1

Roman Reigns
0
1

AJ Styles
0
1

Shinsuke Nakamura
0
1

Drew McIntyre
0
2

John Morrison
0
2

Mark Henry
0
2

Sin Cara
0
2

Big Show
0
2

Wade Barrett
0
2

(Antonio) Cesaro
0
2

Sami Zayn
0
2

Kevin Owens
0
2

Finlay
0
3

Montel Vontavious Porter
0
3

Evan Bourne
0
3

Matt Hardy
0
4

Cody Rhodes
0
4

Shelton Benjamin
0
5

Chris Jericho
0
5

Christian
0
6

Kofi Kingston
0
6

text: Females[edit]

text:
Wrestler
Victories
Appearances

Carmella
2
2

Becky Lynch
0
2

Charlotte Flair
0
2

Natalya
0
2

Tamina
0
2


document_title: Firearms policy in the United Kingdom

question_text: when were handguns made illegal in the uk

question_tokens: when were handguns made illegal in the uk

root

text: Firearms policy in the United Kingdom

text: Shooting sports[edit]

text: Shooting sports split into different categories in the UK between target shooting, clay pigeon shooting, pest control, and hunting. Sports, once a relatively elitist activity, have become far more popular in modern times amongst people from all walks of life.[12][13]

tag: p

text: A lot of current civilian rifle clubs trace their history to the 'volunteers' of the middle 19th century, raised locally among the gentry to afford some readiness to counter the constant threat of invasion by Napoleon III. These volunteer organisations and military shooting clubs developed over time into civilian clubs as the Volunteer organisations were incorporated into the Territorial Army. The rise in popularity in the civilian clubs started in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, especially fullbore rifle events sponsored by the military and National Rifle Association of the United Kingdom to improve the general standard of marksmanship under the auspices of Defence of the Realm.[14]

text: Impact of firearm legislation[edit]

text: In 2012 the Home Office reported that, "in 2010/11, firearms were involved in 11,227 recorded offences in England and Wales, the seventh consecutive annual fall".[15] Firearms statistics in England and Wales include airguns and imitation guns, which make up a high proportion of these recorded offences (see under "Firearms crime" below). However, this was a return to the levels seen prior to the legislation in 1997. Firearms offences almost doubled in the eight years following handguns being made illegal.

text: Fully automatic (submachine-guns, etc.) are "prohibited weapons"[16] and require explicit permission from central government to permit ownership. Generally, such permits are not available to private citizens. Semi-automatic rifles over .22 in (5.6 mm) and pistols are similarly "prohibited", although there are exceptions for short barrelled breech-loading semi-automatic and revolver pistols for use for the humane dispatch of animals (classed under section 5). There are also very limited exceptions for pistols both to preserve firearms of historic or technical interest (classed as section 7 firearms)[17] and to enable use by elite sports teams. Semi-automatic shotguns are restricted to a magazine capacity of no more than two shot and is held under section 2 of the Firearms Act, although a 'multi-shot' shotgun can be owned under section 1 (restricted firearms and ammunition) of the Firearms Act. Where the term 'multi-shot' is used, this refers to either a Semi-automatic or pump action shotgun with no restriction on magazine capacity.[18] All other rifles and their ammunition are permitted with no limits as to magazine size, to include: target shooting, hunting, and historic and muzzle-loading weapons, as well as long barrelled breachloading pistols with a specific overall length, but not for self-defence; however if a home-owner is threatened they may be used in self-defence, so long as the force is reasonable.[19] Shotgun possession and use is controlled, and even low-power air rifles and pistols, while permitted, are controlled to some extent. A Firearm Certificate issued by the police is required for all weapons and ammunition except air weapons of modest power (of muzzle energy not over 12 ft⋅lbf (16 J) for rifles, and 6 ft⋅lbf (8.1 J) for pistols). Shotguns with a capacity of three rounds or less (up to guns with a magazine holding no more than two rounds, in addition to one in the chamber) are subject to less stringent licensing requirements than other firearms and require a shotgun certificate; shotguns with higher capacity require a Firearm Certificate.

text: Possession of a live firearms round can lead to severe penalties. Live firearms ammunition, other than most shotgun ammunition, may only be purchased and possessed with the authority of a Firearm Certificate. Shotgun cartridges can be possessed by anybody over the age of 15 but no licence is required to hold such ammunition so long as the cartridges contain 5 or more shots.[20] However, a licence covering possession of a firearm capable of firing shotgun ammunition is required for purchase.

text: While Scotland has had its own parliament (Holyrood) since the Scotland Act 1998, power to legislate on firearms was reserved to the Westminster Parliament, which led to tensions between the British and Scottish parliaments, with the Scottish government wanting to enact stricter laws.[21]

text: In Northern Ireland, possessing a firearm with a Firearm Certificate issued by the Police Service of Northern Ireland is legal. Firearms control laws in Northern Ireland are primarily regulated by the Firearms (Northern Ireland) Order 2004, slightly different from the law in Great Britain.

text: Gun licensing and legislation[edit]

text: The legislation is interpreted in different ways by different police authorities. For example, some authorities allow clubs to possess long-barrelled pistols for members to use, and allow members who own them to allow other members to use them. Other authorities place the condition that only the owner may fire them; it is considered an offence for anyone else to even touch the firearm. This effectively requires members each to own their own pistol.[22] In 2002 the Home Office issued firearms law guidance to the police, a 212-page long document.[23] A revised version was published in October 2013.[24] In 2012 the British Shooting Sports Council believed that the law needed to be consolidated[clarify], but did not call for a review.[25]

text: Classifications of firearms[edit]

text: Rifles[edit]

text: UK law defines a "rifle" as a rifled firearm with a barrel longer than 30 cm (12 in), and a total length longer than 60 cm (24 in) that does not fall under the classification of long-barrelled revolver or pistol. Single-shot, bolt-action, Martini-action, lever-action (also called under-lever action) and revolver rifles and carbines are permitted, with certificate, in any calibre. Self-loading (also known as semi-automatic) or pump-action rifles are only permitted in .22 rimfire calibre.

text: Pistols[edit]

text: The 1997 law did not ban pistols as such and was drafted in terms of small firearms.[23]:3.2 British law defines a "pistol" as a firearm with a barrel shorter than 30 cm (12 in) or a total length of less than 60 cm (24 in)[26] (this definition encompasses revolvers, revolving pistols). Only muzzle-loading pistols—including muzzle-loading revolvers—are permitted; in practice all such firearms use black powder—a Class 1 explosive—as the propellant. Small quantities of muzzle-loading pistols and revolvers in various calibres, which comply with the regulations, are manufactured.[27] All other pistols are prohibited in Great Britain, with some exceptions such as pistols used for the humane dispatch of injured animals (such as deer) and some historical firearms.

text: Specific models of blank-firing starting pistol that are "readily convertible" to fire live ammunition can also be banned. The Bruni Olympic .380 BBM blank-firing revolver was banned in 2010 on evidence that it was being illegally converted.[28]

text: Long-barrelled revolvers and pistols[edit]

text: "Long-barrelled revolvers" and "long-barrelled pistols" meeting specified criteria are not classified as small, and hence prohibited, firearms; it is legal, with a Firearm Certificate, to possess them. The barrel must be at least 30 cm (12 in) long, and the firearm at least 60 cm (24 in) long, which can be achieved by having a permanently attached extension to the grip or butt of the firearm. Long-barrelled single-shot firearms of any calibre, and semi-automatic pistols of .22 rimfire calibres, are permitted with FAC.[29]

text: Target pistols[edit]

text: Aside from special temporary exemptions for major events such as the 2012 Olympics, pistol shooting for sporting purposes has been effectively banned since 1997. As a result, the GB pistol squad has to practice abroad.[30]

text: A few models of single-shot .22 calibre free pistol, as used in the 50 m Olympic 'Free Pistol' match, have been produced to meet the "long-barrelled pistol" conditions. Some free pistols have removable stabiliser bars extending backwards to improve stability; the UK-legal models have been made with non-removable stabilisers to extend the dimensions, instead of contrived and non-functional grip extensions. Examples are the single-shot Pardini K22 Longarm[31] and the Westlake Britarms Long Pistol, a permitted .22 LR five-shot semi-automatic pistol.[32]

text: Shotguns[edit]

text: Single-barrelled, double-barrelled shotguns, or those with a lever-action or, pump-action, or semi-automatic and fixed magazine capacity of no more than three (2 in the magazine and one in the chamber) cartridges are permitted on a Shotgun Certificate. Shotguns with a detachable magazine or larger fixed magazine are permitted on a Section 1 Firearm Certificate. Types of shotgun ammunition, such as solid slugs can only be bought following the grant of an FAC (Firearm Certificate). There is no limit on the number of guns or amount of ammunition that a SGC (shotgun certificate) holder can acquire or possess at one time, although each shotgun is recorded on the certificates.

text: Airguns[edit]

text: Airguns are firearms like any other according to the definition given in the Firearms Act 1968 at section 57(1).[33] However, they are exempt from the requirement that a Firearm Certificate or Shotgun Certificate need be obtained to possess or acquire them provided that they meet certain limits as to their power.

text: Air pistols with a muzzle energy not exceeding 6 foot-pounds force (8.1 joules) and other airguns with a muzzle energy not exceeding 12 ft⋅lbf (16 J) do not require a certificate and may be acquired, purchased and possessed by anyone over the age of 18 and who is not a prohibited person as specified in section 21 of the Act which relates to persons previously convicted of crime.[34]

text: The UK Violent Crime Reduction Act 2006 controls online or mail-order sales of airguns by way of trade or business; transactions must be finalised face-to-face although the contract of sale may take place at a distance.[35] The airgun may be sent by the seller to a Registered Firearms Dealer (who will act as the sellers agent in the sale) from whom the gun may be collected by the purchaser.

text: The same Act introduced the requirement that a person selling airguns or ammunition for airguns by way of trade or business be a Registered Firearms Dealer.[36] It is not an offence for a private individual to sell an airgun to another person as long as both parties are not legally barred from possessing airguns and the transaction does not constitute a business activity.

text: It became a crime to fire an air weapon beyond the boundary of any premises without the occupier's permission, and increased the lower age limit for buying or possessing an air weapon to 18 years.[37]

text: From 10 February 2011 The Crime & Security Act 2010 (S.46) made it an offence "...for a person in possession of an air weapon to fail to take reasonable precautions to prevent any person under the age of eighteen from having the weapon with him...".[38]

text: Any person who is in a building or is on land as a trespasser whilst having a firearm with them commits the offence of trespassing with a firearm.[39] It is immaterial whether or not they have any ammunition with them at the time or whether they actually intend to use it at the place in which they were trespassing.

text: Ammunition[edit]

text: Explosive, incendiary, noxious (biological, chemical) and armour piercing ammunition types are "prohibited"[16] for civilians. Expanding ammunition is not only permitted but a legal requirement for deer stalking. Holders of a FAC for the purpose of (game) shooting or deer-stalking are required to have authorisation to acquire and possess expanding ammunition[40] noted on it. The amount of ammunition allowed for purchase and possession is determined by conditions stated on an FAC.

text: Prohibited firearms[edit]

text: The following are generally prohibited:[41][42]

text:
Fully automatic or burst-fire weapons, which may include some air guns.
Semi-automatic or pump-action rifles that fire centre-fire ammunition (e.g. Colt AR-15, L1A1)
Cartridge ammunition handguns, regardless of calibre
Firearms disguised as another item (e.g. walking sticks, mobile telephones, etc.)
Rockets and mortars.
Air guns chambered for self-contained gas cartridges. (Existing owners prior to 20 January 2004 were allowed ownership subject to obtaining a firearm certificate)
Any weapon of whatever description designed or adapted for the discharge of any noxious liquid, gas or other thing. This would generally include stun guns, or electric shock devices, CS gas (tear gas), OC spray (pepper spray), etc.. Cattle prods would not generally be included, but it would depend on the type.
Firearms which previously fell into a prohibited category, but have been converted to an otherwise permitted form. For example, a pistol which is adapted by permanently fitting a 60-centimetre (24 in) long smooth-bore barrel to it does not thereby become permitted.[23]:2.29

tag: ul

text: Firearm licensing[edit]

text: With a few specialised exceptions, all firearms in the United Kingdom must be licensed on either a 5-year firearm certificate (FAC)[43] or a shotgun certificate (SGC) issued by the police for the area in which they normally reside. Each certificate can list multiple firearms, and the certificate remains valid until expiry even if all the listed firearms were subsequently banned.[44]

text: Shotguns (Section 2 Firearms under the 1968 Act as amended) are defined in UK law as smoothbore firearms with barrels not shorter than 24 inches (61 cm) and a bore not larger than 2 inches (5.1 cm) in diameter, no revolving cylinder, and either no magazine or a non-detachable magazine that is not capable of holding more than two cartridges,[23] plus one in the chamber; shotguns with higher capacity require a firearm certificate. Shotguns thus defined are subject to a less rigorous certification process than for the full FAC; an applicant is not required by law to make a good case for being granted a certificate, but the police may withhold a certificate if they consider that the applicant does not have satisfactory security in place, or granting it would constitute a danger to public safety or to the peace.[45] A certificate holder may possess as many shotguns as can be securely stored.

text: When applying for a firearm certificate, justification must be provided to the police for each firearm, and they are individually listed on the certificate by type, calibre, and serial number. A shotgun certificate similarly lists type, calibre and serial number, but permits possession of as many shotguns as can be safely accommodated. To gain permission for a new firearm, a "variation" must be sought, for a fee, unless the variation is made at the time of renewal, or unless it constitutes a one-for-one replacement of an existing firearm that will be disposed of. The certificate also sets out, by calibre, the maximum quantities of ammunition someone may possess at any one time, and is used to record ammunition purchases (except where ammunition is bought to use immediately on a range under s11 or s15 of the Firearms Act).

text: To obtain a firearm certificate, the police must be satisfied that a person has "good reason" to own each firearm, and that they can be trusted with it "without danger to the public safety or to the peace". Under Home Office guidelines, Firearm Certificates are only issued if a person has legitimate sporting, collecting, or work-related reasons for ownership. Since 1968, self-defence has not been considered a valid reason to own a firearm.[46] The current licensing procedure involves: positive verification of identity, two referees of verifiable good character who have known the applicant for at least two years (and who may themselves be interviewed and/or investigated as part of the certification), approval of the application by the applicant's own family doctor, an inspection of the premises and cabinet where firearms will be kept and a face-to-face interview by a Firearms Enquiry Officer (FEO) also known as a Firearms Liaison Officer (FLO). A thorough background check of the applicant is then made by Special Branch on behalf of the firearms licensing department. Only when all these stages have been satisfactorily completed will a licence be issued, which must be renewed every 5 years.

text: Any person who has been sentenced to between three months and three years in prison is automatically prohibited from possessing firearms (including airguns) and ammunition for five years from release. A person who has been sentenced to more than three years is prohibited for life.[34] Application may be made to a court to reverse these prohibitions and this is likely to be successful in relation to convictions for crimes which do not relate to a person's fitness to possess firearms. Similarly, persons applying for licences with recent, serious mental health issues will also be refused a certificate.

text: Any person holding a Firearm or Shotgun Certificate must comply with strict conditions regarding such things as safe storage. These storage arrangements are checked by the police before a licence is first granted, and on every renewal of the licence.

text: In the case of a firearm certificate the issuing police force may impose additional conditions over and above the statutory ones. However any condition appended to a certificate must be reasonable and must not be of such a restrictive nature as would amount to a constructive refusal to grant the certificate by making use so unlikely as to be practically impossible. Failure to comply with any of these conditions can result in criminal prosecution resulting in a prison sentence of up to six months. Revocation of the certificate is also possible, depending upon the nature of the breach.

text: A visitors permit is available for possession of firearms without certificate by visitors to the UK.[47]

text: The penalty for possession of any type of firearm without a certificate is a maximum of 14 years in prison and an unlimited fine. The penalty for section 5 categories of firearm is subject to a mandatory minimum of five years.[48] (Although the sentencing judge has discretion to depart from the minimum sentence if there are "exceptional circumstances").[49]

text: The Violent Crime Reduction Act 2006 increased restrictions on the use, possession, sale and manufacture of both airguns and imitation firearms.[50]

text: Northern Ireland[edit]

text: More than 100,000 people in Northern Ireland own firearms, having 380,000 among them.[51] Gun control laws in Northern Ireland are less restrictive than gun laws in Great Britain due to the Good Friday Agreement, allowing Northern Ireland to govern itself and pass less restrictive laws. Gun laws in Northern Ireland are primarily affected by the Firearms (Northern Ireland) Order 2004. Under the new law, first-time buyers will be required to demonstrate they can be trusted with the firearm. It will be up to firearms dealers selling the products to tell new buyers, and those upgrading their firearms, about the safety procedures. Firearm possessors in Northern Ireland must not transport their firearms to Great Britain. All gun owners in Northern Ireland are required to apply for a Firearm Certificate to possess firearms. Permits are normally issued to anyone who has good reason to possess firearms, such as target shooting, hunting, and personal protection.[52] Northern Ireland is the only part of the United Kingdom where personal protection is accepted as a legitimate reason to obtain and own a firearm and is the only part of the United Kingdom or Ireland where handguns are permitted. Semi-automatic rifles are only permitted when chambered in .22 calibre (with certain exceptions). Handguns and Shotguns are permitted in any calibre. There is no limit on magazine capacity for rifles and handguns, and the magazine limit for shotguns is 2 rounds. Also, carrying a firearm in plain view in a public place is allowed without a permit. Open carry of handguns is not common. However, in the countryside, people will often open carry loaded rifles and shotguns.[51] A firearm certificate for a personal protection weapon will only be authorised where the Police Service of Northern Ireland deems there is a ‘verifiable specific risk’ to the life of an individual and that the possession of a firearm is a reasonable, proportionate and necessary measure to protect their life.[53] Permits for personal protection also allow the holder to carry their firearms concealed. They may also allow the holder to possess fully automatic weapons and center fire semi-automatics in some instances.

text: Scotland[edit]

text: This section has been nominated to be checked for its neutrality. Discussion of this nomination can be found on the talk page. (October 2015) (Learn how and when to remove this template message)

tag: table

text: Gun laws in Scotland differ in some details from those in the rest of the UK. However, in terms of licensing they are, currently, identical to the rest of Great Britain. A firearms certificate is required to purchase firearms,[54] and a separate shotgun certificate is required for shotguns.[55] The guiding laws for firearms in Scotland are the Firearms (Scotland) Rules 1989 and the Firearms Act (1968). All handguns, semi-automatic and pump-action non-rim-fire rifles are prohibited. A few pistols are licensed on a Firearm Certificate for exactly the same reasons as the rest of Great Britain. There are only 566 licensed handgun owners in Scotland.[56]

text: Air weapon licensing[edit]

text: In 2006, Glasgow politician Tommy Sheridan of the political party Solidarity launched a consultation to restrict possession of air guns, highlighting recent cases including the death of toddler Andrew Morton but the Scottish Parliament did not have the power to ban airguns at the time so any measures would have needed to be formally approved by Westminster.[57] Around this time, the media gave some exposure to growing public desire to have air guns banned or regulated, particularly from the parents of a child that died after being struck in the head by a pellet in Easterhouse,[58] a suburb of east Glasgow.[59] The child was said to have had a skull only two millimetres thick at the point of impact.[60]

text: MSPs such as Kenny Macaskill have claimed Scotland has a problem with air gun violence. However official figures show that out of the estimated 500,000 airguns in Scotland there were only 195 offences a ratio of less than 0.04%. Not all of these offences have been linked to violence with many being minor.[61]

text: The Commission on Scottish Devolution when implemented gave the Scottish Parliament powers to regulate air guns. On 14 December 2012, a consultation was launched to investigate proposals for licensing air weapons in Scotland. The Scottish Cabinet Secretary for Justice foreword in the consultation paper (titled Proposals for Licensing Air Weapons in Scotland[62]) stated that the regional government "[does] not intend to ban air weapons outright, but [does] not think that it is appropriate in our modern Scotland that there can be up to half a million unregistered, uncontrolled and often forgotten firearms (however, air weapons are not considered 'firearms' under the law [49] ) in circulation". It stated an aim to "ensure that only those people with a legitimate reason for owning and using an airgun should have access to them in the future, and that they are properly licensed and accounted for". In 2011/12 there were 195 offences involving air weapons in Scotland, compared to 3,554 in England & Wales.[63] The consultation closed in March 2013 with 1,101 responses, 87% of which were opposed to the principle of licensing air weapons.[64]

text: In July 2013, Shooting UK reported that a petition against the introduction of air weapon licensing in Scotland had so far gained 14,193 signatures. Petition founder Dave Ewing - who was due to appear before the Scottish Parliament's Public Petitions Committee in September - was reported as being pleased with the response to date, but that, "it is very important for people to continue signing and showing support, as the shooting community must pull together to defend our rights... Every single law-abiding person that is deterred from shooting due to overly restrictive laws or unfair financial hurdles weakens [the shooting] community." BASC and the Scottish Gamekeepers' Association (SGA) is also supporting the petition, with the SGA's George Macdonald saying: "Responsible people object to having legislation forced upon them where there is no demonstrable need. The statistics for misuse of an airgun are very low."[65]

text: As of 31st December 2016, it is a requirement to hold an airgun certificate in Scotland to possess a sub 12ft/lb air rifle or sub 6ft/lb air pistol. There are some exceptions for current FAC and SGC holders in that they may hold an air rifle on their current certificate and apply to add it/them when next renewing their FAC or SGC.[66]

text: Gun control legislation in the United Kingdom[edit]

text: Many laws and amendments governing possession and use of firearms have been enacted over the years; see Firearms Act#United Kingdom for a more complete list.

text: Following the assassination of William of Orange in 1584 with a concealed wheellock pistol, Queen Elizabeth I, fearing assassination by Roman Catholics, banned possession of wheellock pistols near a royal palace in 1594.[67] There were growing concerns in the 16th century over the use of guns and crossbows. Four acts were imposed to restrict their use.[68]

text: The Bill of Rights restated the ancient rights of the people to bear arms by reinstating the right of Protestants to have arms after they had been illegally disarmed by James II. It follows closely the Declaration of Rights made in Parliament in February 1689.[69] The Bill of Rights text declares that "That the Subjects which are Protestants may have Arms for their Defence suitable to their Conditions and as allowed by Law".[70]

text: "Whereas the late King James the Second, by the Assistance of divers evil Counsellors, Judges, and Ministers, employed by Him, did endeavour to subvert and extirpate the Protestant Religion, and the Laws and Liberties of this Kingdom..(b)y assuming and exercising a Power of dispensing with and suspending of Laws, and the Execution of Laws, without Consent of Parliament....(b)y causing several good Subjects, being Protestants, to be disarmed, at the same Time when Papists were both armed and employed contrary to Law...(a)ll which are utterly and directly contrary to the known Laws and Statutes and Freedom of this Realm..... the said Lords Spiritual and Temporal and Commons, pursuant to their respective Letters and Elections, being now assembled in a full and free Representative of this Nation, taking into their most serious Consideration the best Means for attaining the Ends aforesaid, do in the First Place (as their Ancestors in like Case have usually done), for the vindicating and asserting their ancient Rights and Liberties, Declare,....That the Subjects which are Protestants may have Arms for their Defence, suitable to their Condition, and as allowed by Law.

text: The rights of English subjects and, after 1707, British subjects, to possess arms was recognised under English common law. Sir William Blackstone's Commentaries on the Laws of England, were highly influential and were used as a reference and text book for English Common Law. In his Commentaries, Blackstone described the right to arms.[71]

text: The fifth and last auxiliary right of the subject, that I shall at present mention, is that of having arms for their defence, suitable to their condition and degree, and such as are allowed by law. Which is also declared by the same statute I W. & M. st.2. c.2. and is indeed a public allowance, under due restrictions, of the natural right of resistance and self-preservation, when the sanctions of society and laws are found insufficient to restrain the violence of oppression.

text: Formerly, this same British common law applied to the UK and Australia, and until 1791 to the colonies in North America that became the United States. The right to keep and bear arms had originated in England during the reign of Henry II with the 1181 Assize of Arms, and developed as part of common law.

text: After the Jacobite rebellions of 1715 and 1745, harsh laws providing, amongst other things, for disarming the Highlands of Scotland, were enacted by the Parliament of Great Britain: the Disarming Acts of 1716 and 1725, and the Act of Proscription 1746.

text: The first British firearm controls were introduced as part of the Vagrancy Act 1824, which was set up in a reaction against the large number of people roaming the country with weapons brought back from the Napoleonic wars. It allowed the police to arrest "any person with any gun, pistol, hanger [dagger], cutlass, bludgeon or other offensive weapon... with intent to commit a felonious act". It was followed by the Night Poaching Act 1828 and Night Poaching Act 1844, the Game Act 1831, and the Poaching Prevention Act 1862, which made it an offence to shoot game illegally by using a firearm.

text: The Gun Licence Act 1870 was created to raise revenue. It required a person to obtain a licence to carry a gun outside his own property for any reason. A licence was not required to buy a gun. The licences cost 10 shillings (equivalent to about £31 in 2005), lasted one year and could be bought over the counter at Post Offices.

text: Pistols Act 1903[edit]

text: The Pistols Act 1903 was the first to place restrictions on the sale of firearms. Titled "An Act to regulate the sale and use of Pistols or other Firearms", it was short, with just nine sections, and applied solely to pistols. It defined a pistol as a firearm whose barrel did not exceed 9 in (230 mm) in length and made it illegal to sell or rent a pistol to anyone who could not produce a current gun licence or game licence, were exempt from the Gun Licence Act, could prove that they planned to use the pistol on their own property, or had a statement signed by a police officer of Inspector's rank or above or a Justice of the Peace to the effect that they were about to go abroad for six months or more. The Act was more or less ineffective, as anyone wishing to buy a pistol commercially merely had to purchase a licence on demand over the counter from a Post Office before doing so. In addition, it did not regulate private sales of such firearms.

text: The legislators laid some emphasis on the dangers of pistols in the hands of children and drunkards and made specific provisions regarding sales to these two groups: persons under 18 could be fined 40 shillings if they bought, hired, or carried a pistol, while anyone who sold a pistol to such a person could be fined £5. Anyone who sold a pistol to someone who was "intoxicated or of unsound mind" was liable to a fine of £25 or 3 months' imprisonment with hard labour. However, it was not an offence under the Act to give or lend a pistol to anyone belonging to the two groups.[72]

text: Firearms Act 1920[edit]

text: The Firearms Act 1920 was partly spurred by fears of a possible surge in crime from the large number of firearms available following World War I and also fears of working-class unrest in this period. "An Act to amend the law relating to firearms and other weapons and ammunition", its main stated aim was to enable the government to control the overseas arms trade and so fulfill its commitment to the 1919 Paris Arms Convention.[73] The ongoing Anglo-Irish War may also have been a factor, as Britain and Ireland were at that time still in union with each other at the time, and the Act also applied to Ireland. It required anyone wanting to purchase or possess a firearm or ammunition to obtain a firearm certificate. The certificate, which lasted for three years, specified not only the firearm but also the amount of ammunition the holder could buy or possess. Local chief constables decided who could obtain a certificate and had the power to exclude anyone of "intemperate habits" or "unsound mind", or anyone considered "...for any reason unfitted to be trusted with firearms". Applicants for certificates also had to convince the police that they had a good reason for needing a certificate. The law did not affect smooth-bore guns, which were available for purchase without any form of paperwork. The penalty for violating the Act was a fine of up to £50 or "imprisonment with or without hard labour for a term not exceeding three months", or both.[74]

text: The right of individuals to bear arms had previously been, in the words of the 1689 Bill of Rights, "as allowed by law". The 1920 Act made this right conditional upon the Home Secretary and the police. A series of classified Home Office directives defined for the benefit of chief constables what constituted good reason to grant a certificate. They originally included self-defence.[74]

text: As the 1920 Act did not prevent criminals from obtaining firearms illegally, in 1933 the Firearms and Imitation Firearms (Criminal Use) Bill was submitted to Parliament. It increased the punishment for the use of a gun in the commission of a crime and made it an offence punishable by up to 14 years' imprisonment for anyone to "attempt to make use" of any firearm or imitation firearm to resist arrest. Possession of a real or imitation firearm was also made an offence unless the possessor could show he had it for "a lawful object".[75]

text: Firearms Act 1937[edit]

text: The Firearms Act 1937 incorporated various modifications to the 1920 Act based on the recommendations of a 1934 committee chaired by Sir Archibald Bodkin. The resulting legislation raised the minimum age for buying a firearm or airgun from 14 to 17, extended controls to shotguns and other smooth-bore weapons with barrels shorter than 20 in (510 mm) (later raised by the Firearms Act 1968 to 24 in (610 mm), transferred certificates for machine guns to military oversight, regulated gun dealers, and granted chief constables the power to add conditions to individual Firearms Certificates.[76]

text: The same year, the Home Secretary ruled that self-defence was no longer a suitable reason for applying for a firearm certificate and directed police to refuse such applications on the grounds that "firearms cannot be regarded as a suitable means of protection and may be a source of danger".[77]

text: Firearms Act 1968[edit]

text: The Firearms Act 1968 brought together all existing firearms legislation in a single statute. Disregarding minor changes, it formed the legal basis for British firearms control policy until the Firearms (Amendment) Act 1988 was put through Parliament in the aftermath of the 1987 Hungerford massacre. For the first time, it introduced controls for long-barrelled shotguns, in the form of Shotgun Certificates that, like Firearm Certificates, were issued by an area's chief constable in England, Scotland, and Wales. While applicants for Firearms Certificates had to show a good reason for possessing the firearm or ammunition, it did not apply to Shotgun Certificates. Firearms had to be locked up, with ammunition stored and locked in a different cabinet. This was introduced after the 1973 Green Paper, which advocated more controls on firearms.

text: The Act also prohibited the possession of firearms or ammunition by criminals who had been sentenced to imprisonment; those sentenced to three months to three years imprisonment were banned from possessing firearms or ammunition for five years, while those sentenced to longer terms were banned for life. However, an application could be made to have the prohibition removed.[78]

text: The Act was accompanied by an amnesty; many older weapons were handed into the police. It has remained a feature of British policing that from time-to-time a brief firearms amnesty is declared.[79]

text: The Firearms (Amendment) Act 1988[edit]

text: In the aftermath of the Hungerford massacre, Parliament passed the Firearms (Amendment) Act 1988.[80] This confined semi-automatic and pump-action centre-fire rifles, military weapons firing explosive ammunition, short shotguns that had magazines, and elevated both pump-action and self-loading rifles to the Prohibited category.[81] Registration and secure storage of shotguns held on Shotgun Certificates became required, and shotguns with more than a 2+1 capacity came to need a Firearm Certificate. The law also introduced new restrictions on shotguns. Rifles in .22 rimfire and semi-automatic pistols were unaffected.

text: 1997 Firearms (Amendment) Acts[edit]

text: Following the Dunblane massacre, the government passed the Firearms (Amendment) Act 1997 and the Firearms (Amendment) (No. 2) Act 1997, defining "short firearms" as Section 5 Prohibited Weapons, which effectively banned private possession of handguns almost completely. Exceptions to the ban include muzzle-loading guns, pistols of historic interest (such as pistols used in notable crimes, rare prototypes, unusual serial numbers, guns forming part of a collection), guns used for starting sporting events, signal pistols, pistols that are of particular aesthetic interest (such as engraved or jewelled guns) and shot pistols for pest control. Under certain circumstances, individuals may be issued a PPW (Personal Protection Weapon) licence. Even the UK's Olympic shooters fell under this ban; shooters could only train in Northern Ireland, the Channel Islands, the Isle of Man, or outside the UK (in Switzerland, in practice).[82] Prior to the 2012 London Olympics, British Shooting negotiated an agreement with the Home Office to issue Section 5 Permits to a limited number of nominated elite athletes, allowing them to keep pistols and train on the UK Mainland at nominated "Section 5 Ranges". This agreement was renewed following the Olympics and Section 5 Permits remain on issue for eligible members of the GB Squad.

text: 162,000 pistols and 700 tons of ammunition and related equipment were handed in by an estimated 57,000 people - 0.1% of the population, or 1 in every 960 persons.[83] At the time, the renewal cycle for FACs was five years, meaning that it would take six years for the full reduction of valid certificates for both large-calibre and .22 handguns bans (because certificates remained valid even if the holder had disposed of all their firearms). On 31 December 1996, prior to the large-calibre handgun ban, there were 133,600 FACs on issue in England and Wales; by 31 December 1997 it had fallen to 131,900. The following year, after the .22 handgun ban, the number stood at 131,900. On 31 December 2001, five years after the large calibre ban, the number had fallen to 119,600 and 117,700 the following year.[44] This represents a net drop of 24,200 certificates. Comparable figures for Scotland show a net drop of 5,841 from 32,053 to 26,212 certificates,[84] making a GB total net drop of 30,041. However, while the number of certificates in England and Wales rose each year after 2002 to stand at 126,400 at 31 March 2005 (due to a change in reporting period), those in Scotland remained relatively static, standing at 26,538 at 31 December 2005.

text: Violent Crime Reduction Act 2006[edit]

text: This act mainly impacted upon firearms legislation by creating minimum sentences for some firearms offences[85], regulating the sale of primers and provisions relating to imitation firearms[86]. From 6 April 2007 the sale and transfer of new "air weapons" by mail order ("by way of trade or business") became an offence (they may still be purchased in person), as well as the sale of primers, and realistic imitation firearms (RIFs). The only exceptions are for the purposes of military and historical reenactment, media & theatre production, paintballing and Airsoft as a sport. This has affected Airsoft in the UK by restricting the sale, import and purchase of airsoft replicas to individuals entitled to a specific defence, e.g. members of an organised airsoft site holding permitted activities with third-party liability insurance cover or re-enactors.

text: The 2012 Olympics[edit]

text: Following the awarding of the 2012 Olympic Games to London, the government announced that special dispensation would be granted to allow the various shooting events to be held, as had been the case previously for the 2002 Commonwealth Games. Further dispensations allowed foreign participants in shooting events to train in the UK, even though it remained illegal for native pistol shooters to train in England, Scotland or Wales.[87]

text: Controversially, shooting events for the Games were held at a temporary facilities at the Royal Artillery Barracks in Woolwich, with the cost of £42 million including their subsequent demolition. Shooting sports bodies and some politicians argued that the money would have been better spent on the lasting legacy that would be gained by refurbishing and upgrading permanent facilities at the National Shooting Centre at Bisley, which would have cost a maximum of £30 million.[88][89][90]

text: Firearms crime[edit]

text: A Home Office study published in 2007 reported that gun crime in England and Wales remained a relatively rare event. Firearms (including air guns) were used in 21,521 recorded crimes. It said that injury caused during a firearm offence was rare, with fewer than 3% of offences resulting in a serious or fatal injury.[91]

text: In the year Apr 2015 to Mar 2016 there were 8,399 recorded offences involving firearms, broken down as follows.[92][93]

text: By weapon type:

text:
Long-barrelled shotgun = 261
Sawn-off shotgun = 150
Handgun = 2,157
Rifle = 48
Imitation firearm = 1,431
Unidentified firearm = 666
Other firearm = 469
Air weapons = 3,217

text: Only those items proven to be "imitations" (which includes BB/soft air types) or air weapons are classed as such, otherwise they are placed by default in the main "live" categories, e.g. an imitation pistol not proven to be such would be counted as a live "handgun." "Other firearm" includes CS gas (65 crimes), pepper spray (72), and stun guns (200).

text: By crime type:

text: Violence against the person:

text:
Homicide = 27
Attempted murder/GBH with intent = 579
Other = 1,655
Robbery = 1,551

text:
Burglary = 113
Criminal damage = 2,449 (2,162 of which involved air weapons)
Other = 2025

text: The long-term trend in the use of firearms in crime in England & Wales show consistent falls between 2003/04 and 2013/14 for both non-air weapons and air weapons, with a slight rise between 2014/15 and 2015/16:

text:
Year
Non-air weapons
Air weapons
Total

1992
7,243
6,098
13,341

1993
7,730
6,337
14,067

1994
6,002
7,165
13,167

1995
5,866
7,568
13,434

1996
6,063
7,813
13,876

1997
4,904
7,506
12,410

1997/98
4,904
7,506
12,410

1998/99
5,209
8,665
13,874

1999/00
6,843
10,103
16,946

2000/01
7,471
10,227
17,698

2001/02
10,024
12,377
22,401

2002/03
10,248
13,822
24,070

2003/04
10,338
13,756
24,094

2004/05
11,069
11,824
22,893

2005/06
11,088
10,438
21,526

2006/07
9,645
8,836
18,481

2007/08
9,865
7,478
17,343

2008/09
8,199
6,041
14,240

2009/10
8,082
4,931
13,013

2010/11
7,040
4,295
11,335

2011/12
6,022
3,510
9,532

2012/13
5,158
2,977
8,135

2013/14
4,856
2,872
7,729

2014/15
4,911
2,954
7,865

2015/16
5,182
3,217
8,399

text: The number of fatal firearms injuries in England & Wales by year is:

text:
Year
Fatal firearm injuries

1998/99
49

1999/00
62

2000/01
72[94]

2001/02
96

2002/03
80

2003/04
68

2004/05
76

2005/06
49

2006/07
56

2007/08
53

2008/09
39

2009/10
39

2010/11
58[95]

2011/12
42[96]

2012/13
30

2013/14
29[97]

2014/15
19

2015/16
26[93]

text: Spree killings and mass shootings[edit]

text: Britain has had three spree killings or mass shootings since 1980. The Hungerford massacre of 1987, the Dunblane school massacre of 1996, and the Cumbria shootings of 2010. After Hungerford and Dunblane, firearms legislation was amended, tightening firearms restrictions in the United Kingdom. The United Kingdom Gun legislation has been described by The Huffington Post as 'one of the toughest regimes in the world'.[98] After Hungerford, the Firearms (Amendment) Act 1988 criminalised most semi-automatic long-barrelled weapons; it was generally supported by the Labour opposition although some Labour backbenchers thought it inadequate.[99] After the second incident, the Firearms (Amendment) Act 1997 criminalised private possession of most handguns having a calibre over .22; the Snowdrop Campaign continued to press for a wider ban, and in 1997 the incoming Labour government introduced the Firearms (Amendment) (No. 2) Act was passed. This extended this to most handguns with a calibre of .22, excepting antique handguns and black-powder revolvers.

text: Hungerford massacre[edit]

text: On 19 August 1987, 27-year-old Michael Ryan, armed with two semi-automatic rifles (a Type 56 sporter, and an M1 carbine), and a Beretta 92 pistol, dressed in combat fatigues and proceeded around the town of Hungerford killing 16 people, wounding fifteen and shooting himself, in what became known as the Hungerford massacre. Ryan's collection of weapons had been legally licensed, according to the Hungerford Report.

text: Dunblane massacre[edit]

text: On 13 March 1996, Thomas Hamilton, a 43-year-old former scout leader who had been ousted by The Scout Association in 1974, shot dead sixteen young children and their teacher, Gweneth Mayor, in Dunblane Primary School's gymnasium with two Browning Hi-Power 9×19mm pistols and two Smith & Wesson .357 Magnum revolvers. He then shot himself.[100] The four handguns used in the attack were legally owned.[100] There is a memorial to the seventeen victims in the local cemetery and a cenotaph in the cathedral. The funds raised in the aftermath of the tragedy have been used to build a new community centre for the town.

text: Personnel of the Police Firearms Licensing Office were unaware of Hamilton's expulsion by the Scout Association, nor were they aware of allegations made against him regarding unsavoury behaviour on a number of boy's summer camps he had organised, allegations that would have exposed his poor character. The tragedy led to improvements in inter-departmental sharing of Police Intelligence and deeper background checks of firearm certificate applicants.

text: After the incident, legislation was introduced in 1997 to prohibit, with some extremely specialised exemptions, "Small firearms" with a barrel length of less than 30 cm (12 in) or an overall length of less than 60 cm (24 in).

text: Cumbria shootings[edit]

text: On 2 June 2010, Derrick Bird, a 52-year-old taxi driver, shot and killed 12 people and injured 11 others while driving through Cumbria. He then shot himself. Bird was a licensed firearms holder; his weapons were a 12 gauge double-barrelled shotgun and CZ 452-2E ZKM .22-calibre bolt-action rifle.[101]