The mum of a six-year-old boy killed with an air rifle has said a mass-shooting in Plymouth is further evidence the UK needs tighter weaponry licencing laws.
Jenny Dees has spoken out in the wake of news that gunman Jake Davison had had his firearms licence revoked amid an assault claim and then returned to him.
Davison went on to kill five people with the pump-action shotgun, including his own mother and a three-year-old girl in the Keyham area of Plymouth.
Stanley Metcalf, six, was killed in July 2018. He was "accidentally" shot with a modified air rifle at a family gathering in East Yorkshire by his great-granddad Albert Grannon and later died in hospital.
The rifle was classed as illegal, due to it being modified.
Grannon was released from prison earlier this year after being sentenced for manslaughter.
Jenny says the licencing laws around rifles are so relaxed, her grandfather could have gone and bought another the day he was released and then modify it, making it more dangerous and illegal, without telling anyone.
Currently any rifle over 12ft.lb - a measurement based on the power of the rifle - must be licensed, but any below that are under no obligation to be.
There is also no way for sellers to check if a person has been banned from keeping an air rifle.
Jenny has been campaigning for two years and following a meeting with the Home Secretary Priti Patel last year, a public consultation to seek views on firearms safety issues was launched.
She has also worked with Laura Sugden, whose partner Shane Gilmer was killed with a crossbow by Anthony Lawrence in 2018.
Lawrence already had criminal convictions on his record but was able to buy the crossbow due to no background checks being made when the weapons are acquired.
In a report to Priti Patel, Professor Paul Marks, the coroner who presided over Shane's inquest, urged the Home Secretary to review the existing legislation surrounding crossbows.
Jenny says a simple database and checks made by sellers of weapons could prevent incidents happening.
Davison's shotgun certificate and shotgun was taken away from him in December last year after an allegation of assault was made against him in September. The shotgun was returned to him in July this year.
It has also been reported that Davison's mum and victim, Maxine, had raised concerns about his mental health.
IOPC regional director David Ford said on Friday: "The investigation will also consider whether the force had any information concerning Mr Davison’s mental health and if so, if this information was appropriately considered."
Jenny has questioned the decision-making around firearms licences since the shooting.
She said: "It needs to be sorted. I've spoke with Priti Patel and she was supportive of my concerns and a consultation has been opened.
"Why can't we act now? It has been going on for so long and more lives are being lost and more families are being destroyed.
"People say we have the tightest licencing laws but there are loopholes."
In the UK, owners of firearms, shotguns and rifles have to hold a certificate for the weapon.
Permission to own, buy or acquire a firearm is granted to an individual who has been assessed by the licencing authority - the police - as not posing a threat to public safety and having good reason to own a firearm.
Organisations such as target shooting clubs, museums and firearms dealers must also apply for licences if they wish to possess or use firearms.
To decide whether a person is fit to own a firearm, the licencing authority conducts a number of checks which usually include interviews, visits to a person's property, criminal records, checks and references from friends.
The authority can also contact the applicant's GP.
Jenny said: "His licence was taken off him and given back - were there any well-being checks, any mental health checks? You can get a firearms licence but you have to give good reason, for example if you're a farmer.
"My grandfather could have got one by saying he used it to shoot vermin on his land and it would have been passed on that basis. It's not right."
She added that the shooting in Plymouth has brought "everything back" for her but has made her more passionate about campaigning for tighter licencing laws.
"It's devastating and it's made me wonder who does the checks and whether they were aware of his welfare. The people who are giving the licences out must have some knowledge of firearms.
"If the right laws and checks were in place, this could have been prevented. That's my main concern - there are not enough checks.
"With the technology these days, a database for licences could be created and sellers could use it to check. Of course there is the black market where people can buy them and we can't stop every single bit of crime but we can do our best to prevent it.
"I knew Stanley was not going to be the last person to die and this probably won't be the last incident either."
