Weapon Component Misuse Oversight

Phase 2 should consider, in parallel with the government’s consultation where possible, a prohibition on the sale of crossbows, a licensing scheme similar to firearms, tighter controls on purchasing such as restricting sales to age‑verified in‑store transactions, and Trading Standards measures to prevent military‑style marketing.

The UK government should introduce legislation to place child rights impact assessments on a statutory footing in England. The Northern Ireland Executive should consider an equivalent provision.

Amazon should: 1. Improve its measures to prevent children from making purchases, including making the conditions of use and sale more prominent. 2. Improve the labelling on packaging of bladed articles so that the warning is more prominent. 3. Ensure drivers inform recipients whenever deliveries contain a bladed article (I recognise the closing statement on behalf of Amazon...

The Home Office should take immediate action to ensure that online knife retailers are complying with the Knives Act 1997, particularly regarding the marketing of knives, machetes, swords and similar bladed articles.

Phase 2 should consider whether conventional archery bows should be subject to age‑verification prior to sale, delivery restrictions including ID checks, mandatory labelling for deliveries, and industry or trading standards to prevent the use of military‑style imagery in marketing.

The Home Office’s ongoing review of the sale of castor beans should consider regulation of the number of castor beans that can be sold in a single transaction.

Phase 2 should consider further measures relating to knives/bladed items sales, including: 1. Restrictions on sharp‑tipped knives. 2. Prohibiting some online sales (such as machetes). 3. Strengthening online age‑verification and age verified delivery standards. 4. Mandatory reporting and information‑sharing about suspicious behaviour. 5. The risks surrounding importation of bladed items. 6. The risks surrounding multiple sub-contractors in a...

The Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis should consider an investigation, with input from the Crown Prosecution Service if appropriate, as to whether Ageo Wholesale UK Ltd committed criminal offences in relation to how it marketed knives/machetes or sold them without required age verification or labelling.

The Home Office should provide clear guidance to all UK retailers of archery bows and crossbows on identifying and reporting suspicious behaviour, including underage purchasers or those who appear to be interested in criminal use of the equipment, and should consider placing retailers under defined obligations to report material suspicions.