Crossbows to be banned after series of violent attacks

The selling of crossbows and hunting arrows will be banned under government plans following a series of violent attacks.

The Home Office said existing crossbow owners will also need a licence.

It follows the death of BBC racing commentator John Hunt's wife and two of his daughters, who were murdered in a crossbow and knife attack at their family home in July 2024.

Kyle Clifford, 26, is serving a whole-life order after killing his ex-partner Louise Hunt, 25, her sister Hannah Hunt, 28, and their mother Carol Hunt, 61, in a quiet cul-de-sac in Bushey, Hertfordshire.

Read more:
Teenage boy dies after blaze in flat next to London fire station
Family pays tribute to 'kindest' girl after car crashes into river

Currently, there is no registration system for owning a crossbow, which Sky News found to be readily available to buy online, and no requirement for a licence.

But it is illegal for children to buy or own one, and anyone carrying a crossbow in public without a reasonable excuse can face up to four years in jail.

The government, which has promised to tighten rules, has launched a consultation on the plans.

Many responses expressed concerns about how easy it was to obtain one, officials said.

The review was ordered following an attempt to kill the late Queen with the weapon.

Would-be assassin Jaswant Singh Chail was encouraged by an AI chatbot to break into Windsor Castle on Christmas Day in 2021 with a loaded crossbow.

Chail, then 21, was jailed for nine years in 2023 and given a further five years on extended licence after admitting treason, making a threat to kill the then Queen and having a loaded crossbow.

Laura Sugden, who has campaigned for a change in law since her partner, Shane Gilmer, was killed in a crossbow attack in 2018, said she was "relieved and grateful" at the announcement to ban the weapons.

Mr Gilmer, 30, died after his next-door neighbour broke into his home in Southburn, East Yorkshire, and shot him and Ms Sugden, who was left injured.

'A system that failed to recognise the risks'

She said: "We are relieved and grateful to see that there will be new controls introduced and see that the government is committed to banning the sale of crossbows as well as licensing those in existence.

"For years, we have argued that it was far too easy for people to obtain these lethal weapons.

"Shane lost his life because of a system that failed to recognise the risks."

In October last year, a public inquiry into the Southport attack heard how killer Axel Rudakubana had contacted two archery retailers when he was 15, asking if they could deliver crossbows in "discreet" packaging, two years before his mass stabbing at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class.

Convicted stalker Bryce Hodgson was shot dead by police after he broke into a London home, armed with weapons including a crossbow, in 2024.

(c) Sky News 2026: Crossbows to be banned after series of violent attacks