The government is set to ban the sale of crossbows and hunting arrows, alongside introducing a new licensing requirement for existing owners, following a series of violent attacks.
The Home Office confirmed the proposals, which aim to tighten regulations around the potentially lethal weapons.
This move comes in the wake of the horrific murders of BBC racing commentator John Hunt’s wife and two daughters in July 2024.
Kyle Clifford, 26, received a whole-life order for killing Louise Hunt, 25, her sister Hannah Hunt, 28, and their mother Carol Hunt, 61, in a crossbow and knife attack at their home in Bushey, Hertfordshire.
Currently, there is no registration system for crossbow ownership, nor is a licence required, despite their ready availability for purchase online.
While it is illegal for children to buy or own one, and carrying a crossbow in public without a valid reason can lead to a four-year prison sentence, the lack of broader controls has been a significant concern.
The government had previously vowed to strengthen rules, launching a consultation that revealed widespread public apprehension regarding the ease with which crossbows could be acquired. The new plans seek to address these critical safety gaps.
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In a consultation response, published on Thursday, the Home Office said: “The Government is concerned how easily these weapons can currently be purchased and the use of these weapons in the murders in Bushey on 9 July 2024, and the attacks by crossbow in Headingley on 26 April 2025, and in other cases where crossbows have been used to commit murders and other serious criminal offences, have highlighted that further controls on crossbows are required.
“The Government will, therefore, introduce further restrictions on crossbows through introducing a licensing scheme for existing crossbow owners, and we will consult on the details of the licensing scheme.
“In addition, the Government will also prohibit the sale of crossbows.
“We will consult on how best such a ban might be achieved, and will set out more detail in the consultation, but we would anticipate that existing crossbow owners will be able to keep their crossbow provided they apply for a licence and pass the necessary suitability checks that a licensing scheme would require.
“We also plan to prohibit broadhead arrows.”
Killings with a crossbow are typically rare but there has been a string of incidents in recent years.
The review of the rules was ordered after 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 2021 with a loaded crossbow to kill the late Queen.
The 21-year-old was jailed for nine years in 2023 and handed 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 the law since her partner Shane Gilmer was killed in a crossbow attack in 2018, said she was “relieved and grateful” about the announcement and that she hoped the new rules will be known as “Shane’s Law”.
Mr Gilmer, 30, died after his next-door neighbour broke into his house in the village of Southburn, East Yorkshire, and shot both him and Ms Sugden, leaving her seriously injured.
Ms Sugden said on Thursday: “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.”
She added: “To know that we have been instrumental in securing this change means a great deal.
“We firmly believe any new legislation should be formally known as Shane’s Law in his memory.
“If this ban prevents even one family from going through what we have endured, then Shane’s legacy will be one of protection and change.”
In October last year the public inquiry into the Southport attack heard killer Axel Rudakubana contacted two archery retailers when he was 15 asking if they could deliver crossbows in “discreet” packaging. This came two years before he carried out the mass stabbing, murdering Bebe King, six, Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, and Alice da Silva Aguiar, nine, at the 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.
A domestic homicide review found the Metropolitan Police missed opportunities to protect Sana Muhammad from her ex-husband Ramanodge Unmathallegadoo in the years before he killed her with a crossbow while she was eight months pregnant.
A Government spokesman said tougher rules were being introduced “so we can prevent serious harm before it happens”.
But it is unclear when the changes will come into force.
“Crossbows are powerful and deadly weapons, and recent tragedies have shown the devastating harm they can inflict when they are misused.
“Our priority is keeping people safe”, he added.
