A review into the rules around crossbow ownership has been ordered by the home secretary following an incident at Windsor Castle on Christmas Day.
A spokesperson from the Home Office said the department is looking at how to ‘strengthen controls’ on the weapons.
‘Crossbows are subject to controls and legislation is in place to deal with those who use them as a weapon,’ they said.
‘At the home secretary’s request, we are considering options to strengthen controls on crossbows. Work on this has been ongoing throughout the year, and we keep all relevant laws under review to maintain public safety.’
The comments come after Jaswant Singh Chail, from Southampton, was arrested in the grounds of the castle in Berkshire on December 25.
Police were scrambled to the scene around 8.30am after the suspect is accused of using a rope ladder to scale a metal fence while armed with a crossbow.
The 19-year-old was detained under the Mental Health Act after being arrested on suspicion of breaching or trespassing a protected site and possession of an offensive weapon.
His dad, Jasbir Singh Chail, 57, earlier said: ‘Something’s gone horribly wrong with our son and we are trying to figure out what.
‘We’ve not had a chance to speak to him but are trying to get him the help he needs.
‘From our perspective, we are going through a difficult time. We are trying to resolve this issue and it’s not easy.’
Video footage also emerged on the social media network Snapchat showing a man armed with a crossbow, and wearing a mask and a black hoodie.
The person addressed the camera with a distorted voice, saying they wanted to ‘assassinate the Queen’ in a ‘revenge’ mission for the Amritsar massacre, known as the Jallianwala Bagh massacre, in 1919.
The Metropolitan Police said officers are continuing to investigate the video and what happened.
It is currently an offence for anyone under 18 to purchase or possess a crossbow, and for anyone to sell a crossbow to someone aged under 18.
They may be considered offensive weapons and cannot be carried in a public place without lawful authority or reasonable excuse.
Officials have been told to ‘incorporate any lessons’ from the incident into a review of crossbow laws which was ordered earlier this year, the Daily Telegraph reported.
Calls for tighter regulations around crossbows came after the death of Shane Gilmer, 30, in April this year and his inquest which followed.
Neighbour Anthony Lawrence broke into Mr Gilmer’s house in January 2018 and shot both him and his partner Laura Sugden, who survived the attack.
Coroner Professor Paul Marks, submitted a report to Priti Patel in May, which said he was concerned there is ‘no ongoing control, record or licensing requirement for [crossbows]’, unlike firearms.
Because of this, he said, ‘the police have no record of who owns crossbows, how they are stored [or] the number that are in circulation’.
The coroner called for a review of the Crossbows Act 1987 and the Offensive Weapons Act 2019, ‘with the intention of regulating the sale and possession of these lethal weapons’.
Princess Diana’s former bodyguard has also warned the ‘Queen’s safety is clearly under threat’ following what happened.
‘It’s often been thought that Windsor is particularly at risk to intruders due to the make-up of the estate and the severity of this event should really cause alarm bells to start ringing,’ Ken Wharfe told the Mirror.
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