Ban the sale of catapults to under 18s, campaigners tell BBC

Campaigners want to ban the sale of catapults to under 18s, as young people are inflicting wildlife, animals and people with devastating injuries.

Wildlife charities, including Naturewatch Foundation, want the government to take action after witnessing attacks by young people which had been filmed and shared online.

Farmer Lou Carpenter said: "We've got to stop these children having these lethal weapons before they start killing people."

In the UK catapults are not illegal to own or carry in public with the government saying it is keeping all relevant legislation under review.

Jim Clark, wildlife crime campaigner at Naturewatch Foundation, said: "The government should treat powerful catapults as the dangerous weapons they can be, not just harmless toys.

"We need a ban on sales to those under 18, with clear restrictions on carrying them in public, and tougher penalties when they're used to harm animals or damage property."

In the UK catapults are not illegal to own or carry in public because they have legitimate legal uses, including by anglers who use catapults to fire their bait whilst fishing.

But if used to harm people, animals or property, their use could be illegal under existing laws.

One man, who is now too afraid to leave home following a catapult attack, spoke to the BBC anonymously because he fears revenge attacks.

He said he was shot in the back with a catapult after being taunted about his disability by a group of young people.

"I stood up for myself. Three of them attacked me," he said.

The man, in his 30s, was injured after being hit with a ball bearing, a small metal projectile fired by catapults.

His injury could have been a lot worse had he not turned away in time, he said.

"He could have killed me with it," he said.

"It was like being hit with a brick."

He says he wants to see tighter regulations around who can own a catapult.

Lou Carpenter, who owns ancient woodland that provides a habitat for rare birds, told the BBC that catapults were being used to poach, and the problem was getting worse.

"I've had them here, armed to the teeth with catapults, and I see it as my job to see them off because I don't want them here," she said.

Many of the perpetrators were young, she added.

"We've got to stop these children having these lethal weapons before they start killing people," she said.

Tim Passmore, chair of the National Rural Crime Network, which represents countryside campaigners and police and crime commissioners, said: "Currently police officers have to have evidence of the carrier's unlawful intention in order to seize the catapult.

"We believe the law should be changed to put the onus on the carrier to prove they have a good reason to carry a catapult."

But the group says it does not support calls from some wildlife campaigners for a complete ban on carrying them in public places.

Jonas Osher, consultant maxillofacial surgeon at King's College London, said he had treated injuries inflicted by catapults.

"When you see a young lad in his teens who's lost his vision, it's going to really affect the rest of his life and that's really sad.

"Theoretically, a low velocity projectile, if you're unlucky, could hit you in the thinnest parts of your skull, the temple, and cause bleeding of an artery that runs under the bone there and could cause a brain haemorrhage."

Dr Chris Shepherd, an expert in ballistic wounds who has been running tests in an experimental ballistics facility at the University of Kent, said catapults could be lethal.

"A direct impact with bone can cause really significant puncture type wounds, absolutely they are deadly weapons," he said.

Weald of Kent farmer Phil Tassell says a growing number of his animals have been attacked.

There was a considerable financial cost to the crime, he said.

He says he has lost 12 sheep in 18 months, and his vehicles had also been targeted.

"We found ball bearings of varying sizes in varying animals.

"It makes you feel sick to the stomach."

Wildlife campaigner Rae Gellel, founder of Greenwich Wildlife Network, has rescued many birds injured with catapults in south-east London.

"The injuries inflicted are horrific," she said.

"They are causing tremendous suffering that is prolonged over days, sometimes weeks. There seems to be a real pleasure being taken in causing pain."

Catapult crimes are not included in official statistics, so BBC Verify sent Freedom of Information requests to police forces in England and Wales, asking for crime records which mentioned the words "catapult" or "slingshot".

According to responses from 37 out of 43 forces, about 7,200 crime records from the five years to the end of 2024 mentioned the words.

Some forces, including the Metropolitan Police Service and Greater Manchester Police, were unable to answer, therefore the total number of crime logs mentioning the objects is likely to be higher.

Use of the words "catapult" and "slingshot" in crime logs do not conclusively show catapults were used – as the words may have been used in a different context.

Kent Police has written a letter to schools about the problem after receiving an average of 14 reports of catapult use per day.

Sgt Darren Wilshaw said groups of youths were posting videos of catapult attacks on animals on social media.

"If you were struck by a ball bearing fired from a catapult, and that struck you in the head, something like that is potentially going to be lethal," he said.

Social media companies say they do not allow animal abuse, cruelty, neglect, or other forms of animal exploitation and remove content that causes distress or harm to animals.

Some campaigners have been lobbying for a ban on the carrying of catapults in public.

"It's basically to stop people being allowed to carry them in public," said Danni Rogers, a volunteer at Shepperton Swan Sanctuary who has rescued injured birds.

"Put an age restriction on them," he said.

However, the Angling Trust says there is a considerable difference between the catapults they use for propelling fishing bait and sling shots designed to cause injury.

Dartford MP Jim Dickson also wants greater measures to prevent catapult crime.

"I am pressing government for action, including new powers for the police to stop anyone under 18 carrying a catapult without good reason and to confiscate it," he said.

"I would certainly support a ban on sales to under 18s," he added.

The Home Office says existing legislation provides the correct balance between protecting the public from the relatively small number of individuals who misuse catapults, while also allowing the public to enjoy legitimate pastimes.