Gunfire Graffiti

As featured on BBC Radio, and in national and local newspapers. In this remarkable book, Matt Seiber examines the phenomenon of hidden gun crime in the UK. Emphasising the perils of unchecked gun use in public places, he also demonstrates how the police, authorities and media have sought to minimise or ignore the issue. Gunfire-graffiti is the author's term for wanton gunfire damage to roadside structures - traffic signs, notices, warning signs and similar targets. His investigations reveal that such shootings are not juvenile pranks, but a regular activity thought to be mainly the work of determined individuals unlawfully using firearms, shotguns, handguns and rifles, including lethal, high-velocity weapons. Stressing the threat to public safety and the dangers involved, Matt Seiber sets out to enquire 'Where, Who, When and Why?' - and given the criminality involved in such events and the malevolent nature of covert gun use asks 'How is it that gunfire damage is being deliberately overlooked by the authorities?' The author's concerns are backed by academic research and the views of a leading criminal psychologist. Indeed, Gunfire-Graffiti raises fundamental questions concerning the extent to which unlawful acquisition and use of firearms exist in the UK, the assumption being that the greater part of roadside gunfire damage is unlikely to be the work of unlicensed or other irresponsible gun users.