In a debate on Online Harms Legislation in the House of Commons Chamber on Thursday 13 February, Stephen asked Matt Warman, Minister for Digital and Broadband, about the problem of unlawful weapons being freely available to buy online.
Stephen – who last year sat on the Offensive Weapons Bill Committee – has taken a particular interest in the legislation to tackle online harms, and its potential role in regulating the sale of illegal weapons online.
Stephen said: “Last week, I asked the Minister if the new laws planned to tackle ‘online harms’ would block the ability of criminals to buy illegal weapons online. I was hoping his answer would be ‘Yes’. Unfortunately, it wasn’t. I shall keep a close eye on this. Online sales are a big source of the illegal weapons being used by gangs in the UK, and they need to be tackled.”