An article from the Washington Post titled "Gun Laws Seen as Curbing Attacks", obviously yellow journalism targeted at getting the general public to back banning guns, states in the article:
"The number of crimes in which a handgun was used in England and Wales has risen from 299 in 1995 to 1,024 last year. Offenses committed with all types of firearms, including air guns, have also increased."
Talk about contradicting yourself. Looks to me like banning guns in England have made people easier targets to the criminals.