Man who made homemade gun in shed is jailed
AMAN who built a homemade firearm in his shed was jailed for five years. The High Court in Glasgow heard that 41-year-old Ricky Taylor was curious and searched the internet to learn how to make the weapon.
Judge Lord Mulholland told Taylor: “You stupidly involved yourself in making a homemade gun.
“Thankfully your product did not fall into the wrong hands and there is no evidence that you made it to order.
“You said you learned how to do this on the internet and did it out of curiosity.”
Taylor was snared after a raid at his house in Royston, Glasgow on February 14 this year.
He told police: “Anything you find is mine anyway.”
Officers initially suspected drugs – but made a different find on searching the garden hut in the rear garden.
Prosecutor Leanne McQuillan told the High Court in Glasgow: “A detective saw lengths of steel pipe which appeared to have been modified into a homemade firearm in open view on a desk in a shed.”
A ballistic expert later concluded the piping was part of what was described as a “slam gun”. It is a term often used for “improvised firearms”. A host of other related items were discovered in the shed including a metal pole, a grinder and a soldering iron.
Miss McQuillan: “Taylor was interviewed and admitted ownership of the items recovered and to manufacturing the slam gun.”
The weapon is thought to be fired by two metal tubes – with a shotgun cartridge and other parts inside – being “slammed” together for it to be discharged.
The prosecutor added: “A slamgun is a general term used by ballistics experts to describe improvised firearms. They generally consist of two pieces of pipes of uneven diameter that fit inside each other.
“They can be extremely dangerous – as much to the user as to the target.”
Defence counsel George Gebbie, representing Taylor, said: “He accepts the stupidity of what happened here.”
Taylor, who has a previous conviction for assault admitted to the firearms charge.
He appeared in court via a video link from prison.
David Green, Procurator Fiscal for Homicide and Major Crime, said: “The manufacturing of guns is an extremely serious offence.”