A YOUNG schoolgirl, 13, thought she was going to die after being shot as she felt blood pouring from her face.
Amelia Palmer had been hanging out with her pals before the horror unfolded as she strolled down a path in Park End, Middlesbrough.
GAZETTE MEDIA COMPANY SYNDICATIONAmelia Palmer, 13, thought she was going to die after being shot at[/caption]
GAZETTE MEDIA COMPANY SYNDICATIONThe young girl felt dizzy and felt blood pouring down her face[/caption]
The teen claimed she saw two boys “with a gun” ahead of her and then felt something hit her in the head.
She panicked as she was overwhelmed with dizziness and felt blood running down her face.
The terrified year-nine student thought she was going to die after the shocking attack.
Amelia rang her mum, Joanne, who rushed to save her daughter.
Joanne Saunders told Teesside Live: “She was walking up the black path – towards Ladgate Lane – and when she got a bit away from the bridge she noticed two lads down there with a gun.
“She said they had the gun facing up in the air.
“I asked her what it looked like, because I thought it might be a BB gun, and she said it was a long gun.”
The next moment, Amelia was jolted back as something “hit the side of her head”, explained Joanne.
“She said: ‘Mum, I felt dizzy, I thought I was going to die.’”
The 43-year-old added how her daughter suffered a ringing in her ear as she saw red liquid dripping onto the floor.
“My legs went from under me,” Joanne explained.
“I couldn’t think straight. I was running around looking for my car keys and me and her dad drove down to pick her up.”
Disturbing pictures show Amelia’s blonde hair matted with blood, as the right side of her face appeared covered in it.
Joanne recalled the shock and panic as they “didn’t know how deep it had gone.”
The horrified mum rushed her daughter to James Cook University Hospital.
Cleveland Police have been contacted for comment.
What firearms are prohibited in the UK?
It is illegal to own a handgun in the UK.
This was a law established following the Dunblane school massacre in 1996.
There have only been five fatal mass shootings carried out by a civilian in the entire history of Great Britain, but measures are enforced to prevent any more from happening.
It’s illegal to possess most firearms without a license in the UK.
Those who use firearms for hunting or shooting, such as rifles and shotguns, must hold a license to be able to use them.
It comes as just 55 guns were taken off the streets last year by Britain’s FBI.
The annual haul was the smallest in the National Crime Agency’s ten-year history.
Its annual report shows the combined total of firearms seized in the UK and overseas in 2022/23 was 133.
It states 78 seizures were abroad, leaving just 55 domestically.
This compares with a total of 685 guns — including 263 in the UK — grabbed in 2019/20.
The agency report stated “firearms crime is currently lower than the long-term trend”, with 5,750 firearms offences in England and Wales in the year to March 2022.
But data published by the ONS showed firearm offences in England and Wales rose to 6,365 in 2022/23 — up 615 on 2021/22.
Are BB guns illegal in the UK?
BB guns are legal in the UK but there is some legislation that concerns them.
The Firearms Act 1968 states, ‘An imitation firearm is anything which has the appearance of being a firearm, regardless of whether or not it is capable of discharging a shot, bullet or another missile.’
To comply with the Violent crime reduction act 2006, these guns must have over 51% of the outside material must be a bright colour or transparent plastic.
This is to help people distinguish it from an actual handgun, which is illegal to own in the UK.
The minimum age to purchase a BB gun is 18 years old.
No gun should be carried in a public place unless in transit. Also, the gun should be placed in a bag so it won’t be visible.
GAZETTE MEDIA COMPANY SYNDICATIONAmelia’s mum rushed her to the hospital[/caption] Published: [#item_custom_pubDate]
