British lawmakers are moving "at pace" to crackdown on laws pertaining to crossbow ownership after the hunting weapon was allegedly used in the suspected murders of three women.
Minister of State for Security Dan Jarvis referred to the reevaluation of crossbow laws Thursday "clearly very serious and pressing matters," after the triple slayings of BBC presenter John Hunt's wife, Carol Hunt, 61, and their two daughters, Hannah, 28, and Louise, 25, earlier this week at their home in Bushey, England.
The current crossbow legislation allows for anyone over the age of 18 to purchase a crossbow without registering the weapon. However, the law states it is illegal to carry a crossbow in public without a "reasonable excuse."
"We'll want to look very carefully at the legislation that's in place at the moment and we'll need to come to a conclusion sooner rather than later as to whether the current legislation is appropriate or not," Jarvis told BBC Radio, according to The Guardian.
"If we decide that it isn't – and I think you raise a really important point about the ability of people to buy these particular weapons – then we'll need to make changes to the legislation. But we need to do this properly, there needs to be due process."
Jarvis said Home Secretary Yvette Cooper is "very concerned" about the current laws.
"She will want to look at the evidence that already has been collected and look at the circumstances not just of what happened yesterday but of other incidents as well," he explained.
"We are seized by the seriousness and the importance of this and I think you will be aware we have made a manifesto commitment to halve violence against women and girls in our country over a 10-year period."
Jarvis vowed, "We will make a judgment as early as we are able as to whether the current legislative framework is appropriate and if it's not we will change it, because nothing is more important than ensuring the safety of the public."
The call for stricter crossbow laws comes days after Kyle Clifford, 26, was accused of killing Carol, Hannah and Louise.
He was arrested Wednesday in a cemetery following a massive manhunt and remains hospitalized for the treatment of serious injuries, said authorities.
Authorities have not disclosed a motive, but believe the attack was targeted.
