Here is what 'The Times' reported in 2007:
"Ironically, firearm use in crimes has doubled in the decade since handguns were banned"
Since you missed it the first time, here it is again. Look real hard at that green line
Also, even though guns are rarely used in crimes, here is what is being used.
"In fact, the most common weapon used in a violent crime in England and Wales is not a gun - but a knife.
There are four times more knife-related killings as firearms-related killings.
The Centre for Crime and Justice Studies at King's College London recently conducted some deeper analysis of the available Home Office's statistics.
It concluded that between 22,000 and 57,900 young people could have been victims of knife crime in 2004. However, it says without better official data it is impossible to know for sure - and that we need that data to improve the public debate. "
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/6960431.stm
But hey, its better to be stabbed to death than shot, so the handgun ban worked.
Also:
“... [There is] nothing in the statistics for England and Wales to suggest that either
the stricter controls on handguns prior to 1997 or the ban imposed since have controlled access to such firearms by criminals.
--Colin Greenwood, Select Committee on Northern Ireland Affairs, January 29, 2003.