Table 2: Notifiable offences recorded by the police in which firearms were
reported to have been used, by principal weapon
Air weapons; Shotgun; Handgun
1993 6,337 1,592 4,273
1994 7,165 1,190 3,087
1995 7,568 983 3,319
1996 7,813 933 3,347
1997 7,506 580 2,648
Handguns banned this year, no legislation change with regards to shotguns or Air weapons, AFAIK
1997/98 7,902 565 2,636
1998/99 8,665 642 2,687
1999/00 10,103 693 3,685
2000/01 10,227 608 4,110
2001/02 12,377 712 5,874
2002/03 13,822 672 5,549
2003/04 13,756 718 5,144
2004/05 11,825 597 4,360
2005/06 10,439 642 4,672
2006/07 8,836 612 4,173
2007/08 7,478 602 4,172
2008/09 6,041 618 4,274
2009/10 4,925 584 3,743
2010/11 4,203 608 3,105
Handgun offences had dropped by more than a third in the 5 years prior to them being banned, then doubled in the 5 years after the ban. They have since dropped to levels about a quarter higher than they were when they were banned.
Shotgun offences had dropped by about 2/3 in the 5 years prior to the handgun ban, then increased slightly, then decreased slightly. They have since dropped to levels almost identical to when the handgun ban took effect.
Airgun offences were gradually rising prior to the handgun ban, rose quickly in the aftermath of the ban, then dropped by more than 2/3rds in the last 8 years to levels well below when the handgun ban took effect.
So you see, offences with both the types of gun that weren't banned have stayed the same or gone down overall, and offences with the type of gun that was banned have gone up. This is pretty clear.