Philip Luty

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Philip A. Luty (1965 - 8 April 2011) was an English anti-gun control activist notable for the production of homemade firearms and manuals providing instruction in the same. He was charged with illegal arms construction in the late 1990s and sentenced to four years in prison, with other investigations ongoing at the time of his death.

Weapons based on Luty's designs have been used or found in numerous recorded incidents of criminal or terrorist activity, including criminal groups in Australia, Brazil, Romania, Sweden, Ecuador, and the United Kingdom, with terrorist organisations in Indonesia, and in an antisemitic terror incident in Germany.[1]

Life[]

Philip Luty grew up on a farm in West Yorkshire, England. He campaigned for the free possession of firearms and published instructions on self-built fully automatic weapons that can be produced by simple metalworking. Luty understood his work as a protest against the British government's prohibition of full and semi-automatic weapons.[citation needed]

Luty was charged with illegal arms construction in the late 1990s and sentenced to four years in prison.[2]

In 2009, another charge was made after an armed anti-terrorist unit searched Luty's home in May 2009. Luty was subsequently tried for violating the Terrorism Act 2000.[2] In particular, he was accused of "creating records that could be of use to a person who wants to commit or prepare a terrorist attack". Also, he had a collection of tubes "screwed together make an object from which a cartridge can be unloaded with a bullet."[2][3]

He had also been the prime suspect in a campaign of harassment against a local charity and property developer in Cookridge from 2006 to 2009.[4] He was arrested for criminal damage incidents but was released due to a lack of evidence.[4]

Death[]

On 8 April 2011, Luty died after a prolonged, serious illness of cancer.[3] The ongoing criminal case was ended because of his death.[3]

Firearms design[]

Luty designed several firearms, including four sub-machine gun designs. Of these, one particular design, outlined in his book Expedient Homemade Firearms, is the best known. This design makes extensive use of easily procured materials such as folded sheet metal, bar stock, washers, and hex screws. It is a simple blowback-operated sub-machine gun and made from entirely craft-produced components, including the magazine and pistol grip.[5] The major drawback of such designs is the lack of rifling in the barrel, which results in poor accuracy and limited range.[citation needed]

Two copies of the original Luty SMG 9mm Parabellum are part of the collection of the British National Firearms Centre (NFC) and are exhibited in Leeds at the Royal Armouries Museum.[6]

Legacy[]

The gunman who perpetrated the 2019 Halle synagogue shooting had two Luty-type sub-machine guns in his inventory. One was produced using conventional craft-production techniques, whilst a second example used a 3D-printed lower receiver and magazine. The former was used during the attack, during which it suffered from several malfunctions.

Luty sub-machine guns have been documented in Australia, Brazil, Germany, Indonesia, Romania, Sweden, Ecuador, and the United Kingdom.[1]

Publications[]

  • P.A. Luty: Expedient Homemade Firearms – The 9 mm Submachine Gun. Paladin Press, 1998, ISBN 9780873649834
  • P.A. Luty: A Threat to Freedom of Speech in England. The Libertarian Enterprice, no 313, 3 April 2005

References[]

  1. ^ Jump up to: a b Tousignant, Chloe. "Luty Sub-machine Guns: past, present & future". The Hoplite. Armament Research Services (ARES). Retrieved 16 October 2020.
  2. ^ Jump up to: a b c Oltermann, Philip; Beckett, Lois (10 October 2019). "Germany's Jewish leaders condemn police response to Halle attack". The Guardian. Retrieved 10 October 2019.
  3. ^ Jump up to: a b c Gardner, Tony (13 May 2001). "Leeds 'home gunsmith' dies before trial". Yorkshire Evening Post. Retrieved 10 October 2019.
  4. ^ Jump up to: a b "Leeds terror suspect's rule of fear EXCLUSIVE". Yorkshire Evening Post.
  5. ^ Ferguson, Jonathan. "P.A. Luty 9 mm sub-machine guns". The Hoplite. Armament Research Services (ARES). Retrieved 16 October 2020.
  6. ^ Armament Research Services (ARES): Weapons as Political Protest: P.A. Luty's Submachine Gun. 2 August 2017

External links[]

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