Michael Robert Ryan
Born	18 May 1960 Marlborough, UK
Died	August 19, 1987 (aged 27)[1]  United Kingdom
Status	Committed suicide after the Hungerford massacre in which he shot and killed 16 people
Occupation	Unemployed local labourer
Parents	Alfred and Dorothy Ryan

The Hungerford massacre occurred in Hungerford, Berkshire, England, on Wednesday, August 19, 1987. A 27-year-old unemployed local labourer, Michael Robert Ryan, armed with two semi-automatic rifles and a handgun, shot and killed sixteen people including his mother, and wounded fifteen others, then fatally shot himself. A report on this incident was commissioned by the Home Secretary, Douglas Hurd, from the Chief Constable of Thames Valley Police, Colin Smith. It remains, along with the Dunblane massacre, one of the worst criminal atrocities involving firearms in British history. File links The following pages link to this file: Hungerford Massacre Michael Robert Ryan ... is the 138th day of the year (139th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1960 (MCMLX) was a leap year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_the_United_Kingdom. ... This article is about the English town. ... is the 231st day of the year (232nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1987 (MCMLXXXVII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link displays 1987 Gregorian calendar). ... Image File history File links Flag_of_the_United_Kingdom. ... , Hungerford is a market town and civil parish in Berkshire, England, 10 miles (16 km) west of Newbury. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... For other uses, see England (disambiguation). ... is the 231st day of the year (232nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1987 (MCMLXXXVII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link displays 1987 Gregorian calendar). ... A semi-automatic rifle is a type of rifle that fires a single bullet each time the trigger is pulled, without the need to manually operate a bolt, lever or other firing or loading mechanism. ... For other uses, see Rifle (disambiguation). ... A Browning 9 millimeter Hi-Power Ordnance pistol of the French Navy, 19th century, using a Percussion cap mechanism Derringers were small and easily hidden. ... The Secretary of State for the Home Department, commonly known as the Home Secretary, is the minister in charge of the United Kingdom Home Office and is responsible for internal affairs in England and Wales, and for immigration and citizenship for the whole United Kingdom (including Scotland and Northern Ireland). ... Douglas Richard Hurd, Baron Hurd of Westwell, CH, CBE, PC (born 8 March 1930), is a senior British Conservative politician and novelist, who served in the governments of Margaret Thatcher and John Major between 1979 and his retirement in 1995. ... Chief Constable is the title given to the commanding officer of every territorial police force in the United Kingdom except the two responsible for Greater London. ... Thames Valley Police is one of the largest Home Office police services in England and the largest non-metropolitan one, covering 2200 sq mi (5,700 km²) and a population of 2. ... The Dunblane massacre was a multiple murder-suicide which occurred at Dunblane Primary School in the Scottish town of Dunblane on 13 March 1996. ...

The massacre led to the Firearms (Amendment) Act 1988,^[2] which banned the ownership of semi-automatic centre-fire rifles and restricted the use of shotguns with a magazine capacity of more than two rounds. The Hungerford Report had demonstrated that Ryan's collection of weapons was legally licensed. Walther P99, a semi-automatic pistol from the late 1990s A semi-automatic firearm is a gun that requires only a trigger pull for each round that is fired, unlike a single-action revolver, a pump-action firearm, a bolt-action firearm, or a lever-action firearm, which require the... A centerfire cartridge is a cartridge in which the primer is located in the center of the cartridge case head. ...

Brief biography of Michael Ryan

Michael Robert Ryan was born at Savernake Hospital on May 18, 1960^[3]. Ryan was an only child, reportedly bullied and sullen at school. His father was in his fifties when he was born and had died around two years prior to the shootings. Ryan lived alone with his mother, who was a dinner lady at the local primary school; there was extensive press comment on this suggesting the relationship was 'unhealthy' and that Ryan was 'spoiled'. A Guardian headline described Ryan as a 'mummy's boy'. is the 138th day of the year (139th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1960 (MCMLX) was a leap year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... For other uses, see Guardian. ...

In the days following the massacre, the British tabloid press was filled with stories about Michael Ryan's life. The tabloid press can be an unreliable source and under English law one cannot libel the dead. In addition Ryan had killed his mother who would, perhaps, have been able to shed most light on his private life. Press biographies all stated that he had a fondness for, and possibly even an obsession with, guns. The majority claimed that Ryan possessed magazines about survival skills and firearms, Soldier of Fortune^[4] being frequently named. He was also said to be a fan of the Rambo film First Blood in which the press erroneously claimed events similar to the Hungerford massacre take place. A tabloid is a newspaper — especially in the United Kingdom — that uses the tabloid format, which is roughly 23½ by 14¾ inches per spread. ... In English and American law, and systems based on them, libel and slander are two forms of defamation (or defamation of character), which is the tort or delict of making a false statement of fact that injures someones reputation. ... Survival skills are skills that may help one to survive dangerous situations (such as storms or earthquakes), or in dangerous places (such as the desert, the mountains, and the jungle). ... A firearm is a kinetic energy weapon that fires either a single or multiple projectiles propelled at high velocity by the gases produced by action of the rapid confined burning of a propellant. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... This article is about the Sylvester Stallone character and films. ... For the David Morrell novel, see First Blood (book). ...

Licensed firearms ownership

Ryan had been issued a shotgun certificate in 1978, and in 11 December 1986 he was granted a firearms certificate covering the ownership of two pistols. He later applied to have the certificate amended to cover a third pistol, as he intended to sell one of the two he had acquired since the granting of the certificate, and to buy two more. This was approved on 30 April 1987. On 14 July be applied for another variation, to cover two semi-automatic rifles, which was approved on 30 July. At the time of the Massacre, he was in licensed possession of the following: Gun politics in the United Kingdom, in similarity with gun politics in Australia, places its main considerations on how best to ensure public safety and how deaths involving firearms can most effectively be prevented. ... Gun politics in the United Kingdom, in similarity with gun politics in Australia, places its main considerations on how best to ensure public safety and how deaths involving firearms can most effectively be prevented. ...

• Zabala shotgun
• Browning shotgun
• Beretta 92 semi-automatic 9mm pistol
• CZ ORSO semi-automatic .32 pistol
• Kalashnikov AK-47 7.62mm semi-automatic rifle
• M1 Carbine .30 semi-automatic rifle (a rare "Underwood" model)

Ryan used the Beretta pistol, and the Kalashnikov and M1 rifles, in the massacre. The CZ pistol was being repaired by a dealer at the time.^[5] The Kalashnikov was purchased from arms dealer Mick Ranger. ^[6] Browning Arms Company was founded in Utah in 1927. ... Logo of Pietro Beretta This article is about a firearm manufacturer; for the car, see Chevrolet Beretta. ... The Beretta 92 (also Beretta 96 and Beretta 98) is a series of semi-automatic pistols designed and manufactured by Beretta of Italy. ... Česká Zbrojovka, popularly known as CZ, is the trading name associated with a several Czech firearms manufacturers: Česká Zbrojovka Brno Česká Zbrojovka Strakonice Česká Zbrojovka Uherský Brod Česká Zbrojovka Vsetín Alfa-Proj Arms Moravia Firearms made in many different factories in the Czech Republic or Czechoslovakia have been sold... Look up Kalashnikov in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Avtomat Kalashnikova model 1947 g. ... The M1 Carbine (formally the United States Carbine, Caliber . ... Mick Ranger is an Essex, UK based arms dealer. ...

Shootings

The first shooting occurred seven miles (11.2 km) to the west of Hungerford in Savernake Forest in Wiltshire, at 12:30 in the afternoon of August 19. Susan Godfrey, 35, had come to the area with her children, Hannah, 4, and James, 2 from Reading, Berkshire and was picnicking when she was abducted by Ryan at gun-point, and shot thirteen times in the back.^[7] Savernake Forest, between Marlborough and Hungerford, is privately-owned by the Trustees of Savernake Estate - The Earl of Cardigan and his family solicitor. ... Wiltshire (abbreviated Wilts) is a large southern English county. ... is the 231st day of the year (232nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... , Reading is a town, unitary authority (the Borough of Reading) and urban area in the English county of Berkshire. ...

Ryan then drove in his car, a silver Vauxhall Astra, from the forest along the A4 towards Hungerford and stopped at a petrol station three miles (5 km) away from the town. After waiting for a motorcyclist, Ian George, to depart from the garage, he shot at the cashier, Mrs Kakaub Dean, and missed. Ryan again tried to shoot her at close range with his M1 carbine,^[8] but the rifle's magazine had fallen out, probably because he inadvertently hit the release mechanism. He left the petrol station and continued towards Hungerford. Vauxhall Astra is a model-name which has been used by Vauxhall, the British subsidiary of General Motors (GM), on their small family car ranges since 1979. ... The A4 at Hotwells in Bristol The A4 crosses Picadilly Circus in central London The A4 is a major road in England, also known as the Great West Road. ... Modern gas station A filling station, gas station or petrol station is a facility that sells fuel for road motor vehicles – usually petrol (US: gas/gasoline), diesel fuel and LPG. The term gas station is mostly particular to the United States of America and Canada, where petrol is known... The M1 Carbine (formally the United States Carbine, Caliber . ...

Whilst Ryan was driving to Hungerford, Mr George, having witnessed the attempted shooting of Mrs Dean, stopped in the village of Froxfield and placed the first emergency call to the police. Many countries public telephone networks have a single emergency telephone number, sometimes known as the universal emergency telephone number or occasionally the emergency services number, that allows a caller to contact local emergency services for assistance. ...

At around 12:45 Ryan was seen at his home in South View, Hungerford. He shot the family dog or dogs (reports differ, one or two) before turning the gun on his mother, Dorothy Ryan. He set fire to the house with the petrol he bought earlier in the day, the fire damaging three surrounding properties. He then removed the three shotguns from his car, possibly because it would not start. He shot and killed husband and wife Roland and Sheila Mason, who were in their back garden at their house in South View.

On foot, Ryan proceeded towards the common, injuring two more people: Marjorie Jackson and Lisa Mildenhall (aged 14, shot in both legs^[9]). Mrs. Jackson contacted George White, a colleague of her husband, who contacted her husband Ivor Jackson, who were both later shot, leaving White dead and Jackson injured. On the footpath towards the common he also killed Kenneth Clements who was walking with his family. Commons redirects here. ...

Returning to Southview he shot 23 rounds at PC Roger Brereton, a police officer who had just arrived at the scene, killing him as he remained sitting in his patrol car.^[10] Linda Chapman and her daughter Alison Chapman were next shot and injured, having just driven into Southview in a car. Ryan fired 11 bullets from his semi-automatic into their Volvo; Linda was hit in the shoulder, Alison in the right thigh. Linda was able to drive to the local doctor's without further injury, although she crashed in to a tree outside. A bullet was found to be lodged at the base of Alison's spine, during a subsequent operation to remove it, it was decided that the risk of paralysis was too great, and it was left in place.^[11] Police officers in South Australia A police officer (or policeman/policewoman) is a warranted worker of a police force. ... Linda Chapman is the author of My Secret Unicorn series of books. ... Volvo Cars is the luxury car maker using the Volvo Trademark. ...

Ryan moved along Fairview Road, killing Abdur Khan, who was in his back garden, and injuring Alan Lepetit who was walking along the road. An ambulance which had just arrived in the road was next shot at, injuring Hazel Haslett before it drove off. An ambulance in San Jose del Cabo, Mexico A Helicopter used as an Ambulance. ...

By, or before, 14:30 Ryan had ensconced himself at the John O'Gaunt Community Technology College (closed and empty at that time of year for summer holidays), where he had previously been a pupil. Police surrounded the building. Negotiators made contact with him; at one point he waved what appeared to be an unpinned grenade at them through the window.^[9] At 19:00, still in the school, he shot himself.^[9] One of the statements Ryan made towards the end was widely reported: "I wish I had stayed in bed".^[12] John OGaunt Community Technology College is a comprehensive and Technology College of approximately 800 pupils in Hungerford, Berkshire. ...

Ryan had killed sixteen people, and wounded fifteen others. He also killed his mother and dog on his mass murder.

Police response

Hungerford is policed by two Sergeants and twelve Constables. On the morning of Wednesday 19 August 1987 the duty cover for the sector consisted of one Sergeant, two Patrol Constables and one Station Duty Officer.^[13] A number of factors hampered the police response:^[10]

• The telephone exchange could not handle the number of 999 calls made by witnesses.
• The Thames Valley firearms squad were training 40 miles away.
• The police helicopter was in for repair, though it was eventually deployed.
• Only two phone lines were in operation at the local police station which was undergoing renovation.

999 is the United Kingdoms and Irelands emergency telephone number and Polands medical emergency number. ... Thames Valley Police is one of the largest Home Office police services in England and the largest non-metropolitan one, covering 2200 sq mi (5,700 km²) and a population of 2. ...

Media effects theory and moral panic

It was alleged, particularly by tabloid newspapers, that Ryan was inspired by the film First Blood, with some claiming he wore armed-forces style clothing. It was cited as an example of the hypodermic needle model of negative media effects, particularly relevant in the wake of the controversy over video nasties. It is now claimed that Ryan had never seen the film, but the allegations provided sensationalist headlines and imagery (see Webster, 1989). A tabloid is a newspaper — especially in the United Kingdom — that uses the tabloid format, which is roughly 23½ by 14¾ inches per spread. ... For the David Morrell novel, see First Blood (book). ... The hypodermic needle model is a model of communications. ... Video nasty was a term coined in the United Kingdom in the 1980s that originally applied to a number of films distributed on video cassette that were criticised for their violent content by elements in the press and commentators such as Mary Whitehouse. ...

Cultural references

J G Ballard's novel Running Wild centres around the fictitious Richard Greville, a Deputy Psychiatric Advisor with the Metropolitan Police who authored "an unpopular minority report on the Hungerford killings" and is sent to investigate mass murder in a gated community.^[14] Ballard has professed an interest in the Hungerford massacre and other "pointless crimes" such as that in Dunblane and the murder of Jill Dando. James Graham Ballard (born November 18, 1930 in Shanghai) is a British novelist. ... This article is about the literary concept. ... Running Wild is a novella by J. G. Ballard, first published in 1988 by Hutchinson. ... Metropolitan Police redirects here. ... The Dunblane massacre was a multiple murder-suicide which occurred at Dunblane Primary School in the Scottish town of Dunblane on 13 March 1996. ... Jill Dando (9 November 1961 – 26 April 1999) was a British television presenter who worked for the BBC for over fifteen years. ...

Sulk, the penultimate track on Radiohead's album The Bends, was written as a response to the massacre.^[15] This article is about the album by Radiohead. ...

Chris Bowsher, founder member of the band Radical Dance Faction, was a witness to the events and wrote Hungerford Poem which appears on the band's early album Hot On The Wire. RDF pictured at Fordham Park free festival, Deptford, 1995 Radical Dance Faction were a band from Berkshire, England. ...

Spoof Welsh rap group Goldie Lookin' Chain mentioned the killer in their song Guns Don't Kill People, Rappers Do, a satire on the supposed links between gangsta rap and gun crime as reported in the press: 'Like Michael Ryan, about to snap, guns don't kill people, it's just rap' Goldie Lookin Chain are a hip hop group based in Newport, South Wales. ... For the Ice T album, see Gangsta Rap (album). ...

Marvel Comics mentioned the Hungerford massacre as background for their fictional mutant antihero Pete Wisdom, stating that his mother was one of the victims. This article is about the comic book company. ... In Marvel comic books, particularly those of the X-Men mythos, a mutant is a member of the species Homo sapiens superior, an offshoot of regular humanity, Homo sapiens sapiens. ... Peter Paul Winston Pete Wisdom is a fictional secret agent in the Marvel Comics comic book multiverse, created by writer Warren Ellis. ...

The Smiths were due to release the single Stop Me If You Think You've Heard This One Before around the time of the massacre. However, the song was later prevented from being released because it contained the line "...and plan a mass murder". Many felt it would be insensitive to go ahead with the single and therefore it didn't. The Smiths were an English rock band active from 1982 to 1987. ... Stop Me If You Think Youve Heard This One Before is a 1987 song by The Smiths, that in 2007 became a hit for Mark Ronson featuring Daniel Merriweather. ...

In 1989, The Smiths' former lead singer Morrissey, who by this point had become a solo artist, based his song "Michael's Bones" on the incident. It appears as the B-side to The Last of the Famous International Playboys. For other uses, see Morrissey (disambiguation). ... The Last of the Famous International Playboys was the third single released by Morrissey. ...

References

• M. Barker and J. Petley (eds) (26 April 2001). Ill Effects: The Media Violence Debate (Communication & Society. Routledge; 2Rev Ed editio, pp. 63-77.. ISBN 0415225132. 
• Webster, Duncan (May 1989 , 3:2, .). "Whodunnit? America did: Rambo and post-Hungerford rhetoric" (in English). Cultural Studies Volume 3, Number 2: pp. 173-93. Routledge, part of the Taylor & Francis Group. doi:10.1080/09502388900490121. 

Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 226th day of the year (227th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 202nd day of the year (203rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 301st day of the year (302nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 236th day of the year (237th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 301st day of the year (302nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 236th day of the year (237th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 236th day of the year (237th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... TED Transducer Electronic Data Sheet Teddy Theodore Edward Ted (airline) TED (conference) Torrent episode downloader Traffic Engineering Database, used for traffic engineering in MPLS networks Category: ... A digital object identifier (or DOI) is a standard for persistently identifying a piece of intellectual property on a digital network and associating it with related data, the metadata, in a structured extensible way. ...

External links

• Crown Copyright (1988). Firearms (Amendment) Act 1988 (c. 45). Retrieved October 28, 2005.