Bamber has tried to explain how he left the gun leaning against the wall...explaining away how his fingerprints came to be on the gun and knew that if his hands were checked for powder residue, he could say that he had used the gun to shoot rabbits...BUT, and here's the rub ,the rabbits had scarpered....If one is to believe - and there is no reason not to - the witness statements for Nevil Bamber and his respect for guns, he would never have allowed a gun to be left where his two small grandchildren could reach it. Nevil, a very responsible and careful man would never have allowed this to happen.
It is now common knowledge that Nevill Bamber kept a selection of guns and rifles, had there only been the one rifle. Jeremy could have said he replaced it back in the gun cupboard where Nevil kept the gun safe and locked away BUT he could not do this, it had to be the same gun he had fired. Jeremy had no way of knowing the police would believe his story and knew that he himself may come under suspicion. The only way he could overcome this was to say he had left the gun lying around implying Sheila picked it up to kill her boys , her children who meant everything to her. I submit that Bamber hid the rifle - possible in the downstairs toilet for two reasons. 1. Out of the sight of careful Nevil who may have placed the gun into the cupboard.
2. He would have easy access once he had gained entry to the house.
Both of these points avoided a possible confrontation with Nevil if Jeremy had to sneak to the gun cupboard from the access point in the kitchen and risked being overheard by the ever-vigilant June.
Coincidently Bamber never expressed any sign of guilt nor remorse at his own story of leaving a loaded rifle in plain sight of two small children. David Boutflour listened to Jeremy tell this story to police at his cottage after the killings and stated that when he heard this story 'I thought to myself how incredibly careless that he left a rifle out with two small boys in the house'