Dunblane brother’s fury at shotgun in fundraising raffle
The brother of a Dunblane massacre victim has hit out at pro- gun body the Countryside Alliance for raffling a £17,500 shotgun to raise funds.
Supporters were able to buy tickets at £ 50 each to support its campaign to promote shooting in Britain.
Jack Crozier, whose five-yearold sister Emma was one of 16 pupils shot dead by Thomas Hamilton at Dunblane Primary in March 1996, accused them of glorifying gun ownership.
He said: “The Countryside Alliance released a statement after the Plymouth shooting saying that everyone should do everything possible to ensure that this shooting will not be repeated.
“Raff ling a lethal weapon, in doing so glamorising and trivialising the ownership of a shotgun by treating it as a prize to be won, shows that their statement was nothing more than lip service.”
Jack, 27, lives and works in
Countryside Alliance called out over prize
London and has campaigned for tougher gun laws in the US.
He added: “This raffle is in the same vein as the Minnesota company who offered a free AK-47 to those opening new accounts and the American car dealer who offered a free gun with every purchase.
“The Countryside Alliance claim to support responsible gun ownership but their actions show that all they care about is increasing access to guns, in doing so increasing the risk of incidents like Plymouth happening again.”
Mick North, whose five-yearold daughter Sophie was killed at Dunblane, described the raffle as distasteful and inappropriate.
He said: “They are doing this to promote shooting and, as the gun lobby often do, make it look glamorous and ignore the downside of gun ownership.
“They fail to understand that people want guns controlled.”
In the Countryside Alliance’s promotion on a raf f le prize website, the weapon is described as the ultimate shotgun.
It states: “The lucky winner of our new raffle will become the owner of the Trigger plate Acanthus 3003 Shotgun from Longthorne Gunmakers worth over £17,500.” The small print says the winner must prove they have a shotgun licence.
The Countryside Alliance did not address the raffle for the gun. A spokesman said: “It is a criminal offence to transfer a firearm to an unlicensed individual.
“All the processes are clearly laid out in legislation and on the relevant certificates.”
The 16 pupils at Dunblane Primary were killed with their teacher Gwen Mayor when Hamilton, 43, opened fire on a gym class before taking his own life.
In the Plymouth shooting in August, 22-year-old Jake Davison, killed five people and injured two before killing himself.