Anniversary of massacre at school sparks action call
Campaigners have called for radical action to keep UK gun laws fit for purpose ahead of the 27th anniversary of the Dunblane tragedy.
Sixteen primary one children and their teacher were shot dead at Dunblane Primary School in 1996.
But despite a ban on handguns in the wake of the tragedy, legal loopholes have been exposed by the Sunday Mail, which have led to calls for governments in Holyrood and Westminster to take action.
Gill Marshall-Andrews, chair of the Gun Control Network, said: “This anniversary and other recent multiple shootings remind us that governments cannot be allowed to duck their responsibility to keep our gun laws fit for purpose.
“The shooting lobby knows change is on the way and are trying to limit it by suggesting some small improvements. But we need radical change.
“The most important things to do now are to bring shotguns into the same stricter licensing regime as rifles and increase the cost of licences so police have the resources to do a proper job.”
Within days of the tragedy, the Snowdrop petition – which called for tighter gun controls – was launched and gathered more than one mi l l ion signatures, including 450,000 from Sunday Mail readers.
In 1997 the then Tory government agreed to a partial ban but it was Tony Blair’s Labour government that f ina l l y made a l l handguns illegal.
We have been campaigning for even stricter measures after our investigation uncovered a loophole in firearms laws meaning some US-inspired gun clubs don’t fall under licensing requirements. It found anyone with a licence for certain types of guns can set up “practical shooting” clubs on private land without the need for local government or police permission and licensing.
When killer Thomas Hamilton entered Dunblane Primary School on March 13, 1996, he was armed with four legally owned highpowered handguns and 743 rounds of ammunition.
The UK now has some of the world’s tightest firearms laws, with potential owners having to provide a valid reason for wanting a weapon for sporting or leisure purposes. In 2017 licensing of air weapons came in to force, stopping anyone under 18 owning one.
Stirling MP Alyn Smith, whose constituency covers Dunblane, said: “We must always be vigilant when it comes to our gun laws and, as technology changes, so too must our protections evolve to help keep people safe.”
In January we told how Pol ice Scotland’s head of national firearms licensing, Super i ntendent Steven Dunc an, bel ie ve s t he 55-year- old legislation would be changed if rewritten from scratch. He said: “There’s opportunities to be clearer and more concise.”
The Home Office said: “We have recently updated the guidance for pol ice when issuing gun licences. This will empower them to be more stringent and thorough in their assessment as to whether it is appropriate for someone to have a gun licence.”