Dunblane father says gun laws are still too lax 30 years on

The father of a five-year-old girl who was murdered in the Dunblane primary school shooting says gun laws are still too lax 30 years later. Mick North's daughter Sophie was shot dead along with 15 of her classmates and their teacher, Gwen Mayor, in the central Scotland town on 13 March 1996. The gunman, Thomas Hamilton, had entered the school with four legally-owned handguns and 743 rounds of ammunition. In the weeks after the tragedy, North helped to start a successful campaign for a complete ban on private handgun ownership. He now says UK government ministers need to be "more proactive" in identifying potential dangers as the "threat" from firearms evolves. "The whole of firearms legislation needs to be reviewed," he said, giving the handling of 3D printed guns as an example of how the law had developed in a "piecemeal" fashion. He is similarly concerned about converted replica guns as well as weapons with barrels just long enough to fall outside the handgun ban North also called for stricter background checks for firearms licensing, including taking into account social media posts and the views of an applicant's partner. MPs are currently considering whether to tighten shotgun

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