Connecticut shootings: The lessons from Dunblane

[Starboard Tack]

When I heard about the shootings at the elementary school in Connecticut, I thought immediately of Dunblane.

What happened on 13 March 1996 was the worst school shooting ever perpetrated in Britain. Sixteen children were killed - most of them just five years old. Their teacher was also shot.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-20736167

Then the people spoke and the law changed. No more handguns in private hands.

In Scotland, the link between the availability of guns and the number of people shot dead every year is accepted. Since Dunblane, the public have remained firmly in favour of keeping firearms out of private hands.

This year, five people have been killed by guns in Scotland. That's in line with the rest of the UK per head of population and a death rate 50 times lower than in the United States.

Think about this next time you see a child.