Explained | The 1996 Dunblane massacre that led to stricter gun laws in the U.K.

The story so far: At least 19 children were killed when an 18-year-old armed gunman opened fire at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas on Tuesday. Three adults, including one teacher, were also killed in the attack, but it is unclear if the count includes the perpetrator.

The attack came barely ten days after a racist mass killing incident in Buffalo, New York where ten persons were killed after an 18-year-old man opened fire inside a grocery store.

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The Texas shooting incident evoked strong reactions from across the world, especially against the lenient gun laws in the U.S. Social media users were also quick to point out how the 1996 Dunblane massacre was instrumental in shaping strict rules to regulate firearms in the U.K., thus preventing further mass shootings.

What happened in Dunblane?

On March 13, 1996, an armed man named Thomas Hamilton killed 16 children and one teacher when he opened fire inside a primary school in Dunblane, Scotland, before killing himself. The school had 640 pupils, making it one of the largest primary schools in Scotland.

Hamilton was a resident of Stirling, located around 12 km from Dunblane. On the morning of the attack, Hamilton was reportedly seen scraping ice off from a white van outside his house by a neighbour.

He reached the school around 9.30 a.m. and cut off telephone wires that served the houses around the school. Hamilton then made his way to one of the school doors, near the toilets and the gym. He carried four handguns – two 9 mm Browning pistols, and two Smith & Wesson revolvers.

Once inside the school, Hamilton walked to the gymnasium, which was occupied by students of Year One, mostly aged around five or six. He shot indiscriminately at the students, injuring and killing them. Gwen Mayor, the teacher of the class, was shot and killed instantly. Other teachers in the gymnasium were also shot but managed to survive.

Investigation also revealed that Hamilton stood over children who had either been disabled by the shooting or thrown to the floor, and fired at point-blank range.

Once out of the gymnasium, Hamilton fired more shots, this time towards the library cloakroom, and injured a staff member. He then moved towards the Primary 7 class. The teacher, Catherine Gordon, heard the shots before Hamilton reached her class, and instructed all students to get down on the floor. Hamilton discharged nine shots in Mrs. Gordon’s class, most of which became embedded in books and other things in the classroom.

Hamilton then re-entered the gymnasium and fired shots again. He then took out his revolver and killed himself. The shooting spree lasted for 3-4 minutes.

Mrs. Mayor and 15 students were killed in the gymnasium, and one student died on the way to a hospital.

How did the Dunblane massacre lead to stricter gun laws?

William Douglas Cullen, Baron Cullen of Whitekirk, a former senior member of the Scottish judiciary, was tasked to lead the public inquiry into the Dunblane massacre. In his report, Lord Cullen pointed out that Hamilton was granted a firearms certificate for the first time in February 1977. The application stated target shooting at Callander Shooting Club or other suitable clubs and ranges as “good reason” for acquiring or having firearms.

Hamilton then purchased a .22 Vostok semi-automatic pistol on February 20, 1977 and sold it on March 17, 1977 to buy a .22 Smith & Wesson revolver. On September 13, 1977, and August 1, 1978, he bought a .22 Anschutz rifle and a .22 Browning pistol. His certificate was modified multiple times – in August 1977, December 1979, January 1983, November 1984, January 1986, and March 1987 – in order to accommodate the new weapons Hamilton continued to buy. Lord Cullen noted that the four handguns that the accused used for shooting at the school were acquired in December 1979, November 1984, September 1985, and January 1996.

Lord Cullen advocated for revision of how the 1968 Firearms Act was used and interpreted. But he did not consider that it was “necessary to recommend any alteration in or addition to these concepts which have formed part of firearms legislation for many years.” The report called for stricter limitations on the possession of handguns but did not call for a ban.

In the aftermath of the massacre, residents of Dunblane launched the Snowdrop campaign – in honour of the only flower in bloom at the time of the massacre – and campaigned for a ban on all handguns. The group collected at least 750,000 signatures in support of its demands.

In July 1996, the Gun Control Network was established as a small, non-profit organisation to demand stricter regulations on the possession of all types of guns. Founders of the organisation included lawyers, academics, and families of the victims of the mass shootings in Dunblane and Hungerford.

The Firearms (Amendment) Act, 1997 was passed by the U.K. Parliament in 1997. It confined handguns to clubs and prohibited civilians from possessing larger calibre handguns. The Firearms (Amendment) (No. 2) Act of 1997 banned the .22 calibre handgun as well, which had been exempted in the first version of the Act.

• The Texas shooting incident evoked strong reactions from across the world, especially against the lenient gun laws in the U.S.
• Social media users were also quick to point out how the 1996 Dunblane massacre was instrumental in shaping strict rules to regulate firearms in the U.K.
• The Firearms (Amendment) Act, 1997 was passed by the U.K. Parliament in 1997