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‘We can’t become complacent’: Investigation into Scotland’s gun laws launched following Skye shooting

What needs to be done to ensure the ownership of guns is properly controlled in Scotland? Picture by Jason Hedges.
What needs to be done to ensure the ownership of guns is properly controlled in Scotland? Picture by Jason Hedges.

An investigation into Scotland’s gun laws has been launched today following last month’s Skye shooting tragedy.

The Westminster Scottish Affairs Committee has announced an inquiry into the licensing of firearms will be carried out following the tragedy, which left one dead and two seriously hurt.

SNP MP Pete Wishart, who chairs the committee, said there is “great concern” about the number of those in possession of firearms in Scotland.

He said: “I think we were all shocked and appalled by what we witnessed in Skye in the tragic killing of a member of the public in Skye and the injuring of two others.

MP Pete Wishart. Picture by Steve MacDougall / DC Thomson.

“What we want to look at is just to see if the current licensing arrangements that we have in place in Scotland are continuing to be fit for purpose.

“There is a great concern about the number of gun ownership we have across Scotland with the 23,000 people with gun licences in Scotland. In the Highlands that comes to about one in 16.

“So what we want to look at is just to see if these are continuing to work, are they continuing to serve the communities and is there anything further that we can do to ensure we don’t get any further incidents such as we saw on Skye earlier this summer.”

UK has strict gun control but ‘does not mean we become complacent’

On August 10, father-of-six and “much-loved member of the community” John MacKinnon was shot dead in his home in the Teangue area on Skye.

Finlay MacDonald, 39, has been charged with murder in relation to the incident.

He also faces three charges of attempted murder of his wife Rowena and local osteopath John Don Mackenzie and his wife Fay.

John MacKinnon was killed in his home in the Teangue area of Skye. Picture by Jason Hedges

Following the tragedy, Mr Wishart said that while the UK has very stringent gun control regulations, there is clearly more that needs to be done.

“The UK has probably about the most stringent and best-operated gun control regulations in the world,” Mr Wishart said.

“It was tightened up obviously after 1996 with the Dunblane tragedy but that doesn’t mean that we become complacent.

“And obviously what we saw in Skye earlier in the summer means that there are particular issues that need to be looked at.”

For someone to hold a gun licence in the UK, they need to be able to demonstrate to a doctor they are a “fit and proper person to hold such a licence”.

Mr Wishart said while a review is held on whether someone should continue to hold a licence every five years in Scotland, in other countries this is done every two or three.

Appealing for evidence from the public

While looking at these issues, Mr Wishart said they were aware guns are needed for things such as vermin control and recreational shooting which is worth around £200 million to the economy.

“These are all the things we need to consider,” he added.

“The heart of what we’re trying to achieve here I think, is to just look to see if the current arrangements are keeping people safe.

“Is there things that we can do to make communities feel safer, particularly in Highland rural areas where there isn’t this kind of police response you would expect in city areas?

“I think what we want to do more than anything else is to hear from members of the public and we’re appealing for written evidence which people can submit to the Scottish Affairs Committee in the House of Commons.”

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