Calls For Scottish Airgun Ban Rejected

Mar 2 2008 By Mark Aitken

CALLS for an airgun ban in Scotland have been rejected by Home Secretary Jacqui Smith.

The Scottish Government want to impose restrictions on the weapons north of the border.

Three Scots have died and more than 1150 have been injured in airgun incidents over the past nine years. They include two-year-old Andrew Morton who was killed by an air weapon in Easterhouse, Glasgow, in 2005.

But Smith has rejected a review to consider an outright ban on the sale and use of airguns in Scotland.

Handguns were banned in 1997 following a UK-wide campaign after the Dunblane massacre. Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill wrote to the Home Secretary inviting her to jointly host a summit aimed at reforming the laws on airguns.

But she said she did not believe a summit would be "timely" and dismissed calls for an immediate review of the 1968 Firearms Act.

MacAskill said: "I'mdisappointed and concerned that she says a review isn't needed. Recent figures reveal that firearms casualties in Scotland rose by 25 per cent in a year - a third of them children."

A Home Office spokesman said: "Laws around firearms are under constant review. We will not hesitate to introduce legislation whenever necessary."