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Scottish Man Dies After Being Accidentally Shot in Car
9 May 2013
Daily Record (Scotland)
A young dad bled to death after an accidental shooting on his family farm.
Adam Hepburn, 22, was in his Land Rover with another man when a rifle went off.
A high-velocity bullet passed through the father-of-one's left thigh, leaving him writhing in agony.
The other man in the Freelander 4x4 dialled 999 and rushed Adam on a 10-mile trip to Hawick Cottage Hospital, which does not have an accident and emergency department.
An ambulance raced to the hospital, where... (GunPolicy.org)
Scottish Man Jailed for Storing Guns and Ammo
4 March 2013
BBC News
A man who was caught with firearms and drugs at his home in North Lanarkshire has been jailed for seven years.
Police raided 50-year-old John Lucas' isolated home at Roughrigg, Airdrie, on April 27 last year.
They found cocaine worth £164,000, cannabis worth £12,000, amphetamine worth £11,000 and £38,000 in cash. They also found gun barrels and ammunition.
Wheelchair user Lucas was jailed at the High Court in Edinburgh after earlier pleading guilty to the... (GunPolicy.org)
Scotland,United States,United Kingdom,Australia,Japan
Several Countries Curbed Guns, Saw Public Safety Improve [Espanol]
18 December 2012
BBC News
[Translated summary: Three industrialised nations - Japan, Australia and the United Kingdom have dramatically reduced gun deaths after applying strict firearm laws.]
Tres naciones industrializadas -Japón, Australia y Escocia- han logrado reducir dramáticamente las muertes por armas de fuego tras aplicar estrictas leyes que regulan el porte y comercio de armas que podría servir de modelo en Estados Unidos cuando ese pueblo trata de reponerse de la matanza de niños y... (GunPolicy.org)
Japan,Scotland,Australia,United States
In Other Countries than the US, Laws Are Strict and Work
17 December 2012
New York Times, Editorial
Like other shootings before it, the Newtown, Conn., tragedy has reawakened America to its national fixation with firearms. No country in the world has more guns per capita, with some 300 million civilian firearms now in circulation, or nearly one for every adult.
Experts from the Harvard School of Public Health, using data from 26 developed countries, have shown that wherever there are more firearms, there are more homicides. In the case of the United States,... (GunPolicy.org)
Scotland Wants Air Gun Owners to Have Licences
14 December 2012
BBC News
Air gun owners will need a licence under plans due to be announced by the Scottish government.
Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill will launch a consultation on how the new licensing regime for air weapons will work.
Powers to legislate on air weapons were devolved to Holyrood under the Scotland Act 2012.
It is estimated there could be as many as half a million unlicensed air guns in Scotland.
The campaign to tighten air gun controls gathered momentum after the death... (GunPolicy.org)
Gun Crime Falls in Scotland, Authorities Warn Against Comnplacency
4 December 2012
BBC News
The number of offences in Scotland involving firearms has more than halved since 2006-07, according to official figures.
Scotland's police forces recorded 514 incidents in 2011-12, a 21% fall on the previous year and a fall of more than 50% on 2006-07.
This year's figures are the lowest total recorded in Scotland in 34 years.
Air weapons accounted for 38% of all offences - 195 out of 514 - compared with 36%, 234 offences, in 2010-11.
Justice minister Kenny MacAskill... (GunPolicy.org)
Weapons Seizures Rise as UK Police Crackdown on Gangs, Gun Suppliers
31 October 2012
Scotsman (Edinburgh) / Edinburgh Evening News (Scotland)
Silenced pistols, rifles and sub-machine gun rounds are among the firearms seized in the past year by the elite unit set up to take down organised crime in the Lothians.
Officers from the Serious and Organised Crime Unit also
recovered seven shotguns, two revolvers and two stun guns during raids on gang members and properties.
Hollow point bullets – dubbed "dum dums" – were also recovered.
The shells shatter on impact, where conventional bullets flatten, and... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Scotsman (Edinburgh) / Edinburgh Evening News (Scotland)
Assault Weapons Arsenal Found at Home of Scotland Gang Family
28 October 2012
Daily Record (Scotland)
An ally of the Daniel crime clan has been caught with an arsenal of guns – including three AK-47 assault rifles stashed in his loft.
Police discovered the machine guns and thousands of rounds of ammunition when they smashed into the home of Terence Carvell, 56.
Downstairs, they found dozens of legal and deactivated firearms. But upstairs in the house in Milton of Campsie, near Glasgow, they found three AK-47 Kalashnikovs and a pistol, oiled and ready for... (GunPolicy.org)
United States,Scotland,England & Wales,New Zealand,United Kingdom
British Police Reject Idea of More Guns Despite Deaths
19 September 2012
BBC News, Opinion
The deaths of two female police constables have brought into focus the unarmed status of most British police. Why does Britain hold firm against issuing guns to officers on the beat?
It's the single most obvious feature that sets the British bobby apart from their counterparts overseas.
Tourists and visitors regularly express surprise at the absence of firearms from the waists of officers patrolling the streets.
But to most inhabitants of the UK - with the notable... (GunPolicy.org)
UK Mail Considers Ban on Posting Guns
31 August 2012
BBC News
Plans by Royal Mail to ban the posting of guns and component parts from its services would lead to rural businesses closing, gamekeepers have claimed.
Royal Mail has launched a consultation proposing a ban on the transport of all firearms, including sporting guns.
It said it was acting to ensure its terms and conditions were consistent with existing firearms legislation.
But the Scottish Gamekeepers Association (SGA) argued the move would directly lead to rural job... (GunPolicy.org)
UK Remembers Hungerford Mass Shooting, 25 Years On
18 August 2012
BBC News
"People just want to forget about it, but they can't," says Bryan Geater, whose daughter was nearly killed by gunman Michael Ryan 25 years ago.
Say the name Hungerford and most people will associate the town with the events of Wednesday, 19 August, 1987.
That summer afternoon Ryan, a 27-year-old unemployed labourer, killed 16 people, injured 15 more and then turned the gun on himself to end a six-hour shooting spree.
He changed the lives of residents in the west... (GunPolicy.org)
In Scotland, It Is Cheaper to Hold a Gun Licence than a TV Licence
29 May 2012
STV (Glasgow)
Scottish ministers want the power to cap the number of guns that can be owned by any one person after figures hit a record high.
The number of licensed firearms in Scotland has risen by almost a fifth in the last ten years but there are fewer licensed owners.
This suggests that there are more guns concentrated in fewer hands, with the average gun owner holding about three weapons each.
A Scottish Government spokeswoman said they would like to see fees reviewed amid... (GunPolicy.org)
Uganda,Europe,Asia,Americas,Africa,Turkey,Scotland,United Kingdom,Oceania
Dunblane Father Urges End to Global Gun Trade Killing 1500 a Day
12 February 2012
Daily Record (Scotland)
A global campaign to control the trade in deadly weapons will be stepped up at Glasgow University tomorrow when anti-gun campaigner Dr Mick North - whose daughter Sophie was killed in Dunblane tragedy in 1996 - leads a new push by Oxfam and Amnesty towards a United Nations arms treaty.
Here, he explains why the issue means the difference between life and death.
_________
Next month marks the 16th anniversary of my daughter's death.
Sophie was just five when a gunman... (GunPolicy.org)
Europe,United Kingdom,Scotland
Every Crime Gun, Spent Bullet, Cartridge Case to Be Traced in Scotland
24 November 2011
BBC News
Scottish police have announced a new weapon in the fight against gun crime.
Using computer techniques they will identify weapons more quickly and link firearms incidents across the UK.
Previously it was possible to compare firearms and ballistic materials such as cartridges and bullets for links with other crimes.
But the National Ballistics Intelligence Service (Nabis) will allow police to check databases in England and eventually parts of Europe.
Within 48 hours... (GunPolicy.org)
Scottish Gun Crime Decreased by 24% between 2009-10 and 2010-11
25 October 2011
BBC News
The total number of offences involving firearms recorded by police across Scotland decreased by 24% between 2009-10 and 2010-11.
There were 154 shootings in which people were killed or injured last year, a drop of 28%.
The justice minister praised the efforts of Scotland's police forces in getting guns off the streets.
Kenny MacAskill said: "The message appears to be getting across that guns put lives at risk and anyone caught using them can and will be punished... (GunPolicy.org)
Northern Ireland,Scotland,United Kingdom,England & Wales
When Are UK Cops Allowed to Carry Guns?
10 August 2011
Foreign Policy (USA)
This week's riots in Britain, which have spread from the north London neighborhood of Tottenham to the cities of Birmingham, Liverpool, and Manchester, were sparked by the Aug. 4 shooting by police of a 29-year old London man. The victim, Mark Duggan, was carrying a weapon, though tests show he did not fire it. But Britain has long been well known for having an unarmed police force. Is that still the case?
Yes, but there are an increasing number of exceptions. The... (GunPolicy.org)
Man Who 'Unwittingly' Stole Gun Sentenced to 5-yr Prison in Scotland
21 July 2011
BBC News
Guy Whitelaw, 28, from Forres, told police he discovered the handgun in a cash box he took from the house.
Whitelaw admitted having the gun and was given minimum jail term for illegal possession of a firearm.
He told the court the victim, a 63-year-old woman who said the gun had belonged to her late husband, should be prosecuted for not having a permit.
The High Court in Edinburgh heard Whitelaw broke into the house in March and took jewellery, money and the cash box... (GunPolicy.org)
Trainee Gets First Gun, Shoots, Kills Girlfriend, Then Himself in Scotland
15 April 2011
Daily Record (Scotland)
The trainee gamekeeper who accidentally shot his girlfriend then killed himself had just been given his first hunting gun.
It is believed Calum Murray, 18, had been cleaning the weapon when it went off, killing 16-year-old Sophie Taylor.
Griefstricken Calum then shot himself in a cottage near the Highland village of Tomintoul on Tuesday.
Last night, his devastated pal Allan Donald revealed: "He was kind, generous - a typical lad. He wouldn't have hurt a fly.
"His... (GunPolicy.org)
Gun Licence Issued to Scottish 10yr-old Prompts Call to Raise UK Age Limit
20 December 2010
Herald (Scotland)
A minimum age limit for shotgun licences should be introduced, according to the Scottish Government, after it emerged one had been given to a child of 10.
Scottish ministers believe the Coalition Government should introduce the limit if it is not prepared to hand over power on gun control to Holyrood, a spokesman said.
As well as the 10-year-old, licences were given to a 13-year-old, five 14-year-olds and 11 children aged 15, official figures from the Lothian and... (GunPolicy.org)
Scots Gun Granny Kept WWII Pistol in Bed, Gets 5yr Sentence Quashed
18 November 2010
Daily Record (Scotland)
A Scottish granny jailed for five years for having her dad's World War II pistol under her mattress has had her sentence quashed.
Gail Cochrane was sent to prison after police found the family herirloom a Browning automatic, during a search of her home in Dundee last year while looking for her son.
At the High Court in Edinburgh Cochrane admitted illegal possession of the firearm, an offence with a minimum five-year jail term under Scots law.
The gun was found after... (GunPolicy.org)
