Gun laws

IF GORDON Kennedy (Letters, 28 January) would read intelligently into what Nigel Farage of Ukip has said about hand gun control he would realise that Britain has had, for some considerable time now, the most stringent gun control laws in the world.

These impinge on many hundreds of thousands of law-abiding target shooters.

Thomas Hamilton had a psychotic personality which was recognised, to no avail, by several persons of varying ranks in the police force in his area.

Why he was permitted to hold a firearms certificate approved by a person in high office remains a mystery which we are not permitted to review, such being the web of secrecy surrounding this case.

Had Hamilton not been permitted to own handguns he would have had easy access to the firearms underworld which thrives in London and wherever certain elements of the community regard a handgun as a necessary accessory.

Tragedies on the horrific scale of Dunblane can be reduced to near zero if the police exercise incisive profiling of the characters of those seeking firearms certificates.

Alastair Harper

Lathalmond

by Dunfermline