| Dunblane massacre | |
|---|---|
 Gwen Mayor and her pupils, 1996 | |
| Location | Dunblane, Stirling, Scotland |
| Coordinates | 56°11′20″N 3°58′27″W / 56.1890°N 3.9743°W |
| Date | 13 March 1996 c. 9:35 – 9:40 a.m. (GMT) |
| Target | Pupils and staff at Dunblane Primary School |
Attack type | School shooting, mass murder, mass shooting, pedicide, murder–suicide |
| Weapons |
|
| Deaths | 18 (including the perpetrator)[1] |
| Injured | 15 |
| Perpetrator | Thomas Hamilton |
The Dunblane massacre took place at Dunblane Primary School in Dunblane, near Stirling, Scotland, on 13 March 1996, when 43-year-old Thomas Hamilton killed 16 pupils and one teacher and injured 15 others before killing himself. It remains the deadliest mass shooting in British history.[1]
Following the killings, public debate centred on gun control laws, including public petitions for a ban on private ownership of handguns and an official inquiry, which produced the 1996 Cullen Report.[2]
The incident led to a public campaign, known as the Snowdrop Petition, which helped bring about legislation, specifically two new Firearms Acts, which prohibited the private ownership of most handguns in Great Britain.[1] The UK Government instituted a buyback programme which provided compensation to licensed owners.
- ^ a b c "Mass shootings and gun control". BBC News. 2 June 2010. Archived from the original on 1 April 2018. Retrieved 12 March 2017.
- ^ "Public inquiry into the shootings at Dunblane Primary School". gov.uk. Scottish Office. 16 October 1996. Archived from the original on 22 March 2021. Retrieved 9 March 2017.