| 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 outlawed the private ownership of most handguns in the UK with few exceptions.[1] The UK Government instituted a temporary gun buyback programme which provided some compensation to lawful handgun 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.