Senior news writer for the Shropshire Star specialising in in-depth features and commentary, investigative reporting and political matters. How effective has the year ban on pistols been since the Dunblane massacre?
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Hamilton was often described as an obsessive misfit who bottled up his paranoid resentment and was nicknamed Mr Creepy by others in the town of Dunblane.
Just after 9. Hamilton entered the school gym, where Primary 1 students had just arrived for a PE class with their teacher Gwen Mayor. He immediately opened fire, killing Mayor instantly and wounding two other teachers who were present in the gym. While most children were dragged into a store cupboard for safety by their teachers, Hamilton fired 16 shots at point-blank range at a group of children who had been injured by his previous shots. It doesn't discriminate, touching the lives of people in every corner of society - from the homeless and unemployed to builders and doctors, reality stars and footballers.
It's the biggest killer of people under the age of 35, more deadly than cancer and car crashes. Yet it's rarely spoken of, a taboo that threatens to continue its deadly rampage unless we all stop and take notice, now. The aim is that by sharing practical advice, raising awareness and breaking down the barriers people face when talking about their mental health, we can all do our bit to help save lives.
On the same day as Sandy Hook, a knife attack at an elementary school in China, which has some of the strictest gun control measures in the world, wounded 23 children and an year-old woman.
Another complicating factor is the protracted path from outlawing guns to actually getting them off the street. Though the number of recorded firearm offenses in England and Wales dropped 37 percent between and , crimes involving guns have since experienced a slight uptick —a trend Squires attributes partly to the proliferation of illegal weapons, including modified imports and antiques, that are traded among gangs and used in multiple crimes.
I don't think we can tackle it on a weapon by weapon basis. Effective policing and enforcement of existing gun laws, as well as ambitious research efforts aimed at pinpointing the drivers of mass violence, are just as essential as stricter regulations, the researchers argue. Since its opening in , the Dunblane Centre —built with donations that poured in from around the world after the shooting—has served as a site of community, celebration and remembrance.
In , locals gathered there around a television to cheer on tennis star Andy Murray , a Dunblane native who survived the massacre as an 8-year-old, as he became the first British man to win at Wimbledon in 77 years. Prior to the pandemic, the center hosted a range of activities, including fitness classes, a youth Lego-building club and a choir. The 11 students and 3 teachers injured are recognized with a cluster of snowdrops.
And that speaks a lot to the power of collective action. Meilan Solly is Smithsonian magazine's associate digital editor, history. The world tennis number five, who next week will begin his defence of his Wimbledon title, broke down in tears last year when asked about his memories of the murders for a BBC documentary, saying that as a child "you have no idea how tough something like that is, and then as you start to get older, you realise … It wasn't until a few years ago I started to research it and look into it a lot, because I didn't really want to know.
He has previously spoken about remembering only "patch impressions" from that day, "such as being in a classroom singing songs". Of his sporting success, he said that "it's just nice I've been able to do something that the town is proud of". He has since bought and renovated a luxury hotel in Dunblane, saying he was pleased to be able to "give something back to the community I grew up in".
Murray, herself an elite tennis coach who is captain of the British Federation's Cup team, hit back at criticism of herself as a "dragon" mother. There's something about a competitive mum, especially when the children are male. If I want to see my children, watching them play is often the easiest way. I don't smile when I watch Andy because I'm totally focused. If he looks up, he doesn't want to see me laughing.
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