After the murder of his only child, who was five, Mick North is still battling the pro-gun lobby.
Mick North, who lost his daughter Sophie in the Dunblane Primary School shooting 30 years ago, has warned against allowing police patrol cars to carry guns.
After the murder of his only child, who was five, Mick is still battling the pro-gun lobby.
The 30th anniversary of the deaths of Sophie and 15 of her Primary 1 classmates as well as their teacher Gwen Mayor will be marked on Friday.
While the tragedy led within 16 months to a handgun ban in the UK, Mick, 78, is never complacent.
The Scottish Police Federation wants a gun to be carried in all patrol cars to enable officers to respond to threats without having to wait for firearms’ back-up. While the Scottish Government and the force’s top officers have not made favourable noises, the federation has formidable lobbying powers.
Mick said: “I recognise the police do need access to guns in certain circumstances but I worry about the consequences should they have them in every patrol car.
“All the evidence from all over the world shows the more guns there are in circulation, the more they’ll be misused.”
Much of the media focus soon fell on the fact Hamilton, who ended the rampage by taking his own life, had caused all the devastation with four legally-held handguns.
The Snowdrop Campaign, which Mick was an integral part of, soon emerged to lobby for a ban on guns over .22 calibre in private ownership.
Mick said: “It probably gave me a focus.”
Get more Daily Record exclusives by signing up for free to Google’s preferred sources. Click HERE.