Despite Lord Cullen's inquiry, politicians propose to ban the private legal possession of all handguns.

This will mean the end of a hobby I have enjoyed for more than 30 years.

However, as a parent, I can understand the bereaved families of the victims of Dunblane feeling hate towards the evil perpetrator of the act and then blaming licensed gun owners in general.

They had to focus their grief and anger on someone and it was logical for them to blame all gun owners.

The "Snowdrop" organisation has been spectacularly effective in their campaign to ban legally owned handguns.

Their campaign has been a successful catalogue of propaganda and media manipulation that culminated in the Cathedral Remembrance service held during the first days of the Conservative party conference.

But although they have my compassion, they have intentionally misled the media and general public.

Those who think that even the total banning of the legal ownership of all firearms will prevent mass murder, are terribly wrong.

You will never legislate evil out of society by enacting laws that only affect law-abiding and responsible citizens.

Senior politicians of all parties have now allowed their quest for votes to override all other considerations - even the expensive public inquiry by Lord Cullen.

It must be unacceptable that politicians do not trust independent and detailed investigations into matters of such importance and would appear to rely on the opinion of tabloid newspapers.

LOCAL (and soon to be ex-) GUN COLLECTOR (name and address received).

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.