Britain Rejects Outright Ban On Handguns

The House of Commons rejected an outright ban on handguns Monday, instead approving a partial ban proposed by the government after a gunman killed 16 children and a teacher in a Scottish school in March.

As the vote was announced, cries of “Shame!” echoed from the gallery where parents of the victims of the Dunblane massacre watched the deliberations.

The British government estimates that 160,000 weapons will be banned under the measure, which outlaws guns above .22 caliber and allows only gun clubs to use smaller-caliber weapons.

“If we were tonight to leave a loophole in the firearms laws big enough for another mass murderer … to walk through, then we would never be forgiven,” said the Labor Party’s Scottish spokesman, George Robertson.