Straw hears Scotland airgun plea

Demands for an airgun ban in Scotland have increased

Calls to ban airguns in Scotland have had a "sympathetic response" from the UK Government, according to Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill.

The power to regulate firearms is reserved to Westminster.

But Mr MacAskill said he raised the matter with UK Justice Secretary Jack Straw last week.

Demands for tighter controls have grown since two-year-old Andrew Morton was killed by an airgun pellet in Glasgow two years ago.

Options for a possible way forward were raised and received a sympathetic response from Mr Straw Kenny MacAskill Justice Minister

The Scottish National Party had pledged to raise the issue with the UK administration within 100 days of coming to power.

Mr MacAskill and First Minister Alex Salmond met Mr Straw during his visit to Holyrood last Friday.

"The first minister and new justice secretary had a very productive meeting, during which the issue of action to tackle the scourge of air weapons was discussed," Mr MacAskill said.

"Options for a possible way forward were raised and received a sympathetic response from Mr Straw."

There have been three deaths and 1,154 people have been injured by airguns in Scotland since records began in 1999.

Registered dealers

New UK-wide laws were put on the statute book at Westminster last year, but will not come into effect until later this year.

The new measures will mean airguns can be sold only by registered dealers who are approved by the police.

They will increase the legal age for owning the weapons from 17 to 18 and outlaw mail order and online sales.

The law will also be tightened up on the indiscriminate and reckless firing of airguns from private property.

But both Labour and SNP MSPs argued that these laws do not go far enough.

The families of some of those who have been killed by the weapons, including the parents of the murdered Glasgow toddler Andrew Morton, have called for a total ban.

Mr MacAskill added: "The Scottish government believe that we need firearms legislation to deal with this extremely serious problem in Scotland."