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right but a God given right. It is not a particularly divisive issue as most agree with this as being an absolute and irrevocable right. Guns get America as fired up as Abortion and Gay rights, but lack the divisive nature of the other two issues.

There are pro gun control groups in America, but too often there voice is drowned out by the more powerful pro-gun lobby, particularly the N.R.A. (National Rifle Association). In 2000, almost 500,000 women and children known as the Million Mom March congregated in Washington to protest against the lack of gun control measures in the country (including representatives from Dunblane). They were joined by tens of thousands of others around the country at the same time. Shamefully though, this movement has gone largely unrecognised. The provision within the U.S. constitution that allows, or is interpreted as allowing the free sale of fire arms falls under the 2nd Amendment, it states;

"A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed."

There are two important questions that must be asked here; firstly, what does a well regulated militia' entail? And secondly, is an amendment added in 1791 to a document written in the 1780's still relevant today? The first question is perhaps one for the political and military philosophers but I am sure that the second question can be answered quite simply. In the late 1700's America was essentially a lawless land, a growing nation expanding its way across a continent, faced with great and seemingly insurmountable challenges and grave dangers, essentially America was expanding into the unknown. In such times it is understandable that some form of self preservation measure would be to allow for a means of defence for the populace. Guns fitted the bill then, unfortunately they do not now.

It is easy to sit here in a nation with strict gun control laws and pontificate on what a troubled, violent nation should do to prevent any future occurrences similar to yesterday's tragedy from happening. Britain and Europe have gun crime, but it is nowhere near to the levels seen in the US. As we in Scotland know, March 13, 1996 was a very dark day in our history, Thomas Hamilton shot and killed sixteen 5 and 6 year olds and a teacher at a Dunblane primary school before turning the gun on himself, On April 26, 2002 Robert Steinhaeuser, of Erfurt, Germany shot 13 teachers, two pupils, a police officer and himself.

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