Anger over Whitehall airgun block

http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/scotland/7158476.stm

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The justice secretary has criticised the UK Government after it emerged Whitehall has blocked plans to impose a Scotland-only ban on airguns.

The Home Office has told Scottish ministers they will not be given control of gun laws, deeming the change "potentially damaging".

Kenny MacAskill accused his UK counterpart of ignoring serious crime in Scotland.

But a Labour MSP said cross-border firearms laws were the best solution.

Recent statistics showed that the weapons have killed three Scots and injured a further 1,154 in the past eight years.

I detect the dead hand of the Scotland Office behind this Kenny MacAskillJustice secretary

Although the Scottish Government has not put forward firm proposals for a ban, it has said in the past that action needs to be taken.

Mr MacAskill said: "I am extremely disappointed that the Westminster Government has not recognised that Scotland needs responsibility for firearms legislation to deal with this extremely serious problem in Scotland, particularly air weapon crime."

The family of two-year-old Andrew Morton, who died after being hit on the head with an airgun pellet two years ago in the Easterhouse area of Glasgow, have campaigned for a change in the law.

Although Mark Bonini was sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder, the youngster's parents have since campaigned for "Andrew's Law" which would see the weapons widely banned.

'Potentially dangerous'

They have collected more than 11,000 signatures supporting a ban.

Mr MacAskill added: "There is no doubt that when I met Jack Straw in July he was very sympathetic to the issue, as indeed he was on the important point that any prisoner transfer agreement with Libya must abide by the wishes of the Scottish Government.

"However, I detect the dead hand of the Scotland Office behind this.

"With the Scotland Office dogmatically against any further form of devolution - they have even talked about clawing powers back - not only are they ignoring the serious problem of air weapon crime in Scotland, they are leaving the Labour Party's commitment to further devolution threadbare and confused."

Labour's justice spokeswoman Pauline McNeill said: "The SNP's demand that all gun crime legislation should be handed over to Holyrood is unworkable and potentially dangerous.

"However, the Home Office need to recognise the strength of feeling about air weapons in Scotland and continue to take strong action in restricting their supply, including new laws if necessary."