British Parliament OKs Bill to Ban All Handguns

Lawmakers voted overwhelmingly Wednesday to pass a bill outlawing all handguns, apparently signaling the end of handgun ownership in Britain.

An amendment to the Firearms Bill, drawn up after a lone gunman massacred 16 schoolchildren and their teacher in the Scottish town of Dunblane in March 1996, passed the key second stage in the House of Commons. Thanks to the new Labor government’s solid 179-seat majority, the bill’s passage through two more stages in the House of Commons appears assured.

“It will in general no longer be possible to practice handgun sports in the mainland of Britain,” although the country will occasionally play host to international shooting events, Home Secretary Jack Straw said.

The bill extends the more modest ban that the Conservative government of former Prime Minister John Major passed through Parliament in November to include .22-caliber and smaller weapons. The larger-caliber handguns will be banned from July 1 after Parliament approved a $245-million package to compensate owners.

Gun owners are angered by the tougher gun laws and claim that they are being made scapegoats for the act of a crazed, lone gunman. They will have until September to dispose of their weapons or face a jail sentence of up to 10 years.

News reports have said target shooters will travel to France or Belgium to pursue their sport, and target ranges are planned for the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands, where the laws do not apply.