And who will get the blame? The police? Or shooting community?

[enfieldspares]

We shall see. I hope we will not but do fear we will see the same attempts as after Plymouth and Dunblane to try to avoid the responsibility of the police for issuing the man's licence in the outset. The two reports commissioned so far have yet to be made public.

MacDonald's attacks were carried out with a pump action shotgun he bought for £625. He had held a firearms licence for 15 months and told police he owned six guns.

Skye man murdered brother-in-law during shooting spree

Finlay MacDonald, who stabbed his wife then shot three people on and around Skye, was jailed for at least 28 years.

www.bbc.co.uk

Could police have handled Skye shooting differently?

Finlay MacDonald was jailed on Friday for killing his brother-in-law and attempting to murder three others.

www.bbc.co.uk

 

[bobt]

lessons will be learned?

 

[Pedro]

So, effectively, most firearms incidents occur in the central belt of Scotland. Which makes sense, it's where most people live. But most firearm certificates are held in the north of the country. Which you would expect, it being the most rural. So Police Scotland base the great majority of it's firearms officers around that central belt. Makes sense, to a degree.

However that means response times for some sort of firearms incident in the much of the Highlands is too long by far. Not a new problem in rural forces really. A long time ago, although forces had dedicated firearms officers in those rural forces, there were also AFOs in divisions doing normal policing duties. They didn't carry firearms every day, but were trained and could, with authorisation withdraw firearms to deal with local incidents. Probably something like that needs re-visited in such rural forces, including Police Scotland.

I know the argument against that is that firearms teams are better trained, on account of doing it all the time. But being the best trained AFO in the world doesn't count for anything if you can only arrive after all the action is over. Well done to those folk and the unarmed police officers that managed to detain that man.

That report above also says that the responsibility for reporting firearms/shotgun certificate holders of their mental health problems is the actual holder. Which should happen. But if your mental health is impaired, it's predictably unlikely to happen. His doctor (I understand he was treated for relevant conditions) and family/friends who knew, need to be spoken to I would suggest.

 

[mealiejimmy]

We shall have to wait to see what the official reports say, but given that he was only granted his SGC 15 months before the incident. he must have obtained a medical report from his GP or other organisation like Medcert before the grant of the certificate
Apparently his NHS medical records stretch to 338 pages so you might think that whoever signed off his medical report for his application should have gone through the records looking for relevant conditions
I have a feeling there's a doctor out there somewhere whos a**e is twitching

Cheers

Bruce

 

[Liveonce]

Yet the attack using the Knife is all but ignored as they know it’s impossible to licence knives.

Truly awful as this incident was they are thankfully very rare and in practice difficult to predict in advance given the perpetrator suddenly snaps to a given situation at that moment in time.

 

[doric_prince]

We shall have to wait to see what the official reports say, but given that he was only granted his SGC 15 months before the incident. he must have obtained a medical report from his GP or other organisation like Medcert before the grant of the certificate
Apparently his NHS medical records stretch to 338 pages so you might think that whoever signed off his medical report for his application should have gone through the records looking for relevant conditions
I have a feeling there's a doctor out there somewhere whos a**e is twitching

Cheers

Bruce

Whilst the suitability / unsuitability of the license grant in this case will no doubt be reviewed. The bravery of the policeman involved and also one of the victims in disarming the attacker should be commended. Can’t even imagine the fear that being in such a situation would cause. Horrible series of events.

 

[timbrayford]

Probably best not to speculate

 

[20ppc]

C

We shall have to wait to see what the official reports say, but given that he was only granted his SGC 15 months before the incident. he must have obtained a medical report from his GP or other organisation like Medcert before the grant of the certificate
Apparently his NHS medical records stretch to 338 pages so you might think that whoever signed off his medical report for his application should have gone through the records looking for relevant conditions
I have a feeling there's a doctor out there somewhere whos a**e is twitching

Cheers

Bruce