Household member interviews 'should be mandatory'

THE father of a schoolgirl killed in the Dunblane massacre has warned new gun licensing reforms don't go far enough.

- BY CHRIS MCCALL

Dr Mick North, who lost his daughter Sophie, said he welcomed changes to the statutory guidance on firearms announced last week.

But he added: "It feels that there is still a long way to go before public safety is appropriately prioritised."

People applying for shotgun certificates now need two referees instead of one, while referees need to have known the applicant well for at least two years and vouch for them.

Gun licensing is a reserved matter and the changes made by Labour apply across the UK.

The rule change over the number of referees was a direct response to concerns raised at an inquest after fatal shootings in Keyham, Plymouth, in 2021, in which Jake Davison shot his mother and four others before killing himself.