RUPERT Lowe’s claim that the Dunblane massacre was “just one murder” has been branded “despicable” by the town’s MSP.
Keith Brown, who is also the SNP’s deputy leader, condemned the hard-right Restore Britain leader after he used the tragedy to complain about the lack of guns in the UK on Joe Rogan’s Experience podcast.
“They don’t want the public to have guns. As you probably know they banned handguns in the late 90s, because there was a murder up in Dunblane,” Lowe said on the podcast.
When Rogan queried this, Lowe repeated: “One murder.”
He then went on to complain that his father’s shooting pistols were taken away.
The Dunblane massacre was one of the deadliest mass shootings in UK history, where 16 children and a teacher were killed. A further 15 children were wounded.
The majority of handguns were then banned in the UK by John Major’s 1997 Conservative Government after a petition set up by parents in the area gathered more than 700,000 signatures.
In response to Lowe’s comments, local MSP Brown said: “Rupert Lowe is a stain on our politics and his comments are beyond despicable.
“Sixteen children and a teacher were shot dead while 15 more children were wounded.
“Despite these hideous remarks from Rupert Lowe, the Snowdrop Campaign that followed that terrible day ensured a ban on the private ownership of most handguns – that is the proud legacy of the bereaved families and the local community.
“Their courage and determination in the aftermath of the attack is something we should never betray and our community will never let the likes of Rupert Lowe do exactly that.”
Alan Brown, another SNP MSP, also condemned Lowe's remarks, saying that "referring to Dunblane as 'one murder' is a shameful distortion of one of Scotland’s darkest days".
"Sixteen children and their teacher were massacred in the UK’s deadliest mass shooting," he added. "A stark reminder of just how out of touch Britain’s privileged elites really are."
Former SNP MP John Nicolson said that Lowe had been "shockingly callous and ignorant". He added: "Sixteen wee children killed and their teacher. 15 injured. But his regret here? That his father lost his pistols."
Earlier this year, Reform UK leader Nigel Farage doubled down on his previous remarks that handgun laws brought in after Dunblane are “ludicrous”.
Farage, who has currently resigned as an MP following scrutiny of his finances and is set to fight a by-election over the summer, claimed in 2014 there was “almost no link” between “sensible, decent people” keeping handguns under a licensing system and gun crime on the streets, and insisted on repealing the ban.
This year, which marked 30 years since the tragedy, Farage refused to back track on his comments.
