While serious gun crime in Edinburgh is thankfully very rare, there have been a number of noteworthy incidents and close calls down the years.
One of the most infamous firearms-related incidents occurred during the winter of 1985, when city gunsmith Eric Miller barricaded himself in his shop and staged an eight-hour siege.
Days earlier police had raided Field & Stream, Miller's gun and fishing tackle shop at 61 Montrose Terrace in the Abbeyhill area of the city, and had discovered that the owner's firearms records were far below the legal requirement.
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But on the morning of November 25, at around 9am, just as the last of Miller's collection of more than 1,300 weapons were being removed by officers, Miller threatened to take his own life and barricaded himself in the shop, sparking a siege that would last eight hours.
As the stand off escalated, armed police wearing bullet-proof vests arrived and crashed through the gates of Field & Stream and attempted to reason with the highly-distressed businessman. Diversions were put in place at the busy Abbeyhill junction with police sealing the immediate area off from the public.
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It was then that Miller vanished behind the counter and fired a shot into the ceiling with the revolver he was carrying. The vintage firearm was eventually commandeered by Detective Superintendent Tom Wood.
As dusk fell, with the siege having lasted eight long hours, Miller gave himself up and was taken by ambulance to hospital where he was treated for hypothermia and shock.
Appearing at Edinburgh High Court the following October, Miller, 51, pleaded guilty to his charges, which included possession of the revolver, trading illegally, keeping CS gas, and breach of the peace. He was sentenced to two years and 10 months in prison.
After being freed from jail, Miller went back to running Field & Stream.
Fast forward to 2014, Miller, who by then was aged 80, again faced the wrath of trading standards for his failure to obtain the correct licenses for his weapons. The elderly business owner was sentenced to 225 hours community service.
The Abbeyhill gun and fishing tackle shop is now a tattoo parlour.
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