THE LABOUR leader, Mr Tony Blair, is expected to call for a total ban on handguns above .22 calibre this week when he presents his party's suggestions to the Cullen Inquiry into the Dunblane massacre.
According to Labour Party sources the proposals could remove up to 200,000 firearms from circulation by banning all pistols, including revolvers and semi automatic weapons. Mr Blair is also expected to raise the minimum age for firearms certificates for rifles and handguns from 14 to 18, and impose rigorous tests before issuing any certificates and give police powers of refusal without having to state a reason.
The shadow Home Secretary, Mr Jack Straw, said gun ownership should not be a right. "It was lawfully licensed handguns which were used in the massacres at Hungerford and Dunblane. Handguns and rifles have one purpose only and that is of killing other people and we believe that the public want to see very intense restrictions on their availability," he added.
The move will certainly wrongfoot the Prime Minister Mr Major, who to the anger of many within his own party has repeatedly stated that he does not plan to bring in any new gun laws until the Cullen Inquiry concludes its report into the massacre of 16 primary school children and their teacher.
Mr David Mellor, a former Conservative minister, has also called for a total ban on hand guns. However, the Home Secretary, Mr Michael Howard, defended the government's decision to await the outcome of the inquiry.
"We want to make sure that when we do legislate, if we do legislate, and it may well be appropriate to legislate, that it is a carefully thought through, that it's the result of a careful examination of the various options and that we get it right " he said.
A senior Conservative Party spokesman accused Labour of attempting to score "cheap" political points with their proposals. "Tony Blair is once again following in our footsteps. I do think it is a pity if this subject is turned into a party political matter. I would have thought that all parties would want to see what Lord Cullen recommends in his report before making any firm proposals," he added.