LONDON - A total ban on handguns was endorsed overwhelmingly by the Commons last night despite strong opposition from the Tories and some Labour backbenchers.
The Firearms (Amendment) Bill, drawn up in the wake of last year's Dunblane massacre, was backed with a majority of 211.
Voting was 384 to 173 to reject a Tory amendment which would have blocked the Bill's second reading. Labour MPs were given a free vote on the issue, which follows the outlawing of all large calibre handguns by the previous Tory government.
The vote came after the Prime Minister voiced his personal support for an extension of the ban to include smaller calibre weapons as well.
"I think we do owe a moral responsibility to the victims of Dunblane and their families. That is the reason why we have sought to bring forward this legislation," Mr Blair said at Question Time.
"I think they are the right measures and I think we all remember in this House the day of Dunblane and what happened there and we want to do all in our power to make sure that that never happens again."
The move comes after a long campaign launched by the families of 16 children shot dead at Dunblane Primary School just over a year ago.