LETTER : Dunblane massacre: no one should be allowed to keep guns at ho me

Sir: Our reaction to the Dunblane massacre must be one of horror and disgust. There will be many media hours devoted to how we can prevent such a tragedy in the future. It will focus on security issues, school patrols and so on. All this is necessary, but how many more appalling incidents must happen before as a nation we come to the realisation that an increasingly unjust society will lead to increasingly extreme expressions of evil, increasing use of drugs and increasing mental illness?

There is no justification for it, but it will happen. If we really want to prevent such incidents we must stop analysing each as though it had no deeper connection with the kind of society we have allowed to come into existence.

When every person feels that all politicians have only their citizens' interests at heart and do not act from self-interest, when justice is done and also seen to be done, then the biggest step will have been made to preventing a reoccurrence of this obscene act.

John Pickin

Sheffield