Shootings: Cumbria

Lord Inglewood Excerpts

Thursday 3rd June 2010 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Neville-Jones]

I entirely agree that it was highly inappropriate.

[Lord Inglewood]

As the Minister said, mass murder as we experienced it yesterday is fortunately extremely rare in our country. It is also extremely rare in all countries. Does she agree that the issues that this tragedy in my home area has thrown up require consideration, bearing in mind that many of the arguments deployed more generally in respect of guns, gun crime and safety from gun crime may not necessarily be pertinent?

[Baroness Neville-Jones]

My Lords, I take the point made by the noble Lord. It is not only the general proposition that we have to consider but also the local circumstances. Clearly, we need to know a great deal more about the background to this before it is sensible to draw conclusions for the whole country.