Rupert Lowe, leader of the far-right Restore Britain party and MP for Great Yarmouth, has sparked outrage after describing the 1996 Dunblane school massacre as “just one murder” during an appearance on The Joe Rogan Experience podcast.
Lowe's remarks on gun control
In a conversation about gun control, Lowe told Rogan: “As you probably know, they banned handguns in the late 90s because there was a murder up in Dunblane.” When Rogan asked, “One murder?”, Lowe replied: “One murder.” He went on to say that his late father, who shot pistols for Oxford University, had all his pistols taken away as a result of the ban.
In reality, the Dunblane massacre on March 13, 1996, claimed 17 lives—16 pupils aged five and six, and one teacher, Gwen Mayor. Fifteen others were injured when Thomas Hamilton, 43, opened fire in the gymnasium of Dunblane Primary School before taking his own life. It remains the deadliest mass shooting in UK history.
Victim's family reacts
Emma Crozier was among those killed. Her brother, Jack Crozier, told Sky News: “Rupert Lowe’s father had his pistols taken away. My father had his daughter taken away. He knew exactly what happened at Dunblane. He made an active choice, on one of the world’s biggest podcasts, to describe the massacre of 16 five and six-year-old children and their teacher as ‘one murder’. The people of Great Yarmouth need to seriously consider if this is who they want representing them.”
Impact on gun laws
The massacre prompted a national debate on gun laws, leading to the Snowdrop Campaign and the Firearms (Amendment) Acts of 1997, which banned private ownership of most handguns in Great Britain. The tragedy also left a lasting impact on survivors, including tennis star Andy Murray, who was eight at the time. Murray and his brother Jamie hid under a desk in the headteacher's office during the attack. In his 2008 autobiography, Murray wrote: “I could have been one of those children. Some of my friends’ brothers and sisters were killed.”
Metro has contacted Rupert Lowe for comment.
