254 children killed in schools since Dunblane

DUNBLANE still holds the macabre title for the highest child death-toll in a school massacre, research showed today - the 10th anniversary of the horrific primary school shooting spree.

With the tragic deaths of 16 youngsters, Dunblane remains the dreadful high watermark of school shootings, discounting the terrorist atrocity at Beslan in 2004.

The events have had a lasting effect on the close-knit community which, threatened by yet more media attention, constructed a wall of silence as the 10-year anniversary loomed. Very few locals want to talk about their memories of the massacre.

And understandably, the families of dead and injured children mostly shied away from recounting their harrowing stories.

At meetings with senior council figures, police and family representatives, a decision was made not to speak of the events or their aftermath to the media.

Also, no special service or memorial has been organised to mark the anniversary.

Data compiled by the International Action Network on Small Arms (IANSA) showed that, including Beslan, at least 254 children have been gunned down in schools around the world since Dunblane.

A further 196 adults have also lost their lives, and 840 people have been injured.

The 1999 massacre at Columbine High School in Colorado, US, was the second highest - claiming the lives of 14 children and one adult - while last year’s incident at Red Lake High School, Minnesota, claimed six children and five adults.

Only the 2002 slaughter at Erfurt, Germany, claimed more lives overall - two children and 16 adults.

IANSA’s figures showed 49 of the child deaths took place in 20 different school shootings in the US.

Director Rebecca Peters said: “The families and the entire community of Dunblane have to live with the very, very sad distinction that their school was the scene of the shooting where the largest number of children was killed.

“It is one of the incidents of gun violence that people all around the world can remember.”

She said a two-week United Nations conference in New York from June to July would be crucial in reducing gun deaths.

The campaigner called on the US and other countries such as Egypt, Iran, China and Venezuela to end their opposition to restrictions on privately-owned firearms.