An essay on gun control can effectively summarize laws prevalent in a country for or against possession of firearms. In the UK, they have always been framed to protect citizens from attacks involving guns. Though there is really not enough debate for or against gun control, the UK does have very stringent gun legislation. The rate of homicide involving guns is 40 times less than that in USA, where it is much easier to buy a gun. But there has been an increase in gun crime in Britain. In 1996, Thomas Hamilton, a former scout master entered a school in Dublin and went on a shooting spree killing 16 children and a teacher. The attack lasted just about three minutes but he killed helpless five and six-year-olds. This carnage reinforced the viewpoint that firearms should be banned in the UK.