Skye 'struggling with trauma' of fatal shooting

Police were called to a series of incidents around Skye in August

A pastor has said his community has suffered from "trauma" following a series of firearm incidents in north west of Scotland.

Reverend Gordon Matheson gave evidence to MPs on the Scottish Affairs Committee on Monday as it began its inquiry into firearms licensing.

The inquiry comes two months after John MacKinnon, 47, died after a firearm was discharged on Skye.

A 39-year-old man has been charged in connection with his alleged murder.

Finlay MacDonald has also been accused of the attempted murders of a 32-year-old woman, and a man and woman, both 63, in a series of shootings and a stabbing on Skye and in Dornie, Wester Ross.

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Rev Matheson, of Sleat and Strath Free Church, told MPs the events in August had caused the island's community to pick up "some of the trauma themselves".

He said: "There are multiple people struggling with what I think could be called legitimately as vicarious trauma, because we're such a close-knit community.

"Everybody has a connection with these families, either through the school or through just work in the community.

"A lot of people have picked up - as you do with traumatic experiences - some of the trauma themselves and are carrying that. Even the kids in school."

Rev Matheson said that his own daughter had become "a little bit scared to sleep in the room closest to the front door" following the attacks.

Dunblane massacre

Earlier in the proceedings, Dr Michael North, founder member of the Gun Control Network, told the committee he had previously advocated the idea of a hotline to allow people to raise concerns about a gun owner.

Dr North, whose daughter was killed in the 1996 Dunblane shooting, said he had received evidence from individuals whose concerns had not been picked up on.

He also said the five-year validity period for a firearm certificate should be shortened because an individual's circumstances could change during that time.

In a later session before the committee, MPs heard up-to-date figures on the number of guns and gun owners in Scotland.

Fraser Lamb, the firearms licensing adviser for the Scottish Association of Country Sports, said there was just short of 170,000 firearms logged in Scotland, registered to just over 60,000 owners.

Mr Lamb told the committee: "I don't think Scotland is awash with guns."

Dr Colin Sneddon, a director at the British Association for Shooting and Conservation, was asked how his group responded to tragedy involving a gun.

He said: "Inevitably, these very sad memories do have an impact on your through processes for the future - what could this mean apart from tragedy for the families involved, of course.

"But I also reflect on the fact that it is highly unusual for such an incident to take place - especially in northern Scotland - because in northern Scotland we have the highest density of firearms ownership pro rata anywhere in the UK, but it is also the area of the lowest firearm related crime."