THE DUNBLANE massacre in Scotland 25 years ago was one of the UK’s most shocking gun crimes and was a horrific event that shook the entire structure of the country. Thomas Hamilton shot and killed 16 pupils and their teacher in the gym hall of Dunblane Primary School on March 13 1996 before shooting himself. Such was the nature of the shooting, fear gripped much of the country as parents asked themselves if they thought their child was safe in their place of education. Schools reevaluated their safety procedures, bolstering security and improving the systems they already had in place. One school in Bury thought they would be the next target of a madman when a man with a bogus shotgun terrified schoolchildren just weeks after the massacre.