Saying the "cold-blooded slaughter of tiny children is beyond atrocity," the government ordered a public inquiry into how a gunman could burst into a Scottish school and massacre 16 kindergarten children and their teacher.

"The whole nation mourns," the Cabinet minister responsible for Scotland told a grim House of Commons as he announced a full public inquiry into the massacre at Dunblane Primary School.Michael Forsyth, who visited the scene of the shootings, said Thursday that what he had seen there encompassed both the worst and the best of humanity.

In contrast to the "stark evil of the crime," doctors, teachers, police and others worked unsparingly to save lives and console sur-vi-vors, he said.

Prime Minister John Major visited Dunblane on Friday.

"From all I've heard of it, people have handled the matter with immense courage so far. But that courage will have to be sustained," said Major, who was joined by opposition leader Tony Blair and their wives, a gesture of national solidarity across the political divide.

Many Britons were asking how a man widely regarded as unstable and unsavory was able to get licenses for the guns he owned, and Major pledged on Thursday that the country's strict firearms controls would be reviewed.

In Britain, permits to own handguns, rifles and shotguns are awarded to individuals who show good reason to own such a weapons and are not considered a threat to others. Semiautomatic weapons are outlawed. People who have spent more than three years in jail are banned for life from owning a gun.

View Comments

Authorities didn't confirm rumors that Hamilton - who had no criminal record - was a homosexual pedophile. But he protested to the end about reports spread about him.

But no one dreamed a mass murderer lurked behind the argumentative and unpopular loner, who resented the dwindling turnout at the boys' club meetings he held every Thursday at 6 p.m.

On Thursday, news organizations received bundles of letters evidently mailed by Hamilton on the eve of the shooting, declaring he was "not a pervert."

The letters included one he sent to Queen Elizabeth II last week. They complained about his ouster from the Boy Scouts 22 years ago.

Looking for comments?
Find comments in their new home! Click the buttons at the top or within the article to view them — or use the button below for quick access.