London , England ( CNN ) -- The shooting spree by taxi driver Derrick Bird across Cumbria , northern England has brought painful reminders of other mass shootings in the UK . The UK already has some of the toughest gun control laws in the world , introduced in the wake of two infamous UK mass shootings . In 1987 , Michael Ryan , 27 , killed 16 people in the southern English town of Hungerford , Berkshire , as he went on the rampage for several hours armed with a pistol , a hand grenade and an automatic rifle . Among Ryan 's victims were his mother , a policeman who tried to stop him and a woman who was picnicking in a nearby wood with her two children . Ryan , who wore combat fatigues while he carried out the massacre , was eventually tracked down to an unoccupied college building , where he shot himself . The UK government introduced new legislation following the massacre under the Firearms ( Amendment ) Act of 1988 , making it registration mandatory for owning shotguns and banning semi-automatic and pump-action weapons . Nine years later Thomas Hamilton , a former Scout leader , entered a school gym in the small Scottish town of Dunblane , Scotland . He opened fire on a group of five- and six-year children , killing 16 pupils and their teacher before killing himself . In 1997 legislation banned all pistols in the UK . Additionally after both Hungerford and Dunblane there were firearm amnesties across the UK , resulting in the surrender of thousands of firearms and rounds of ammunition . Anyone wanting to legally own a gun in the UK now has to hold a license . Police interview applicants who must disclose criminal convictions and explain why s/he wants a firearm . Checks are also made with the applicant 's doctor -- sometimes to make sure the doctor does not have concerns about the applicant owning a weapon -- and sometimes independent medical advice can be sought . Calls for gun control in the UK are at their fiercest following mass shootings such as Hungerford , Dunblane and now Cumbria . Did you see anything ? Send us photos , images . During the recent UK election , however , gun control barely figured amid the literature of the main political parties . The then Labour government said that : `` Homicides are at the lowest level for a decade -- gun murders are at their lowest for 20 years , and our gun laws are among the toughest in the world . '' Meanwhile the Liberal Democrats , now members of the governing coalition , asked that hospitals share information on firearms injuries with police so that they could target appropriate geographical areas . Many holders of gun licenses are often affiliated to rural sports organizations . In a statement on its website the British Association for Shooting and Conservation ( BASC ) -- which had its origins in the sport of wildfowling -- expressed its `` deep shock '' at shootings in Cumbria . Simon Clarke , spokesman for the organization , said it was too early to comment on the shootings in Cumbria but added : `` Britain 's firearms licensing system is amongst the toughest in the world and includes numerous safety and medical checks and balances . `` The UK has a well-worked approach to draw all possible lessons from any such event and we will co-operate fully where our expertise is appropriate . '' CNN 's Nick Hunt contributed to this report .
The United Kingdom has some of the toughest control rules in the world . Tougher gun controls were introduced after mass shootings in 1987 and 1996 . The recent UK election saw little discussion of gun control by political parties .