knockin’ on heavens door

Knockin’ on Heavens Door
Mark Knopfler
playing for the Dunblane Tribute (1996)
Song written by Bob Dylan

The Dunblane Massacre

The Dunblane massacre took place at Dunblane Primary School in Dunblane, near Stirling, Scotland, on 13 March 1996,
when 43-year-old Thomas Hamilton killed 16 pupils and one teacher
and injured 15 others before killing himself.
It remains the deadliest mass shooting in British history.

Mark Knopfler on guitar and Ted Christopher on vocals.
Created in memory of the Dunblane Massacre.
Includes a new verse written for the children who were killed,
sung with a children’s choir made up of siblings of the victims.
Reached #1 in the UK and raised funds for children’s charities.

Following the killings, public debate centered on gun control laws, including public petitions for a ban on private ownership of handguns and an official inquiry, which produced the 1996 Cullen Report.

The incident led to a public campaign, known as the Snowdrop Petition, which helped bring about legislation, specifically two new Firearms Acts, which prohibited the private ownership of most handguns in Great Britain.
The UK Government instituted a buyback program which provided compensation to licensed owners.