"Snowdrops are in bloom this weekend as Dunblane shakes off its winter chill and looks ahead to spring. But in this Scottish town, the carpet of while petals marks not just a new season but also the anniversary of a school shooting that led to an immediate change in gun laws. Twenty years ago this Sunday, a local gun owner walked into the town’s elementary school and fatally shot 16 first-graders and their teacher before killing himself. Pictures of anguished parents running through the streets for news of their children deepened public outrage, and a crusade to tighten controls — led by townspeople and victims’ families — won widespread support. The "Snowdrop Campaign," which took its name from the only spring flower in bloom at the time of the massacre, resulted in a ban on all private hand-guns.... The Dunblane shooter, unemployed 43-year-old Thomas Hamilton, was the legal owner of all four handguns used in the attack: two Browning pistols and two Smith & Wesson revolvers. However, the police firearms-licensing office was unaware that complaints had been made about Hamiltons behavior towards young boys at after-school clubs that he ran. The Snowdrop Campaign successfully argued for deeper background checks of firearm certificate applicants."
"Jim Moriarty: [Enters through a side door] I gave you my number. I thought you might call. Is that a British Army Browning L9A1 in your pocket, or are you just pleased to see me? Sherlock: [Draws the gun, points it at Moriarty] Both."
"...having entered the school with 4 handguns and 743 rounds of ammunition, Thomas Hamilton fired 105 rounds with a 9 mm Browning self-loading pistol over a space of about 3-4 minutes before committing suicide with one shot from a .357 Smith & Wesson revolver....Thomas Hamilton had with him two 9 mm Browning self-loading (or semi-automatic) pistols and two .357 Smith & Wesson revolvers....As regards the pistols, Thomas Hamilton had used one of them in order to fire all of his shots at his victims.... The examination of the scene showed that Thomas Hamilton had fired 105 rounds of 9 mm ammunition by means of pistol A. He had with him 25 extended box-type magazines, each of which was capable of holding 20 rounds of 9 mm ammunition and suitable for use with either pistol. (The standard magazine for such pistols was capable of holding 13 cartridges.)...I have no doubt that if Thomas Hamilton had chosen to do so he could have killed every person in the gym....Thomas Hamilton then re-entered the gym where he shot again. He then released the pistol and drew a revolver. He placed the muzzle of the revolver in his mouth, pointing upwards and pulled the trigger. His death followed quickly. Mrs Mayor and 15 children lay dead in the gym and one further child was close to death. They had sustained a total of 58 gun shot wounds. 26 of these wounds were of such a nature that individually they would have proved fatal."
"The Hi Power was in many ways the Glock of its day. Easy to disassemble and with a large magazine capacity, the Hi Power was a leap ahead from contemporary gun designs when it was first introduced in 1935. The Hi Power used many features in Browning’s other famous pistol, the 1911A1 but showed considerable refinement, including such features as a twin-row, double-stack magazine that accommodated 13 rounds of nine-millimeter ammunition. That was up to twice as much ammo as other semiautomatic pistols and is where the pistol gets the name "Hi Power". The Hi Power was eventually outclassed by other handguns in its class such as the Glock 17, Sig Sauer P226, and Smith & Wesson M&P, that offered modern features at a lower price point. Unusually, the Hi Power was never updated with modern features such as an accessory rail, night sights, and the use of polymers. John Browning’s last pistol stayed true to form until the very end."
"[Michael and Fiona are in their car being chased by cops.] Michael: Do you have guns in the trunk, Fi?! Fiona: A few semi-automatics, yeah. I got a deal, Michael. This guy was selling Browning 9mms for 200 bucks a piece. Michael: You have unregistered weapons in a stolen car, Fi!"
"NEW! 7-round self-loading recoil-acting pistol BROWNING. ...The appearance of the Browning pistol caused the same revolution in the use of this type of weapon that was once caused by the appearance of mitrailleuses and rapid-fire guns in the artillery world... The strength of the design and the quality of the material of the Browning fully correspond to the strength of its fire, and its general exterior beauty is unprecedented... The named pistol is ideal of such a weapon in the literal sense of the word."
"Mike: What’s happening, Buffer? Buffer: They’re still looking for a tube, sir. Mike: [Looks thoughtful.] Tell X she’s got a pistol. Use it. Buffer: You want him to shoot her? Mike: Tell X to break down her Browning, remove the 9-millimetre barrel, use it as a tube. Over. Buffer: Got it."