Police Scotland has a total of 494 authorised firearms officers, with their deployment based on the prevalence of firearms incidents as opposed to the prevalence of firearms. Most incidents take place in the central belt while most legally held weapons are in the north of the country.

Finlay MacDonald, 41, repeatedly stabbed his wife Rowena at their home on the island of Skye before driving 10 miles to another village, where he shot and killed his brother-in-law John MacKinnon. The marine engineer then drove for another 40 miles before shooting Fay MacKenzie and her husband John in their home on the Scottish mainland.

A man has been found guilty of murdering his brother-in-law and attempting to kill three other people during a shotgun rampage on the Isle of Skye and the Scottish mainland. Finlay MacDonald, 41, carried out the spree of violence on August 10,