Six dead in Iowa. A domestic dispute turned massacre. British Home Office sources confirm a review of UK gun laws is now 'under active consideration.'
Don't be fooled. This isn't about Iowa. It's about the polls. Labour is 12 points ahead. The Home Secretary is desperate for a win. A gun crackdown plays well with focus groups in the Blue Wall.
The UK has some of the strictest gun laws in the world. Handguns were banned after Dunblane in 1997. Semi-automatic rifles were outlawed in 1988 after Hungerford. Yet here we are again. Another mass shooting in America. Another bout of political posturing in Westminster.
The review is reportedly being fast-tracked by the Home Office's Firearms Unit. They'll look at 'lever-action' rifles, muzzle-loading pistols, and antique firearms. Changes to licensing fees are on the table. Don't expect any drama. The real action is behind closed doors.
Leaks suggest the Home Secretary wants to be seen as tough on guns. But the Treasury is balking at the cost of a buyback scheme. The National Farmers' Union is already lobbying hard. They need guns for pest control. The Countryside Alliance is mobilising its MPs.
Downing Street is staying schtum. But sources say the PM is 'relaxed' about the review. It keeps the Home Secretary busy. It shows the government is 'acting' on crime. And it distracts from the cost-of-living crisis.
Shadow Home Secretary Yvette Cooper is piling on the pressure. She wants a 'total ban' on all firearms not used for sport. Labour MPs are rubbing their hands. They smell blood.
But here's the truth. The UK gun lobby is small but vocal. The British Shooting Sports Council has friends in high places. Tory backbenchers are already queuing up to speak in the chamber. Expect a few 'thoughts and prayers' style speeches.
The real flashpoint is the definition of 'antique firearms'. A loophole that allows collectors to own working pistols made before 1919. The review will likely close it. Cue a theatrical row on the Today programme.
This is all theatre. The Iowa shooting is a tragedy. But the political response in London is a farce. A way for a struggling government to look busy. Watch for a splashy announcement in a fortnight. Then nothing. The status quo will hold.
Because in the race to be seen as tough on guns, the real winners are always the special interests. The lobbyists. The insiders. The game goes on.
As one Whitehall source put it: 'A review is not a policy. It's a pause button. And in politics, a pause is a win.'
Eleanor Rigby, Political Bureau Chief.
