PARENTS of Dunblane victims were outraged last night after the Duke of Edinburgh said members of shooting clubs were no more dangerous than golfers or squash players.
Prince Philip told a radio interviewer that planned post-Dunblane legislation to outlaw most handguns would not be effective as it would not prevent weapons getting into the hands of criminals.
The duke said in an interview with BBC Radio Five Live: "I sympathise desperately with the people who are bereaved at Dunblane, but I'm not altogether convinced that it's the best system to somehow shift the blame onto a very large and peaceable part of the community.
"If a cricketer, for instance, suddenly decided to go into a school and batter a lot of people to death with a cricket bat, which he could do very easily, I mean are you going to ban cricket bats?"
The duke said he understood the depth of public sympathy for the Dunblane parents' call for a total handgun ban, but he added: "I'm not sure that the reaction is the most rational".
Leaders of the anti-gun Snowdrop Campaign, which is supported by the bereaved parents, said they were "sickened" by Prince Philip's backing for gun sports.
And Mrs Alison Crozier (37) whose five-year-old daughter Emma was killed by gunman Thomas Hamilton in the shootings, described the duke's remarks as "outrageous" and "very insensitive".
Mrs Crozier, said: "Golf clubs are made for sport, for enjoyment. Guns are made to kill. There is no comparison between the two things. I think it is outrageous.
"I am very disappointed. He has an important position in the country. I do not think he should really be sitting in judgment like that."