GUN laws will not be tightened in Guernsey, despite the double killing in which a man shot his estranged wife before turning the gun on himself. Home minister Geoff Mahy expressed his faith in existing legislation the day after a verdict of unlawful killing was reached in the case of Sarah Falla, who died in intensive care after being shot in the head by estranged husband Michael.

Mr Falla died instantly when he turned the gun on himself. He was found at Fort Hommet, slumped in a car next to his wife, with a gunshot to the head and the still-smoking weapon in his hand. He had been a committee member of an island gun club.

But Deputy Mahy, speaking for the first time since the 23 May tragedy, said the law as it stood was more than adequate.

‘I’m confident of the robustness of the firearms laws in the island,’ he said.

He said that legislation passed in 2006 provided a robust framework in terms of the control of guns, the protection of the public and the prevention of crime.

He understood that ammunition was supposed to be stored at gun clubs and was not to be removed from the premises.

One gunsmith, who did not want to be named, agreed that gun laws were perfectly adequate.

‘They are very strict – they can’t be any stricter,’ he said.

He added there was nothing that could be done if somebody wanted to kill, whether it was with a gun, knife or anything else.

‘It’s not the gun that kills the person, it’s the person holding the weapon.’

Anybody purchasing a gun needed to have a safe in which to keep it and the ammunition, as well as a licence approved by the police, he said.

‘The restrictions are A1. They are tough. They are good to the point that they are nearly over the top.’

Deputy Mahy, who declined to comment when the tragedy first occurred, said yesterday: ‘The recent incident was a tragedy, which we were all deeply upset about. But Guernsey’s got a good record in shooting as a sport and fortunately in Guernsey incidents of this type are rare.

‘There has to be an element of trust involved and those who have lawful access to guns will have been screened by police.

‘It’s just sad that two lives have been lost.’