Opinion: Let's hope the US learns from Killings

Before this, everyone had heard of Columbine, some eight years ago. Nor has the UK been spared such episodes and, for many of us, Hungerford and Dunblane will forever be etched in our minds, with prominent questions about how such things could happen and how they can be prevented in the future.

In the US, the debate will no doubt continue to focus around gun control, and, in the case of Cho Seung-Hui, how many warning signs about his state of mental health appeared not to have been acted upon. In the UK, one of the consequences of the Dunblane tragedy, perpetrated by Thomas Hamilton, a self-proclaimed 'youth worker', was the formation of the UK Youth Work Alliance. Initially, this involved representatives from the four countries of the UK, together with colleagues from the British Council, the British Youth Council and relevant trades unions. Over time, it transmuted into the Youth Work Alliance, to allow for the participation of the Republic of Ireland as well.