LETTER : Dunblane massacre: glorification of violence is not confined t o gun lovers

Sir: On 13 March, ITV's evening film was changed from Licence to Kill to A Field of Dreams. This was totally laudable given the violence committed in Dunblane earlier in the day.

However, as a society we try to have our cake and eat it. We "enjoy" the glorification of violence on the screen. It is cool for the debonair Bond to clear his path of obstructing human beings. The reality as witnessed in that school's gymnasium is different. Are we peacemakers who are truly striving for peace and justice? If so, we must demythologise violence and encourage every effort to provide peace.

Legislation is only part of the answer. Ultimately evil has to be confronted deep in the heart of every human being. It is when we recognise that and turn to the divine resources available to overcome evil that as a society we can get beyond a dream that sometimes turns into a nightmare.

The Rt Rev David Evans,

Assistant Bishop in the Diocese of Canterbury, Chichester and Rochester

Uckfield, East Sussex