Britain banned handguns in 1997 after the massacre of 16 children and a teacher at a primary school in Dunblane, Scotland.

 

The law includes a ban on guns for licensed sports, preventing domestic pistol events.

 

But Home Secretary Jacqui Smith has invoked special exemptions in England and Wales.

 

A similar exemption allowed pistols to come into Britain for the 2002 Commonwealth Games in Manchester.

 

"(Smith) has agreed to use her powers under section 5 of the Firearms Act 1968 to allow a small squad of elite GB Olympic pistol shooters to train in this country ahead of the Olympics in 2012," Sports Minister Gerry Sutcliffe said in a written Parliamentary answer today.

 

"Scottish Ministers have agreed, in principle, to exercise their powers in a similar manner in relation to Scotland."

 

Northern Ireland was not affected by the ban.

 

Sutcliffe said the Government would ensure that competitors and officials can "possess their special competition pistols for the duration of the games and for any special warm-up events."

 

The ban has made it difficult for British shooters to emerge and none will be competing in the pistol events at the Beijing Games next month.

 

It is now 12 years since Carol Page was the last British Olympic pistol shooter at Atlanta in 1996.

 

 

A BOA spokeswoman said: "We have been working on a campaign to allow pistol shooters to train on British soil for years now and we are delighted the government have responded positively."