Four parents took part in destroying the fake guns

They were steamrollered in a bid to pressure ministers to sign a treaty curbing the trade in handheld weapons.

Mick North, whose daughter Sophie was killed at Dunblane eight years ago, is a member of the Gun Control Network.

He said the UK was a major arms seller and adding to numbers of guns in the world was 'just lunacy'.

"The United Kingdom is the second largest exporter of arms and among the largest sellers of small arms," he told the Today programme.

"There are various controls around the world but there are no agreed restrictions ... and the United Kingdom government should sign up to a trade treaty to show it takes seriously the millions upon millions of guns in circulation around the world."

Destruction Day

To continue adding more to that mass of weapons is just lunacy Mick North, father of Dunblane victim

The groups Mothers Against Guns, Oxfam and Amnesty International were involved in the action, as well as the Gun Control Network.

Four parents whose children were killed by small arms took part in destroying the weapons.

The event was part of Gun Destruction Day, established by the United Nations in 2001. In some countries, real weapons are being destroyed.

The protest's aim is to pressure MPs to sign a small arms treaty

The Gun Control Network says there are now about 640 million guns in circulation - or around one gun for every 10 people in the world.

"To continue adding more to that mass of weapons is just lunacy," Mr North said.

He says the current system of 'end user certificates', which record to whom consignments of small arms are sold, is not strict enough.

"Guns are very durable objects and can get passed from one hand to another, so even if they initially end up in the hands you want them to, there are no guarantees they won't go elsewhere."

Figures quoted by the groups involved in Wednesday's rally say up to a million guns are lost or stolen every year worldwide.