I too lost my only handgun, a .22 lr smith and Wesson model 17, after the UK handgun ban however it was the Conservative government that followed the recommendations of the Cullen report and introduced the Firearms (Amendment) Act 1997 that banned centre fire handguns. The new (No 2) Act introduced by the newly elected Labour Party extended the ban to include .22 lr handguns. At that time pistol shooters had few friends in either political party.