A Scottish man whose toddler son was killed by a gunman with an illegal weapon has welcomed the first global treaty to regulate the international arms trade.
David Grimason, who lost his two-year-old son Alistair in 2003, was present at the Arms Trade Treaty talks at the United Nations in New York when the treaty was approved.
He has been campaigning for tighter controls on the trade of weapons since his son was killed during a gunfight at a cafe in the seaside village of Foca, Turkey in July 2003.
The toddler was asleep in his pram when an argument broke out at a nearby table and a man opened fire, killing the boy from East Kilbride, South Lanarkshire.
Mr Grimason said: “It’s been an emotional day for me. It’s an overwhelming majority of nations that have recognised the need for an Arms Trade Treaty. The world recognised it was needed.
“We overcame the sceptics today and by such an amazing majority, it’s just incredible.
“As someone who is living with the effects of gun violence, I realise the necessity for a treaty that will restrict the flow of weapons and stop them getting into the hands of people that are going to abuse them.
“So for me, I recognise how much of a victory it is for humankind.”
Mr Grimason, who now lives in Aberdeen, was in New York as part of his work with Oxfam, which is a leading member of the Control Arms Coalition.
More than 100 civil society groups working in 120 countries are represented by the Control Arms Coalition which is urging all states to sign and ratify the treaty.