SENIOR police chiefs considered offering free junk food and CDs as "inducements to surrender" in a desperate attempt to cut the number of potentially lethal airguns on the streets of Scotland.
Documents obtained by Scotland on Sunday have revealed that the rewards - which also included mobile phone credits - were to try to make an airgun amnesty work in the wake of the death of toddler Andrew Morton, who was shot in the head in Glasgow.
But the extraordinary idea was ditched by politicians who insisted the police concentrate on the hand-in of weapons.
There are more than 500,000 airguns in Scotland and more than two Scots are injured every week.
Police chiefs are now hoping tough enforcement of UK-wide legislation which comes into effect in October will make a difference. It raises the age limit for owning an air weapon to 18 and bans their sale from non-approved outlets.
Minutes of an airgun campaign strategy meeting held by the Association of Chief Police Officers in Scotland in the run-up to the amnesty in 2005 state: "The question of inducements to surrender were discussed, such as credit for mobile phones and vouchers for fast food, CDs or school vouchers."
They add: "It was also intimated that should such an initiative take place the police service should have no role in administering [it]."
However a month later, at their next strategy meeting, the police chiefs were told that "the question of incentive schemes had been further discussed within the Scottish Executive. It had been agreed not to proceed with same but to focus on the hand-in of weapons".
The anti-airgun campaign launched by the former Executive had already been branded a publicity stunt by Andrew Morton's mother. Sharon McMillan reacted with fury after the former Justice Minister, Cathy Jamieson, introduced the amnesty.
Former First Minister Jack McConnell made his campaign against air weapons a personal crusade right up until the May election, insisting that a total ban should not be ruled out.
But senior police officers consistently poured cold water on calls for an outright ban, instead backing the new Westminster legislation.
The SNP last night used the revelations as evidence that the former Holyrood administration had failed to get to grips with the dangers posed by the weapons and pledged that First Minister Alex Salmond would take early action to bring them under control.
A party spokesman said: "The fact of the matter is that the last administration failed to deliver effective action on air weapons.
"Scottish families are crying out for action to rid their communities of these weapons. The SNP will work to free our parliament to free those communities from the scourge of air weapons. We believe there needs to be consolidated legislation on firearms designed for Scottish needs and Scottish circumstances."
Glasgow MSP Patrick Harvie, of the Green Party, said he viewed the burgers-for-guns idea with deep suspicion, and called on the government to come up with more meaningful action. "I usually support the idea of coming up with a few quirky ideas to tackle a problem, in the hope that at least one of them might work, but I am no fan of encouraging people to eat more fast food and I simply can't see how anyone can believe doing this could really induce someone to give up a weapon in their possession."
Harvie also pointed out that a number of local authorities, including Aberdeen, used by-laws to restrict the sale of air weapons.
