New laws on airguns will not be reviewed for two years, the First Minister said yesterday, prompting the accusation that this was a slap in the face to families who had lost loved ones.

Tommy Sheridan, the Solidarity MSP who is pushing a member's bill banning the weapons, said: "The First Minister opened the door two weeks ago, only to shut it in our face. Now he tells us to come back and chap on it in two years' time. By that time, more Scots will have died. It's really not good enough."

Jack McConnell and his justice minister, Cathy Jamieson, met Chief Constable John Vine of the Association of Chief Police Officers (Scotland) and emerged to say that the currently proposed tightening of laws on airguns would not be reviewed for two years.

Ministers insisted that their new law, raising the age limit for buying an airgun from 17 to 18 and seeking to curb sales from unlicensed outlets - including internet and mail order sales - had to be allowed to bed down after the new legislation comes into force in October.

Mr Sheridan responded by again producing the family of Andrew Morton, the two-year old killed by an airgun pellet in Glasgow. They revealed that the dead toddler's 13-year-old brother had test-purchased an airgun months after the killing and his age had not been questioned.

Sharon MacMillan and Andrew Morton, the parents of the two-year-old, have backed Mr Sheridan's bid to outlaw the weapons.

An angry Ms McMillan said: "How many more deaths is it going to take before they realise they have to do something about it now and not two years down the line."

Mr Sheridan said the former Labour Home Secretary, Charles Clarke, had made election promises but his successor, John Reid, had made "no contact whatsoever".

He scorned the proposed changes, saying: "I would invite any of you to come down to the Barras or other places where you will be able to purchase a pump-action airgun that is lethal."

The Solidarity leader welcomed support yesterday from relatives of those killed by airguns, from the Fire Brigades Union on behalf of emergency workers attacked by the weapons, and from animal welfare charities concerned about attacks.

He was also backed by the SNP leader of Falkirk Council and responded by saying he wanted a political consensus on an issue he would return with if re-elected.