The use of firearms by young criminals is disturbing evidence of a growing gun culture. In the year 2000-01, there were 7,362 recorded crimes in which firearms other than air weapons were used. That compares with 4,903 firearms incidents in 1997-98, the year Labour came to power.

Tony Blair’s announcement today that he wishes to lower the age of people carrying a gun so he can lock them up for a longer time, is just a knee jerk reaction, which his government has not even thoroughly thought about.

Back in 2003 with the death of the two teenage girls in Birmingham the British government under none other than Mr Blunkett planed for a minimum sentence of five years for the illegal possession of firearms.  Back then Mr Blunkett said that it will send a clear message that serious, violent offending will invariably be dealt with "in the strongest manner".

That didn’t achieve much did it now? 

Our prison system is already filled up with ceremonials, paedophiles are being released because there are no spaces for them in prison, but there is a place for a Yorkshire woman who protested against the illegal war in Iraq. 

Just like terrorism, gun crime has its roots causes. If you do not tackle the root causes head on you have already lost the battle against gun crime. Tony Blair and his cronies can bring in whatever laws they want but unless the root causes are treated people will continue to die. 

I have grown up in the worst places that Britain has offered. I was lucky, due to a strong family which had a good income. While taking my little Brothers to the park, I used to see needles from drug users near the swings, I saw gangs fighting each other coming back from high school.

Two friends have been locked up for dealing drugs; one is buried 6 feet under and has left behind a young child.

Sometimes in my life I look back. I start thinking how fortunate I have been, because of my strong extended family. I think about those less fortunate here in the UK and others around the oppressed world, especially the Palestinian children, who have to go through check points which are set up by the Israeli gangs just to get into their primary schools and hospitals. [Hat Tip: Ali-Gation for images]

There are many solutions for these issues. But the solutions cooked up by Tony Blair & David Cameron are just knee jerk reactions which cannot solve any of these problems, because they do not take into account the root causes of these problems. 

If these political parties really wanted to see an end to gun crime, they would first come and talk to the people of the community, they would come and listen to the youth who hang around the street corners because the youth of Britain have come to believe that the system itself makes the rich richer and the poor poorer. Leaving those who have little with few opportunities to better themselves and improve their lot.  

If the government wants to sort this problem out let them work with the community, let the government and the local council pour more money into the community. Start opening up local shops for the local people, build local drop in sessions for advice, start building local football pitches, develop careers centres and build state of the art multi-media facilities for the betterment of the communities. 

If the government can get young people off the street and win the hearts and minds of these young people and show them that they have a chance of making a better life for themselves and their families through legal means, and the system works for everyone then they are on the right course to sort out the communities problems up and down the country. 

If they do not do that and they follow the Tories getting their “research” from politically motivated “Policy Institutes” then all I can say is that our societies are heading towards a total break down into criminal activity.

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