Gun crime in EU kills 1,000 a year

Gun crime is reaching alarming proportions throughout the EU with weapons used not just to kill and maim more than 1,000 people a year, but to intimidate victims of trafficking and robbery.

Gardaí have seized an average of 900 illegally held guns a year in Ireland since 2005, while close to 500,000 arms have been lost or stolen throughout the EU, according to research carried out by the European Commission.

It is making a case for EU-wide regulations to control weapons which, it said, would not affect the 2m firearms held legally for sports such as hunting.