Fine Gael call on Cowen to deal with gun crime

Fine Gael called on the Taoiseach in waiting Brian Cowen today to prioritise the eradication of gun crime when he takes up office.

The calls follow the shooting dead of a 30-year-old man in a pub in Artane in north Dublin on Friday night.

Anthony Russell of Cromcastle Drive, Kilmore in Dublin was shot a number of times in the chest by two masked gunmen.

"More and more of these killings are undetected - a third last year went undetected," said deputy leader Richard Bruton.

"People believe that they will get away with these crimes. When you have violent people who are involved in the drugs trade believing that they can get away with these crimes, it is a major challenge to our community," he said.