Gun crime on the rise - Increase is worrying

AS our newspapers confirm on a daily basis gun crime has risen sharply over the past five years. There has been a startling 50% increase in the number of shootings between 2003 and 2007.

There were 211 shootings in 2003, rising to 325 in 2007. The number of people charged with the possession of illegally held firearms rose from 373 to 428. Thankfully, there was a small fall in the number of gun homicides in the past five years, down to 18 from 20.

Central Statistics Office data shows gun crime is particularly prevalent in Limerick, where shootings have trebled, from 37 in 2003 to 99 in 2007.