Despite the British national hobby of grumbling about everthing from the weather to the National Health Service it must be said that the provision of universal health care in the UK remains relatively intact and available to all.

Nevertheless we are facing an alarming rising trend in teenagers committing crimes while armed with guns.

Although there is a mandatory five year mimimum jail term for people convicted of possessing an illegal firearm Paul Cavadino, the chief executive of the National Association for the Care and Resettlement of Offenders has said
"Tough minimum sentences will have little effect on gun crime. We will tackle it effectively only by reducing the supply of illegal weapons and combating the macho, glamorised gun culture that attracts young people to firearms."

It has also been argued that violence can be a manifestation of "powerlessness" and the frustration that accompanies the perception that the individual will never be able to aquire those things equated with "success" in our current society.

It's not a simple issue; while I have argued (and will continue to do so) for the promotion of health care available to all I honestly don't think that this is the underlying cause of an ill that appears to be affecting so many societies.