I may have misled over the policemens' murder.
A thompson was just one of the guns used to kill them.
There was quite a gang in who shared in the death of the two helpless men.

Jim you also keep trying to bring up present day violence, even though there is little of it now, and PSNI seems to have it under control.
I am going to place your comment on the "Peace Process" thread.

Big Mick described the dissidents thus,

Coninuity IRA - this is a splinter group of dissidents that is estimated to have 50 to 80 members, according to Reuters.

RIRA - a splinter off CIRA that has even fewer members.

IRLA - according to the Independent Monitoring Commission this group is "not terrorist in nature" and is essentially a group of folks involved in criminal activity.

INLA - estimated to have a couple of dozen members, and a few hundred supporters.

Oglaigh na hEirrean - one of a number of groups using the name, but the one I suppose you refer to is the splinter off of CIRA. They have few weapons, have committed some robberies, and use pipe bombs from time to time.

Add it all up and you have a few hundred, then stack that against the Republicans that have embraced the peace process, and you see that they will make a few headlines but the day of the gun is essentially over. It is now about the ballot box.