Statistics released in parliament show a total of 42 children were killed by guns in the past five years.
There were a total of 12 deaths in both 2006/07 and 2007/08 although this dropped to seven in 2008/09 and three in 2009/10, rising to eight in 2010/11.
Tim Bateman, criminologist at the University of Bedfordshire, said although the figure has risen since 2009/10, the overall trend shows the picture is improving.
He said research indicates that the figures are likely to relate to young people with some form of gang involvement, either on the part of the perpetrator, victim, or both.
While “political posturing” following high-profile events such as last summer’s riots can lead to “knee-jerk” policy, according to Bateman, the underlying approach to gang-related violence is becoming increasingly sophisticated and could be responsible for a decline over the five-year period.
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