IT is barely believable that two 13-year-olds could get their hands on a firearm which they then used in an attempt to rob three other boys.

But for the quick thinking of one of the victims, who grabbed the weapon when it was almost level with his face, these children for in spite of their criminal record that is what they are could have been facing charges much more serious than the ones heard yesterday by the Crown court.

Their parents appear to have a heavy responsibility for the fact that these two boys have apparently been allowed to run riot.

But an equally important factor appears to have gone unmentioned: Who made it possible for them to get hold of an air pistol which they then used in an armed attempt at robbery?

We are talking here about a potentially lethal weapon, not a toy. And police should be endeavouring to track down the source.

It is time for controls on the sale and use of airguns to be strenuously enforced, and for those who infringe the rules to be prosecuted.

Hopefully it is not too late for the boys, who are now serving detention orders, to turn their lives around.

If not this case will have been a chapter in a modern social tragedy.