HOME Secretary David Blunkett is preparing a crackdown on young thugs who terrorise their neighbours with air rifles.

He has asked his junior minister, Bob Ainsworth, to work up proposals on toughening the law to make it harder for youngsters to get their hands on the weapons.

The move follows incidents across York and North Yorkshire in which hooligans with guns have caused fear and injury.

Mr Blunkett said that, if he could reach agreement with the Tories and Liberal Democrats, the rules on ownership would be altered "sooner rather than later".

At present, air weapons cannot be purchased until a person reaches the age of 17. But a rifle can be passed on to someone as young as 14 without a criminal offence taking place.

A toughening of the law is likely to make it an offence for anyone under 17 to be in possession of a weapon.

Mr Blunkett came under pressure to review the rules at a meeting of the Home Affairs Select Committee at Westminster.

In a boost to campaigners - including the Evening Press - he described air gun licensing as a "real issue" which should be "assessed afresh".

Earlier this year, a 14-year-old boy was shot in the back by a gunman firing an air rifle from an upper-floor flat in Hope Street, off Walmgate.

Only months before, a woman and a young boy were shot by youths in Clifton, while a teenager fired five shots into the air above a group of youths in South Milford, Selby, and 26 windows were smashed with a high-powered weapon at Northfield school, Acomb.

The Home Secretary told MPs: "I am quite keen to get this resolved because I know it has been a concern for some time.

"Most people claim they are doing this for leisure and target practice, yet we find them on our estates and there is a danger they are being used smash people's windows - or worse.

Mr Blunkett said he could not rush through legislation as he had to make sure it was watertight and enforceable by local police. He warned too many bad laws had been made in the past which had contained loopholes, and he was not willing to make the same mistake.

But he confirmed Mr Ainsworth is already working on proposals and is due to report back later this year. Mr Blunkett said if it was then possible to get cross-party support for a change in the law, it could be passed "sooner rather than later".

Updated: 11:40 Thursday, September 19, 2002