Former Tory Cabinet minister Lord Tebbit has sparked controversy by saying that young boys should be taught how to shoot.
Lord Tebbit, a keen game shooter, said that taking boys out on shoots would satisfy their need for a certain amount of excitement and violence, while teaching them discipline and the ability to obey orders.
But the League Against Cruel Sports denounced the idea as "terrible", while Liberal Democrat home affairs spokesman Chris Huhne said it could encourage the use of firearms.
The Tory peer - who served in Margaret Thatcher's administration as Norman Tebbit - told the Sunday Express newspaper: "Kids should go out on shoots. It gives them a sense of excitement - and kids, particularly young boys, have a need for a degree of violence.
"It is much better than playing a ghastly computer game. To have them struggling through the brambles, seeing people shoot, is much more in the interest of the kids.
"Boys would soon find themselves in a man's world and having to obey instructions."
Barry Hugill, of the League Against Cruel Sports, told the paper: "It is a terrible idea to think giving children guns will help with any understanding."
Mr Huhne said: "Training everyone to use guns would encourage their use. Instead, we need tougher, targeted stop-and-search to crack down on gun and knife crime."
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