Members of Men to Men - a Christian organisation which has former gang members - said gun crime should not be tolerated.

But the group believes more people are now willing to oppose criminals who use guns following the tragic deaths of two teenage girls who were shot dead in Aston.

One of the group, a former gang member, said it was easy to get involved in crime.

Peer pressure

He said: "I was part of a gang, not because of peer pressure, it was the excitement that attracted me."

Reverend Michael Ekwulugo, from the Handsworth-based group, said they were working hard to combat the problem.

"Some of us come from broken pasts but we find solidarity and unity.

"We can deal with issues that up until now would have been tucked away."

He said last week's shootings had signalled a change within the community and Wednesday's candle-lit vigil at the murder scene was the beginning of a new era where a gun culture would not be tolerated.