Theresa May has urged Europe to look at tougher firearms controls

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The Home Secretary said she would be reviewing the UK's own response to firearms attacks but added that Britain's strict gun laws mean that assault rifles such as Kalashnikovs - as used in Paris - are not as big a threat.

In a statement, she told MPs: "The scale of this recent attack and the level of co-ordination and planning leaves us with little doubt that the threat is evolving."

Islamic State (ISIS) bosses have claimed responsibility for the night of horror in the French capital, with Mrs May telling the House of Commons the apparent preparedness of the strike meant Europe was now facing a different level of danger from the terror group.

The Home Secretary today detailed the Government's response to Friday's atrocity in Paris, which left 129 people dead following a series of gun and suicide bomb attacks.

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The scale of this recent attack and the level of co-ordination and planning leaves us with little doubt that the threat is evolving

Mrs May added that she will use an emergency meeting of European Union ministers to call for the wider implementation of severe firearms controls.

She said: "In light of events in France it is right that we should review our response to firearms attacks and we are doing so urgently to ensure any lessons are learned.

"The UK has some of the toughest firearms laws in the world.

"The sort of weaponry used in the attacks in Paris in January and those that appear to have been used last Friday are not readily available in the UK.

"We must therefore focus on tackling firearms entering and moving throughout the EU and ensuring we have the right capabilities at the UK border to detect firearms being smuggled in.

"This Friday I will attend an extraordinary meeting of the European Justice and Home Affairs Council where I will press the need for greater information sharing, passenger name records and action on firearms.

"In the UK we've seen tough legislation work so we want to see action taken to make a difference to the availability of firearms in Europe, especially assault rifles.

"It is imperative that Europe pulls together to defeat this threat."