Prime Minister Tony Blair has described the shootings of three teenagers in south London as "horrific, shocking and tragic beyond belief".
But he insisted the killings were not a metaphor for the state of British society.
Speaking at a youth conference in Glasgow, Mr Blair said the shootings were part of a "specific" problem.
And he pledged solutions aimed at tackling the problems presented by guns and gangs will be set out in the next few days.
Wednesday's shooting of Billy Cox in his south London home followed the deaths of James Andre Smartt-Ford and Michael Dosunmu, both also gunned down in the past two weeks.
Mr Blair said: "What has happened in south London is horrific, shocking and for the victims and their families tragic beyond belief.
"However, let us be careful in our response. This tragedy is not a metaphor for the state of British society, still less for the state of British youth today, the huge majority of whom, including in this part of London, are responsible and law-abiding young people.
"But it is a specific problem, in a specific criminal culture amongst specific groups of young people."
Speaking at the Labour National Youth Conference in Glasgow, the Prime Minister said: "It will require specific solutions to deal with guns and gangs as well as confronting broader questions of community and family responsibility.
"And over the coming days and after discussions with police and the local communities we shall set some of those solutions out."
