Sterling defends gun tattoo as protest group demands he has it removed

England forward Raheem Sterling has defended his new tattoo of an M16 assault rifle on his leg after it was branded “disgusting”.

The 23-year-old Manchester City player posted a picture of himself training with England at St George’s Park, with a tattoo of an assault rifle on his right calf clearly visible.

Lucy Cope, who founded Mothers Against Guns after her son Damian was shot dead outside a club in central London in July 2012, said the ink was “totally unacceptable”.

She told the Sun : “We demand he has the tattoo lasered off or covered up with a different tattoo. If he refuses he should be dropped from the England team.

“He’s supposed to be a role model but chooses to glamorise guns.”

But the former Liverpool player, above, who is among five England strikers heading to Russia for the World Cup, alluded to the tattoo having a “deeper meaning”.

In a post on Instagram, he said: “When I was 2 my father died from being gunned down to death I made a promise to myself I would never touch a gun in my life time, I shoot with my right foot so it has a deeper meaning N still unfinished.”

The Faunderlined its support for Sterling yesterday. A spokesman said: “We all support Raheem Sterling and acknowledge the honest and heartfelt account he gave via Instagram last night. He and the rest of the squad are focused solely on preparing for the World Cup.”