England forward Raheem Sterling has defended his decision to have a tattoo of an M16 assault rifle inked on his leg.
Anti-gun campaigners have criticised the Manchester City star after he was pictured in an England training session ahead of the World Cup with the new tattoo on his right leg.
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 "disgusting" and "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 Sterling, 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."
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