THE IRA has exposed its true colours by offering to shoot those responsible for killing Belfast father-of-two Robert McCartney.

For all the talk of recent years, when it came to a choice between politics and bullets, it instinctively chose bullets. It is the way the IRA knows because, in spite of the peace process, it remains a terrorist organisation which operates like the Mafia.

It is an abhorrent and unacceptable response, which has been widely condemned. As the courageous family of Mr McCartney have said, the only way justice can be served is through the courts, not by a firing squad.

The big surprise is not that the IRA chose assassination as its method of dealing with the problem, but that it made its position public.

On top of its damaging links to the Northern Bank heist, the IRA is continuing to shoot itself in the foot.

It all makes the peace process even more difficult because any power sharing agreement with Sinn Fein will depend on the IRA demonstrating, unequivocally, that it has given up violence. This latest sorry episode suggests that it is a long way from reaching that position.

And yet, for all the understandable anger surrounding the IRA, we must all remember how far we have come.

The position now is far better than it was in the darkest days of the IRA's terror campaign when no one knew when the next bomb was likely to go off.

We cannot go back to that, no matter how frustrating the setbacks may be. The only way is forward and the IRA has to play its part by ending its reliance on gun law.