The Home Office had tried to spin its way out of trouble with an avalanche of initiatives but when the crime statistics were published this morning, few had anticipated just how bad the firearms figures would be.
And other rises in recorded crimes have also kept the government on the back foot.
However, as our Home Affairs Editor Mark Easton reports, a closer look at the new crime stats reveals a more complex and less depressing picture.
Despite all the Government spin-doctors efforts to muffle the noise, today's gun crime figures were explosive.
Nearly 10,000 recorded firearms crimes in England and Wales, a rise of more than third in a year. The use of handguns in crimes has gone up 46 per cent - doubling since the Government introduced its ban on such weapons after Dunblane.
And the use of air-guns and pistols has also rocketed - up by a fifth.
The Home Office news machine has worked overtime to manage today's announcement. They hoped that by briefing Sunday papers of a rise - taken as 20 per cent - the blow would be softened.
Later in the week journalists heard rumours the figure might be nearer 25 per cent.
At the same time, the department flooded news fax machines with press releases about new initiatives: five-year minimum jail term for those caught with illegal weapons, a gun summit in Downing Street, new laws on air-rifles and replicas.
Then today, with the Home Secretary below the parapet, it was left to one of his Ministers to face the cameras.
The 9,000 fire-arms crimes form a tiny part of the 5.7 million crimes committed in a year. The overall picture is more complicated and contradictory.
- There's the figure for firearms - up 35 per cent.
- Robbery was also up - 13 per cent, burglary up 5 per cent - overall crime up 2 per cent.
Those figures are for crimes reported to and recorded by the police.
Today we also got latest results from an annual survey asking people's experience of crime - a much more reliable measure of true crime levels.
That reveals a very different picture:
- Violent crime DOWN 2 per cent,
- Car theft - down 14 per cent and
- Burglary not UP as the police figures suggest - but DOWN 7 per cent.
- And overall crime is not UP - but DOWN 7 per cent.
The statistician's conclusion? Crime in England and Wales is "STABLE" although it's unlikely tomorrow's headlines will use that word.
The crime survey also reveals public attitudes to crime - most people (56 per cent) don't think the system is effective in bringing people to justice.
Two thirds don't think its effective in cutting crime and three quarters don't thinks its effective in dealing with young people accused of crime.
Interestingly, ethnic minorities tend to have slightly more faith in the system than white people.
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