Labour's justice spokesman Joe Costello said the deaths of two men during this morning's post office raid in Lusk, Co Dublin, was "yet further evidence of the growing problem of gun crime in this country".
"Armed robberies of post offices and cash consignments and the taking of hostages have become all too common. With such widespread use of weapons, it was always only going to be matter of time before there were fatalities," he said.
He said he welcomed the speedy announcement of an internal Garda inquiry, but "this may not be sufficient to deal with legitimate matters of public concern that may arise".
"In this regard it is particularly regrettable that almost four years after the original announcement, we still do not have a Garda Ombudsman's office which would be the appropriate institution to carry out such an investigation."
Fine Gael said new laws to deal with armed gangs should be fast-tracked through the Dáil before the summer recess
"The robbery in Lusk is yet another example of the dangers posed by armed gangs to law-abiding members of society," the party's justice spokesman Jim O'Keeffe said.
"This shocking incident again demonstrates the need for a concentrated and sustained crackdown on armed gangs. Operation Anvil was a start, but the Gardaí have to be given the resources on an ongoing basis to deal with armed crime."