Acid attacks, the new weapon of choice.

Having grown up on one of the toughest council estates in the south west i'm no stranger to violence but the utter savagery of the reports coming out in media in the last couple days have shocked me to the core.
Young men using caustic substances to attack and in most cases rob others seems like a very cowardly and excessive use of force.
Is this a sign of a growing trend,are todays youth so out of touch with reality they think this is normal.
Lets hope the powers that be find a way to crack down on this,be it longer sentences,restricting sales or any other measures they see fit.