Senator backs moves towards a ban in the new year

With the escalation of gun crime in Ireland – there is no scope for legal possession of handguns, Senator Deirdre de Burca said today.

The Green Party Senator and Dublin European Parliament candidate said almost 1,300 guns were reported stolen over the past six years. These included 27 handguns.

“Clearly many of these weapons fell into the hands of gun criminals who subsequently used them to terrorise, maim and perhaps even kill in pursuit of their vile trade,” she said.

Senator de Burca fully backed a move by Justice Minister Dermot Ahern to bring in an outright ban on handguns. She totally disagreed with those who argued that legally-held guns were not a threat.

The Senator added that from the early 1970s until 2004 handguns were effectively banned as part of efforts to curb the threat from paramilitaries. But due to a series of court rulings this was relaxed and the number of legally-held handguns increased significantly in recent years.

“I welcome the de facto ban on issuing new handgun licences. But the Minister for Justice is to be congratulated on his plan to ban all handguns in legislation due early next year,” Senator de Burca said.

Senator de Burca said there are currently 1,800 legally-held handguns in the Republic. “If current rates of growth in gun licensing were sustained we could have ownership rates comparable with some American states. That would be totally unacceptable in a country which has kept a civilian unarmed police force through many crises,” she concluded. 

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Press Release by Deirdre