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Ahern considers total ban on handguns
Sunday, September 28, 2008 By John Burke
Minister for Justice Dermot Ahern is considering an outright ban on handguns, The Sunday Business Post has learned.

Private handgun ownership in Ireland has skyrocketed from zero to 1,700 in the past five years, after firearm lobbyists exposed the lack of legislative prohibition available to Garda licensing authorities, in a series of High Court actions.

The minister has previously signalled a major reform of handgun ownership laws and announced an ‘‘intensive review’’ of firearms legislation earlier this year, which included consultation with the Attorney General, Paul Gallagher and Garda Commissioner Fachtna Murphy.

A spokesman for Ahern confirmed this weekend that a complete ban on pistols was among the options currently being considered by the minister.

Private handgun ownership was debated across several EU member states last week following the fatal shooting of ten people by a student in Finland.

Matti Saari, 22, used a licensed 0.22 calibre pistol to fatally wound nine pupils and one teacher in what was Finland’s second school shooting in less than a year. He then used the gun to shoot himself.

New figures obtained on foot of a specific request to the Central Statistics Office show that over the past five years, 595 firearms of all types have fallen into criminal hands in thefts on private homes and gun dealerships. Of these, the vast majority of thefts were shotguns and rifles, with 11 handguns stolen over the period.

In total, there are 218,000 guns in private ownership here, the vast majority of which are shotguns and rifles. Irish gun laws were lambasted by High Court judge Peter Charleton last month, who linked increased handgun ownership to rising homicide and suicide rates. He made the comments as he blocked an attempt by a shooting enthusiast to overturn a Garda decision to refuse him a firearms certificate for a Glock 0.22 pistol.

The judge described as ‘‘undesirable’’ what he called the piecemeal spreading of the statutory rules for the control of firearms over several acts of legislation here.

The National Association of Regional Game Councils (NARGC) has said that it will appeal Charleton’s judgment.

The group has provided legal advice and assistance to scores of handgun owners in High Court actions since 2002 where they successfully challenged the long-standing refusal by senior gardaí to license handguns.

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