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Shooting Forum - Firearms licencing information


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Indo Today - Garda carrying firearms..

  • 11-03-2006 5:09pm
    #1
    Terrier
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 708 ✭✭✭


    Tom Brady

    Security Editor

    PERMITS to carry firearms were issued to more than 3,000 gardai last year.

    Any member of the 12,200-strong force who has to carry a gun while on duty must be issued with a firearms authorisation card by a chief superintendent.

    Gardai also have to successfully complete a firearms training course and are then issued with a certificate of competency.

    Figures

    Figures compiled by the garda authorities show that a total of 3,631 cards were handed out by chief superintendents between January and December.

    But it is understood that the number of permits issued did not mean that many guns were being carried by the gardai at any given time.

    Some gardai are provided with firearms for specific operations and then return them afterwards.

    Permits are also handed out for guns rather than for the people using them and one gun could be shared by several gardai in a station.

    The number of gardai who carry firearms at any particular time is an operational decision for the Garda Commissioner.

    Until recently gardai carried out much of their firearms training at a specially constructed centre, known as "tactics town", within the Garda Training College complex at Templemore, Co Tipperary.

    However, "tactics town" has since been demolished to make way for new buildings to house the additional influx of recruits needed to bring the strength of the force up to 14,000.

    Since then, gardai have been using a dozen Army firing ranges nationwide for training.

    The garda authorities have now submitted proposals to Justice Minister Michael McDowell to establish two new firearm-training facilities and these are currently being considered by senior department officials.

    In the medium term, according to the minister, it is planned to provide a new "centre of excellence" for the college.

    This centre will cater for a broad range of tactical training requirements, including the use of firearms.

    A site is currently being sought for the centre.

    The cost of operating a specialist training unit last year was €1.95m and that excluded travel and subsistence incurred by individual gardai undergoing the training.

    Mr McDowell said the traditional unarmed character of the Garda Siochana had always been one of its key strengths in maintaining its public reputation as an approachable force which polices by consent and not by fear.

    "That is a tradition which any reasonable member of the public would want to see continued," he said.


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