Gardai with guns!

horticulturist

I stopped into a Maxol garage after work earlier and there were two gardai ahead of me armed with handguns. They were dead on and we spoke about the weather and such as we waited in line. Maybe I've been living under a rock but is it this a fairly common sight nowadays? I wondered why it was necessary for them to be carrying guns. Please enlighten me!

SEPT 23 1989

were they waving them about?

Sheep Lover

They are just toy ones, probably Christmas presents for the kids. Did it say "Made in Taiwan" on the side?

The_Valeyard

horticulturist wrote: »

I stopped into a Maxol garage after work earlier and there were two gardai ahead of me armed with handguns. They were dead on and we spoke about the weather and such as we waited in line. Maybe I've been living under a rock but is it this a fairly common sight nowadays? I wondered why it was necessary for them to be carrying guns. Please enlighten me!

Rapid Donut Response Squad.

Raging_Ninja

Garda Regional Support Unit. For special cases where batons aren't enough. Been around for a good few years now.

horticulturist

No. It's safe to say they weren't waving them about just lining up to buy coffee and scratch cards!

MadYaker

They were probably the armed response unit? I see them around Galway every now and again. Normal gardai still don't carry guns.

6541

The sooner our Gardai are armed the better.

MattD1349

ah jesus man where have you been? The lads on patrol with the guns? tis a great line to use on the young wans & for showing off to the lads.

SEPT 23 1989

6541 wrote: »

The sooner our Gardai are armed the better.

No because the criminals would be better armed

lots of guards would be killed

baldbear

Its the pimps and the hoors I blame.

braddun

most are in plain clothes,or have guns hidden

I am surprised you could see them

Crimsonred

braddun wrote: »

most are in plain clothes,or have guns hidden

I am surprised you could see them

I keep mine hidden.

MadYaker

6541 wrote: »

The sooner our Gardai are armed the better.

More guns means more people getting shot. At the moment petty criminals don't feel the need to have a gun themselves because they know their victims won't be armed and the Gardai won't be armed. Give the Gardai guns and that changes.

Crimsonred

Crimsonred wrote: »

I keep mine hidden.

In my best Mae West accent..

''Saaaay, is that gun in your pocket, or are ye just happy to see me??'

6541

MadYaker wrote: »

More guns means more people getting shot. At the moment petty criminals don't feel the need to have a gun themselves because they know their victims won't be armed and the Gardai won't be armed. Give the Gardai guns and that changes.

Ireland is actually awash with guns, many people do not realise this. Our society has got a lot more violent lately. I am pro Gardai and think they do an outstanding job.

IsaacWunder

MadYaker wrote: »

More guns means more people getting shot. At the moment petty criminals don't feel the need to have a gun themselves because they know their victims won't be armed and the Gardai won't be armed. Give the Gardai guns and that changes.

Not necessarily. This argument usually revolves around the US experience, but it wouldn't pan out that way in Ireland. Possession of a gun alone is an offense here and unless it's a shotgun they're extremely hard to get, so petty criminals wouldn't be armed.

New Zealand probably has the best system: regular cops aren't armed, but they have guns locked in the boot of all their squad cars. If they need a gun they have to get permission to unlock the box.

I think it's a good compromise.

Raging_Ninja

There are 400,000 legally owned firearms in the state.

Witcher

Raging_Ninja wrote: »

There are 400,000 legally owned firearms in the state.

No there aren't. Halve that and you're in the ballpark.

Legally held firearms have nothing to do with this thread anyway.

SEPT 23 1989

Raging_Ninja wrote: »

There are 400,000 legally owned firearms in the state.

they are not the ones you worry about

MadYaker

Gun crime is on the rise in urban areas which is a big problem. I really think arming all the Gardai would be a step in the wrong direction though.

I know this isn't very PC but to be fair MOST of the people getting shot are drug dealers and criminals anyway and are no real loss to society as a whole.

Raging_Ninja

Strider wrote: »

No there aren't. Halve that and you're in the ballpark.

There were 200,000 in 2005. Has almost doubled since then.

Witcher

Raging_Ninja wrote: »

There were 200,000 in 2005. Has almost doubled since then.

No it hasn't.

There are roughly 200,000 firearms of all types licenced here. That's from the latest Garda figures. We've never had anything close to 400,000 firearms licenced here.

Where did you even get the idea that it had doubled?

branie2

Was he buying bacon?

Ten of Swords

horticulturist wrote: »

I stopped into a Maxol garage after work earlier and there were two gardai ahead of me armed with handguns.

Members of the Regional Support Units are uniformed gardai that routinely carry weapons. There are several such units around the country.

Raging_Ninja

SEPT 23 1989 wrote: »

they are not the ones you worry about

For the most part, you're right. Though there have been a few instances where people went crazy and started shooting at the guards - John Cathy, another guy in the last year who took his own life after opening fire from his car.

SVI40

The numbers haven't doubled. There's in the region of 200,000 licenced firearms in the state.

Raging_Ninja

SVI40 wrote: »

The numbers haven't doubled. There's in the region of 200,000 licenced firearms in the state.

Dammit I read it in the papers last year.

MadYaker

Raging_Ninja wrote: »

There were 200,000 in 2005. Has almost doubled since then.

Where are you getting your figures from? the most recent figures I can find are from 2014 an article in The Examiner that says there are 220,000 licensed guns in ireland and the vast majority are shotguns.

SVI40

Raging_Ninja wrote: »

Dammit I read it in the papers last year.

It's not surprising the papers have it wrong. It wouldn't be a first.

Ten of Swords

This article from 4 days ago mentions 200,000 guns, but does not give a source

http://www.breakingnews.ie/ireland/gardai-want-ban-on-all-handguns-654971.html