Yeah that's a fair point. It's really no my neck of the woods, so I'm not sure what crime is like up there but I doubt any unit is seizing multiple illegal firearms daily. Nevertheless, I think we would all agree that this would have been solved with a simple phone call to clarify the story.

Known in the community but possibly not known to the Gardai. You say his routine was well known. How would the Gardai know his routine? There's no Garda station in his town of Swanlinbar for any of them to know his routine. https://www.irishtimes.com/news/crime-and-law/ex-new-york-cop-threatens-to-sue-garda-after-gun-siezed-1.4853054

Seriously? They didn't know his routine? When it says in the paper he goes every day across the border to buy the IT? No one notices that routine? Yup the decease of the local Garda living in the community is a sad thing...He knew just about everyone and thing on his beat.

I don't buy the whole "the Gardai saw it in a picture on Facebook" story to be honest. Someone more than likely reported him to the Gardai and who knows what they told the Gardai.

That's what we have so far as evidence, anything else is speculation. If it is isn't it rather ominous that AGS is starting to trawl our FB accounts or using "evidence" from FB to conduct raids? What next?Dawn raids because of mean tweets or liking an unpopular opinion on FB? Already happening in the UK and EU..So why not here?

By the way, an 88-year-old man can shoot you just as easily as a 20-year-old so I don't really blame the Gardai for being extra careful. If one unarmed member of the Gardai went out to investigate it and got shot, we'd be giving out why didn't armed Gardai go to investigate someone with a suspected illegal handgun.

In an active shooter situation? Cmon man! That's a lot different to putting up a few paper targets that don't shoot back at you,as you and I well know.This guy was probably last on a duty range back in the late 1980s,so I doubt he'd be in top tier operator class,and there is no mention of him having any other sort of firearm...WHY is there an immediate assumption that in every case of a firearm, there is some psycho, fully kitted out and ready to dance that requires the heavy squad of door kickers? Even US police forces who have this on a day to day level, don't go overboard with this sort of reaction.

Also,ask if he had something illegal for all these years. Why would he suddenly decide to show it to the neighbour and his kids?

The Gardai called to his house with a search warrant, he wasn't there. They entered the house and conducted a search as per the search warrant. It's not like they busted down the door swat style at 5 am and dragged him from the bed kicking and screaming.

It seems there could be[and I'm speculating here] a problem with the way AGS conducted the search Was it fair and respectful? And was he allowed to observe or be present when it occurred? Seems not going by the article. It seems he headed out for the paper and came home to find the local SWAT team turfing his house upside down?

Tthere are pros and cons,and no doubt more to the story than let on.But it seems to be a sad state if we need that sort of reaction to an old man and a keepsake.

Collectors with deactivated mausers would have the authorisation to possess. If this guy declared it properly, it would have been a non-issue.

2 things there. How would anyone know or what the procedure for checking for a legally held Deact,[ more correctly a permit for keeping a defective firearm??]It's not on the PULSE system at all, and it seems to be rather nebulous as to how this works here as it is seemingly a written letter or permission from the local Superintendent?So do they ring up the Super and ask him has he given Joe Bloggs a permit for a Deact in recent times?

And also, how many old folks will know about this legislative change?

This guy moved over here in the late 1980s? and back then if your keepsake didn't have a firing pin and a bit of lead[literally] blocking the barrel, you were grand!!! Seriously it was like that back then.He made the effort to get it deacted,and maybe back then was told,before he moved "that's grand!" by the AGS back then...We can only speculate of course on that.

It only became an issue when the offensive weapons act came about, and even then it wasn't envisioned for people to become Deact collectors, it was just a way to keep tabs on who owned what in family keepsakes. When you get to his age, you would be more worried about the prostate than your pistol, being in working order.😁

I agree an 88 year old man is low risk generally. But it’s a fair old age. I’m sure we’ve all know someone at age suffering from dementia. Unlikely, but the Garda can’t assume it’s not the case. Who knows what the person who reported it actually said.

Folks with dementia or the onset don't generally drive cars anymore either, after all they have to do a medical once a year once they hit the 80s to be fit to drive to prevent such happening.

"Either way what the Hell is a general doing cruising around the battlefield?"

Seems they learn little and nothing from the general taken out by a sniper. The highest ranking military officer in the Russian Army, basically the Chief of Staff of the Army, was on the frontline last week. And the Ukrainians got wind and launched a rocket in his direction. He caught minor shrapnel, not killed. But that's beside the point. WTF was he doing anywhere near the front line. Sums up how much they are floundering.

https://euroweeklynews.com/2022/05/01/vladimir-putins-top-military-commander-evacuated-injured-from-ukraine/

Rare do we see some reports on shooting or the like in a positive manner.Here's an exception.

https://www.kildarenow.com/news/sport/819621/kildare-man-makes-irish-national-target-shotgun-team-for-world-championships.html

Mr Gussler is still with us apparently,but retired from the craft.

https://flintriflesmith.com/WritingandResearch/Published/wallaceretires_mb.htm

I have a Leitrim Chair, specifically a carver made by Pat Surlus, father of Jack Surlus who was in the series Hands.

Over 300 hours in one gun.So that's about 6 weeks of work Mon to Fri starting at dawn and finishing at dusk.No wonder the industrial revolution started with gunsmiths.😝

The other theory coming out about this shooting is this was a straw purchase gone very wrong.This shooter's grandfather was a known felon who cant live in an address or knowingly have anyone possessing a firearm ant their residential address. Got to ask how does an 18 year old go out and buy two of the better grades of AR15s.I can't afford a Daniel defence, but this dropout who made his living from burger flipping can drop 4,500 for two rifles one with a 650 $ holo sight. as well? Mc Donalds pays well in Texas.

As for the background check in Texas FIK it doesn't exist,and there was nothing illegal about an 18-year-old buying two rifles either. FIK you can also possess and use a handgun with written parental authorisation in the course of your work or instruction in Texas.But you need to be over 21 to purchase outright.He'd still have had to fill in the form 4479 which is a given in any state.But isn't an instant check like the "Brady instant check system" was, until Obama defunded it as it was giving too many false positive returns.

There are multiple signs,I mean if this kid was cutting his face open," because it felt good" in school, was bullied because of his lisp and being an Emo,and his parents and grandparents don't seem to have noticed this... What's the betting he will also have been found to have been on or off prescribed mood-altering medication, which is Lithium based as well? That is the unspoken common factor in 90% of shootings over there.Some form of prescribed meds. America has a bigger mental health issue with big pharma with much deeper pockets than the gun lobby will ever have.

Seems to be a thing with former English colonies and the UK itself, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Hawaii,India ,Ireland all have strict and mostly ineffective gun laws.Sad to think that 100 years ago the UK had actually more liberal gun laws than the US at this point in history.

Don't take this the wrong way, but opinions are like assholes, everyone has one. History has shown that a disarmed populace is easily overcome, (see irish history up to 1916, Russia post 1917, China under Mao, Iraq, Iran, Cuba, Venezuela, North Korea, ETC ), but once said population gains a means to defend themselves (see US colonies 1774 onwards, Irish patriots 1916 onwards, etc), then things can change. Just remember in 1916 or 1921 there was no speed limit, nor driving license, but in 1776 the draftees of the US constitution had the forethought to out think most modern politicians. And just to debunk your thoughts, Militia

A militia is generally an army or some other fighting organization of non-professional soldiers, citizens of a country, or subjects of a state, who may perform military service during a time of need, as opposed to a professional force of regular, full-time military personnel; or, historically, to members of a warrior-nobility class.Wikipedia

This is precisely what I mean regarding a milita.

Ordinary citizens may join up, be part of this militia besides their regular profession. Also, not anybody who wants to be part of a militia will be accepted to join. Somebody who won't fit the physical requirements for instance, simply won't. Also as I have written before, a militia does regular training and exercises, they follow a routine and a schedule, they have various units and a command structure. The US National Guard would fit this description for instance, both an active guard but also a reserve unit.

At the moment I am not seeing any of this when it comes to the US gun debate. It's mostly lone gunman loving to kill in schools, shopping malls, gp surgeries, hospitals and workplaces etc... anything but no militia, no reserve, no active guard.

Some requirements will be pretty basic, like an eye exam. Eye exams are mandatory for a driver's license, so why shouldn't they be for somebody who bears arms? I think it should be pretty clear that somebody with bad vision simply won't get any kind of firearm.

First off there are TWO definitions of what a "militia " is under the Constitution. This applies to both. Without writing an utter treatise on this topic,save to say there is also the UNorganised militia which is defined as anyone[being PC these days of gender equality] between the ages of 16 and 60 who is NOT a member of the organised militia. Taking at the time that the miltia was considered to be Army,Navy,Marines,Coast Gaurd,and much later the Airforce when this unorganised militia question was considered by the Supreme Court in 1912,I belive. The unorganised militia is anyone not a member of such,and therefore still subject to the 2nd amendment IF it was based solely on this "militia" definition,and there is nothing stopping you from raising a citizens miltia either in any state,but whether it is recognised by the governor of the state is another matter.

There is also the Supreme court of Smith Vs the United States in 1920,where the defendant claimed that a sawn-off shotgun was protected under the 2A as a weapon of war and therefore any military weapons in civilian hands were the only items covered by 2A. IOW were this implied, as it was never enacted on as Smith died during the case,so it was considered the defender withdrew,but still stands as a ruling. Your M4 that you could legally buy in the gunshop is protected, and not your semi-auto AR15!!!

In short; There are better legal brains and learned academics who have made a career of arguing the pros/cons of what the fathers meant in this. Seeing that these were men ahead of their time,and put the RTKBA straight behind the universal right of free expression, press and religion,and worded it in simple enough language, that anyone with a room temp IQ can understand, and esp the "shall not be infringed" bit. I cant understand the fuss.

"I ask who are the militia? They consist now of the whole people, except a few public officers."

- George Mason, Address to the Virginia Ratifying Convention, June 4, 1788

No I doubt quite frankly they [US Govt] are worried about me selling my Strike eagle scope to some lad in a camo jacket and turban with an AK down the road in Limerick!🤣 Esp as they virtually gifted thousands of them,and other equipment that we can only dream of to the Taliban under President Cabbage head's dementia rule and evacuation of Afghanistan.😡 This is in reality more "feel good " legislation brought about by Mr Klintoon,another notorious gun banner,and the one world govt of the UN. While its aspirations were good ,to stop warlords arming their child soldiers in Africa or Beruit, in the end, it affected only the legal gun owners globally in making it harder for us to legally acquire parts or firearms.

This of course also suits the UN and the EU,as both have the policy of "The least guns in the civilian population the better to easily rule them!"

And its not that the US doesn't want to sell us stuff,as we aren't N Korea or Ruzzia. It's just that we are too small a market to bother with in Ireland Vs the paperwork it requires. At the end of the day,you can probably source most anything[bar firearms and ammo] in Germany or the UK,France or Italy and get it sent to you here,[at a higher cost obviously] than going thru the paperwork of applying for a Dept of commerce license to export one unit, getting an FFL dealer in the US to ship it outside CONUS, finding a courier company to do the shipment,and paying import duty as well into Ireland.

Sure, I understand your point, but then again, I can also see all the other statements separated by a comma. It's not that the one doesn't work with the other, otherwise, it would just be "A well regulated militia" and no connection to "being necessary to the security of a free state",

In the end, it's one sentence, not different bullet points, it's also not separated by the word "and" indicating another idem. It would be as you described if it would be phrased ", and also the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed".