Is it time to arm the Gards?

darkman2 · 24-09-2011 06:20AM #1

A Garda could be simply beaten up by any thug. Is it time to arm them?

I mean those who pass a training course - i.e route out the corrupt. Maybe not all but some garda should be armed on the streets. What do you think?

sdanseo · 24-09-2011 06:25AM

darkman2 wrote: »

A Garda could be simply beaten up by any thug. Is it time to arm them?

Or the Garda could use an ASP or OC spray to fend off an assailant.

However, yes, I think it's time we just bit the bullet (no pun intended) and armed them. It's going to happen soon enough and detectives are all already armed. It would make people take them more seriously, which I think is a large problem for them.

dax121 · 24-09-2011 06:32AM

i dont think all guards should be armed. imagine someone fresh out of templemore and give him/her a 9mm :eek:
you should have to do a min of 3 years in the force and be trained on how how use it. their is a law that they have to attend a range 3 times per year. that also is stupid if ur going to arm them i think they should make them shoot 100rnds once a month.
make them shoot at a target at 25 yrds if they cant group at that distance their a danger to others and not be given a firearm.
thats just my 2 cents worth

Richard Hillman · 24-09-2011 06:46AM

Yes and give them a shoot to kill policy on anybody running away. It would also save a lot of manpower. On a random weekend night there is always a few drunken idiots that need about 10 Garda to get them down, cuff them and throw him in the van. If they have guns then im sure Paddy Angryman will duly oblige cuffing himself. I think the whole thing would bring back respect for the Garda which has been lost over the years by the underclasses. Guns would make a large cultural difference in Ireland.

jay-me · 24-09-2011 06:50AM

But we could also be beaten by random thugs... perhaps we should follow the American's and make it a constitutional right for everyone to bear arms!:rolleyes:

Saila · 24-09-2011 07:03AM

just give them whistles

hondasam · 24-09-2011 07:24AM

darkman2 wrote: »

A Garda could be simply beaten up by any thug. Is it time to arm them?

I mean those who pass a training course - i.e route out the corrupt. Maybe not all but some garda should be armed on the streets. What do you think?

What? some of them are armed now.

Jesus Wept · 24-09-2011 07:30AM

Fuck no.

mattjack · 24-09-2011 07:54AM

Saila wrote: »

just give them whistles

and ferrets.

TheZohanS · 24-09-2011 08:22AM

At the moment gun crime is relatively low in this country, that's not to say that there's low gun ownership or that criminals don't have guns, they do. But if you arm the Gardai your average little scrote scumbag criminal will access to a gun will start carrying one to be a hard man. Logic dictates if you have something like a gun on your person and you're not properly trained you'll be far more likely to use it, you'll see gun related crime rising and guns becoming way more popular with criminals.

I think the current system is fine, the ERU and some gardai carry guns, would be against the whole force having them. I wouldn't have any problem with the gardai carrying tazers as general kit.

Rawhead · 24-09-2011 08:39AM

Must be 3 weeks since this old chestnut came up.

GiftofGab · 24-09-2011 08:41AM

Well I reckon all guards should be armed....they should have legs too if they're out fighting crime

PCPhoto · 24-09-2011 08:42AM

Rawhead wrote: »

Must be 3 weeks since this old chestnut came up.

chestnut ...looks like a thread to me !!

Snakeblood · 24-09-2011 09:16AM

I think guns should be freely available. I like to soften a room up with some gunfire before walking into it.

mattjack · 24-09-2011 09:20AM

Snakeblood wrote: »

I think guns should be freely available. I like to soften a room up with some gunfire before walking into it.

Same as myself,nothing like a bit of gunfire to get someone's attention

Me again! · 24-09-2011 09:21AM

Groundhog day thread, op use the search box and save everyone wasting their time posting the same old crap

stovelid · 24-09-2011 09:41AM

The kind of guards that generally deal with serious crimes are often armed if needs be anyway?

Arming the average guard on the street is a bad idea and is not necessary.

Micky Dolenz · 24-09-2011 09:51AM

Forget guns and go back to basics. They should have to pass fitness tests every year. I've yet to meet an officer I couldn't outrun.

hondasam · 24-09-2011 10:10AM

Micky Dolenz wrote: »

Forget guns and go back to basics. They should have to pass fitness tests every year. I've yet to meet an officer I couldn't outrun.

Do you spend a lot of time running from them?

stephendevlin · 24-09-2011 10:15AM

There will be a bigger demand for guns for criminals then in this country I dont think thats a good idea. We already have ARU thats enough. Dont think shoot outs are something I would like to see on normal occasions.

Guards would be forced to shoot someone who came too close to them as they would be at risk of loosing thier weapon.

ScumLord · 24-09-2011 10:21AM

There isn't enough armed criminals or threat of guards being shot by random people (as the general public don't have free access to guns) to give reason for guards to be armed. Most Irish crime doesn't involve guns.

mikemac · 24-09-2011 10:22AM

Richard Hillman wrote: »

Yes and give them a shoot to kill policy on anybody running away.

There is no such thing as shoot to wound
Well except on computer games

Bosco boy · 24-09-2011 10:23AM

Micky Dolenz wrote: »

Forget guns and go back to basics. They should have to pass fitness tests every year. I've yet to meet an officer I couldn't outrun.

good for you!! But if they had guns the bullet would catch up with you!!

dr.bollocko · 24-09-2011 10:58AM

mikemac wrote: »

There is no such thing as shoot to wound
Well except on computer games

Airsoft guns? Or maybe beanbags.

py2006 · 24-09-2011 10:59AM

Stun guns for now.

mawk · 24-09-2011 11:07AM

before we give them arms, I think we should give them legs. then they can get off their asses and maybe walk to somewhere with known criminals

westendgirlie · 24-09-2011 11:17AM

I would be against arming the force as a whole. As The Zohan pointed out, gun crime isn't as high as we think. If all Garda were armed you would have more petty criminals arming themselves too, to be on a par.

That's the scary reality. More guns in circulation = more innocent deaths.

jimdeans · 24-09-2011 11:18AM

No way would I trust the gardai enough to be happy with them all being armed.

the purple tin · 24-09-2011 11:38AM

Do they still carry truncheons?

wild_cat · 24-09-2011 11:45AM

Bosco boy wrote: »

Micky Dolenz wrote: »

Forget guns and go back to basics. They should have to pass fitness tests every year. I've yet to meet an officer I couldn't outrun.

good for you!! But if they had guns the bullet would catch up with you!!

Do l recall reading that you're a guard before?

Do many of ye want guns?

Logical Fallacy · 24-09-2011 12:56PM

Bosco boy wrote: »

good for you!! But if they had guns the bullet would catch up with you!!

Unlikely, i reckon the majority of them couldn't get their fat fingers in the trigger guard and those that could would probably be just about clever enough to shoot themselves in the face.

Is it time to arm the Gards?

Comments