Demands for tougher gun laws as licences soar

TOUGHER gun controls were demanded by Fine Gael last night as it emerged the number of firearms in legal circulation has risen rapidly in the past five years.

Hand gun licences issued have surged from 305 in 2004 to 1,701 last year, prompting concern “many” of the weapons are falling into the wrong hands.

Justice Department figures reveal the number of all licensed firearms increased by 5% between 2002 and 2006.