Concern over rise in gun ownership

GARDAÍ have expressed concern at the sharp rise in the legal ownership of handguns in recent years.

Figures show that the number of handguns licensed has jumped from one in 2004 to 1,835 in 2008.

The main Garda association, and senior Garda sources, said they were concerned about the rise in semi-automatic and automatic handguns. They called for handguns to be banned or to put heavy restrictions on their use and storage.