Sports groups give guarded welcome to ‘handguns ban’

SPORTS people who use handguns have given a qualified welcome to a “handguns ban” announced by the Government yesterday.

The National Target Shooting Association (NTSA) described the measures as “rational”, while the National Association of Regional Game Councils (NARGC) said there were large exemptions to the ban.

Under the proposed ban:

* No new licences will be issued for handguns, but handguns used in Olympic sports will be exempt

* Gun owners with existing handgun licences can have them renewed if they abide with new, strict licensing conditions

Mr Ahern said he had a “growing concern” at the number and type of handguns being licensed. Figures reported in the Irish Examiner last month showed that the number of handguns jumped from 1 in 2004 to 1,834 in 2008.

Mr Ahern said the figure could reach 4,000 in three years, if left unchecked.

Mark Dennehy of the NTSA said the shooting associations have already been involved with An Garda Síochána and the Department of Justice in the Firearms Consultation Panel in devising a more strict licensing system.

Mr Dennehy said the “handguns ban” was essentially a ban on semi-automatic handguns, such as Glock handguns.

“The sense we have is because Glocks are what are being complained about, Glocks are what they are going after,” he said.

Des Crofton of the NARGC said the new law was not a blanket ban on handguns as some media reports had stated. He said there was simply going to be a cap on the current number of licenses.

The Association of Garda Sergeants and Inspectors welcomed the move.