Gardaí to seize unlicensed firearms

GARDAÍ in Cork have warned they will seize firearms if their owners don’t apply for the new €80 three-year licence.

It is estimated that more than 20% of guns in the city and county will either be handed up or seized because many holders won’t pay the new charge – especially if they have multiple guns.

There are currently an estimated 250,000 licensed firearms in the country and new licences are being issued in batches of 25,000.

The first batch of licenses should have been renewed by October 31 last.

However, a number of people still haven’t renewed, or handed over their guns.

Superintendent Con Cadogan, who is in charge of the Gurranabraher Garda District, recently organised a meeting with gun owners to outline the new licence requirements.

He said there were 1,680 firearms licences in his Garda district, but that some of the people who were in the first batch of renewals hadn’t renewed their licence by the October 31 deadline.

Already a number of people have handed in guns to the gardaí, saying they don’t want to renew the licence.

Supt Cadogan said these firearms had been taken to the Cork Steel Company where, under Garda supervision, they had been destroyed. He said that he believed around 20% of firearm licences wouldn’t be renewed.