“The Minister for Justice, Frances Fitzgerald TD published the review conducted by a working group of An Garda Síochána & the Department of Justice and Equality on firearms licensing on 13th November and invited submissions by early December from interested parties to give people the opportunity to contribute to the development of firearms policy and legislation. I was concerned about the short time frame of the public consultation process so as, Chair of the Justice Committee, I sought an extension to the deadline from the Minister. The new deadline is now the 31 January 2015”, said Chair of the Justice Committee and Fine Gael TD for Cork East, David Stanton.
“In addition to the extension of the deadline, the Justice Committee is also now seeking written submissions from interested groups and individuals on the report. The Committee will consider these submissions and plans to invite a number of contributors to public hearings. We understand that there are differing perspectives on the holding of firearms and firearm licensing and it is important that current licence holders, shooting clubs and members of the public are given a forum to articulate their views. We are looking forward to hearing from and engaging with the public on this issue.”
“The review includes a number of recommendations such as changes to the list of offences which prohibit convicted persons from obtaining a firearms licence and possible restrictions on the licensing of handguns and semi-automatic shotguns and rifles. No decisions have been taken yet and I am anxious that none be made until a full consultation and discussion about the issues occurs.
“I would ask anyone with an interest in firearms licensing to go to http://www.justice.ie/en/JELR/2014.WG.Report.pdf/Files/2014.WG.Report.pdf and read the Report on the Review of Firearms Legislation. Written submissions to the Justice Committee should be sent electronically by email (MS Word or equivalent) before our deadline of 3pm on Friday 9th January 2015 to the following email address only: firearmsreview@oireachtas.ie
