These are our permanent proposals with regard to firearms, and I take it there is no particular necessity for me to argue from the point of view of the preservation of peace and order in the country that it is necessary to have the possession of firearms restricted and controlled. I feel certain that Deputies will agree with me in saying that such restriction in the country is of paramount importance. Deputies are aware that under the Public Safety (Emergency Powers) Act, and then by the Firearms (Temporary Provisions) Act of last year, as continued by the Firearms (Temporary Provisions) (Continuance) Act, 1925, we controlled and restricted the use of firearms.
Power was reserved under the enactments referred to to make regulations for the issue of permits or certificates to be in the possession of firearms. These certificates were issued by the police forces throughout the country, and to meet the expenses in connection with the issue, a fee of 5/- for each certificate was charged. These certificates did not relieve the holder from the provisions of the existing law as to the possession of firearms, in that when a person obtained his certificate from the police he had still to comply with the provisions of the Gun Licence Act, 1870, or, if he wished to shoot game, of the Game Certificates (Ireland) Act, 1842, as amended by the Game Licence Act, 1860. These statutes are still in force, and the position under them is shortly as follows:—Under the Gun Licence Act, 1870, every person who uses or carries a gun as defined by the Act, that is, a firearm of any description, has to take out a yearly excise licence at a cost of 10/-, unless he uses or carries such gun only in a dwelling-house or the curtilage thereof. Certain persons are excepted from the necessity of taking out such a licence, the principal being persons in possession of a game licence; persons carrying a gun for the possessor of a game licence; an occupier of lands using or carrying a gun for the purpose only of scaring birds, or of killing vermin on such lands, a gun-smith, or a common carrier.
Under the Game Licence Acts a person wishing to use a gun for the purpose of taking or killing game must take out a yearly licence at a cost of £3, or he can obtain a half-yearly licence for £2, or a fortnightly licence for £1. These Acts are in force at the moment, and from the point of view of the public, who are desirous of possessing or using firearms, two distinct steps must be taken by them—namely, (1) the obtaining of a certificate from the police authorities, and (2) the obtaining of the appropriate licence from the Excise authorities. I have thought it better that, if possible, the public should be relieved of having to go to two distinct authorities in this manner, and accordingly the Bill before you for consideration proceeds on the basis of enabling the Gárda Síochána to issue full certificates for the possession and use of firearms. The Bill at the moment is silent as to the amount of fees to be charged in the various cases. These fees, however, have been agreed upon between my Department and the Department of Finance, but for convenience' sake it has been thought more desirable that they should be included in the Finance Bill. However, I think it proper that in considering this Bill you should be aware of these agreed fees which are as follow, namely:—
1.—For a firearm certificate for a rifle or revolver, with or without ammunition therefor, 5s. 2.—For a firearm certificate for a shot gun, with or without ammunition therefor, limited to use for the destruction of vermin on lands belonging to the person to whom the certificate is granted, 5s. 3.—For any other firearms certificate in respect of a shot gun—(a) for one such certificate, £2; (b) where two or more certificates are granted to the same person not necessarily at the same time and expiring on the same date, for the first such certificate, £2; for the second and every such subsequent certificate, 5s.
It will be seen that the net result of these fees is that the farmer who wishes to be in possession of a gun for the destruction of vermin on his own lands is placed in exactly the same position as he is at present, namely, that he has to pay 5s. for his certificate. A change, however, has been effected with regard to the possession of shot-guns by persons other than farmers, in that any such person who wishes to possess and use a shot-gun must pay a yearly sum of £2 for the certificate, and such certificate will entitle them to use the gun for all purposes, including the destruction of game. In other words, what was commonly known in former times as the 10s. licence has been abolished, and the cost of the game licence has been reduced from £3 to £2. Many complaints have been made to me with regard to the destruction of game in this country, and it has been pointed out, with a great deal of truth, that with any sort of preservation the game of the country could well become a national asset and a source of considerable wealth. After careful investigation I have come to the conclusion that one of the chief causes of the unauthorised destruction of game in the past has been the abuse of the 10s. licence. That licence did not entitle the holder to destroy game, yet invariably the possessor of such a licence fired and, with luck, killed any game which he came across. Not only that, but many possessors of the 10/- licence were foremost in destroying game in the close season. Accordingly, we propose the total abolition of the 10/- licence, and while doing that, we do not want to put it out of the reach of any man who may not be possessed of great wealth to obtain a certificate entitling him to kill game. To ensure that, the £3 payable in the past for a game licence is now being reduced to £2, and I think that anyone thinking over these proposals and the effect of them will not disapprove. At this stage it is probably unnecessary to go through the various sections. Deputies will be conversant with the purport of them. Sections 2 to 6, inclusive, and Section 8 regulate the possession, use and carriage of firearms. Section 7 enables permits, as distinct from certificates, to be issued in certain specified cases. Sections 9 to 13, inclusive, provide for the registration of firearms dealers and lay down the conditions to be complied with by such dealers. With regard to firearms dealers, it might be well to mention that it is the intention to charge an annual fee of £1 in respect of such registration. This is, I think, a reasonable amount and will help to defray the expenses in connection with such registration. Section 14 deals with the prohibition of the possession and manufacture of weapons discharging noxious liquids, for instance, flame-throwers, gas bombs and so on. Sections 16 to 18, inclusive, deal with the restrictions on the export, import or removal of firearms or ammunition. Section 19 prohibits firearms being taken in pawn. Sections 20, 21 and 23 confer on the Gárda Síochána powers necessary for the due enforcement of the Bill. Sections 22 and 24 provide for forfeiture and punishments. As I indicated at the outset, the necessity for these restrictions can scarcely be disputed, and I think that the measures of restriction prescribed in the Bill should meet with general approval. I move the Second Reading.
