asked the Minister for Justice whether there are any special qualifications required of applicants for gun licences for the calibre weapons normally employed in deer shooting; and if he will make such regulations to ensure that adequate safety standards are observed at all times.
Written Answers. - Gun Licences.
270.
There are two separate requirements involved in this matter, namely, the issue of a hunting licence and the issue of a firearms certificate. A hunting licence is issued by the Minister for Fisheries and Forestry who also prescribes by regulation the type of weapon which may be used in hunting deer species. A firearms certificate is issued by the Garda Superintendent of the district in which the applicant resides. The conditions governing the grant of a firearm certificate are set out in the Firearms Acts, 1925 to 1971, the most relevant one being that the superintendent must be satisfied that the applicant "can be permitted to have in his possession, use, and carry a firearm or ammunition without danger to the public safety or to the peace".
The Firearms Acts contain no provision for the making of regulations by me in the matter of safety standards. While I do not exclude the possibility that some changes in the present practice in relation to the issue of firearms certificates may have to be considered, I would find it difficult to see how regulations as such could effectively deal with the sort of risk that can arise where the holder of a certificate is actually engaged in hunting.