asked the Minister for Justice the number of incidents in which unlicensed guns were used in each year for the last ten years and if he will categorise the different type of incidents.
Written Answers. - Unlicensed Firearms Incidents.
178.
Limerick East): I am informed by the Garda authorities that it is normally only in cases where the perpetrators of an armed crime have been apprehended that the ownership of firearms used can be determined and even then this may not always be possible. However, the experience of the Garda Síochána strongly suggests that nearly all firearms used in the commission of crime are unlicensed. For instance, a special check related to last year has shown that 229 firearms, known or believed by the Garda to have been used in the commission of crime, came into the possession of the Garda and all were unlicensed.