27 April 2006

Justice

Garda concerns regarding proposed firearms amnesty 

Ciarán Cuffe TD asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform if he remains confident in his plans for the introduction of a firearms amnesty in view of recent comments from the Association of Garda Sergeants and Inspectors that the amnesty will not encourage criminals to give up their weapons; and if he will make a statement on the matter; and if he will make a statement on the matter. 

Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform (Mr. McDowell):  I propose bringing forward a range of measures to strengthen the law governing the control of firearms in the Criminal Justice Bill, 2004, which is currently before the House. These new measures include increases in fines and penalties generally for offences under the Firearms Acts and the creation of mandatory minimum sentences, of between five and ten years, for certain firearms offences, including possession of a firearm in suspicious circumstances, possession of firearm with criminal intent, possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life or cause serious injury to property, possession of a firearm while hijacking a vehicle, and use or production of a firearm to resist arrest.

In this context I also propose to introduce a statutory basis for an amnesty during which firearms may be surrendered to the Garda Síochána before the proposed new penalties and minimum mandatory sentences are introduced. This will enable those in possession of firearms, who are not in compliance with the legal requirements, to regularise their position, thus enabling the Garda Síochána to concentrate on more serious offenders.