Seán Kenny (Dublin North East, Labour) | Oireachtas source

The other point is that when considering these handguns, I am reminded of a meeting of the north-central area's joint policing committee approximately two years ago at which we had a discussion with the chief superintendent following some shooting incidents in the Coolock area. The chief superintendent made the very same point that the availability of these types of handguns was such that he thought it was leading to this kind of activity. I accept there is a need to tighten up the regulations and take some comfort from the point made by the chief superintendent that in the case of people who had a licence but no longer require or have it, the licence would expire and this would reduce the numbers. However, it remains a matter of concern. There also is the question of the illegal supply of weapons. What strategies does the Garda employ to deal with the vast numbers of gangland criminals and other criminals who use illegal weapons and in particular the type of handguns under consideration here?