Mr. Philip Slattery:

On that note, I have a copy of the Firearms (Secure Accommodation) Regulations 2009. As mentioned, there are four levels of security. Level one is for one non-restricted shotgun - the standard side-by-side or over-and-under shotgun that farmers would have. The regulations state that the shotgun should be disassembled and each part stored securely and separately in the house, but there is no requirement for a safe. Under level two, which allows for one restricted firearm or three or fewer non-restricted firearms, each firearm should be stored securely in a gun safe which complies with British standard BS7558 and which is securely fixed to a solid structure. Level three provides that if a person has two restricted firearms or more than three non-restricted firearms, the firearms must be stored in a safe but an alarm must also be fitted and external doors must be fitted with locks that comply with British standard BS3621. The highest category, level four, provides for three or more restricted firearms or six or more firearms of any type. At this level, in addition to the requirements under the previous standards, the owner must have a monitored alarm that has been installed by a licensed installer from a private security party which complies with Irish Standard EN 50131. The alarm must be connected to a monitoring service operated by a person licensed to be a private security operator and supported with GSM mobile service backup. I do not want to go into the detail of my security arrangements, but those regulations are the minimum of what I have. This is also the minimum for many people I know who have restricted firearms. They all go above and beyond the regulations to protect their investment, because generally the firearms they own are worth several thousand euro.