Mr. Declan Keogh:

Centre fire rifles are primarily used by deer stalkers and target shooters at long distances because the bullet is much larger and the firing pin hits the centre of the back of the cartridge, which is why it is designated centre fire. It is an accurate and powerful cartridge. Rimfire cartridges have a little indent on the side of the rim because there is very little powder in them. They are popular in Ireland. There are approximately 35,000 licensed rimfire rifles.

I refer back to the mainstay of the concept of assault rifles and why we are under threat in respect of them. There is a perception that they look like assault rifles. Function is everything in firearms. Function is the important aspect of a firearm. Whether a person picks up a rifle with a bolt action or a semi-automatic rifle, they may have the same calibre cartridge and, therefore, the function will be the same. Every firearm in the possession of a civilian was originally designed and evolved from a military look-alike rifle. The 1903 Springfield rifle was an original rifle before the old .303s. Every hunting rifle our colleagues in the wild deer society use is based on that. If the argument was taken to its extreme, it could be said that there should be no licensed firearms in this State because they all look like or emanated from assault rifles or military style rifles.

The reason we need to keep centre fire rifles that self-load is there is a significant competitive edge. My colleagues in the target shooting area will agree with this. When one gets down to shoot a rifle at a bullseye, which is small, from 600 m or 1,000 m, the slightest movement in one's body can set the rifle off. Conventional rifles for target shooting have a bolt, which is lifted up and pulled back. If I am lying prone, lift the bolt, pull it back and manipulate it into position, I will change my position. The reason self-loading rifles are so popular in competitive target shooting is the movement of the body is neutralised. The competitor can pull the trigger once, the gun fires and it reloads itself and, therefore, from a competitive point of view, it is an important firearm to have.

We must get the terminology right. Self-loading rifles that look traditionally like assault rifles and are accused of being so are modern sporting rifles. They are manufactured to current standards. It is similar to cars. Do we want to have cars that were manufactured in 1960 for everyday use or do we want to move forward with a hybrid and use a car for a particular purpose based on efficiency and improvement? The terminology used in the report is disingenuous, misleading and amounts to scaremongering because we do not have assault rifles. Perhaps the rifles we use look like assault rifles.

There is a provision in the current Act under which .22 rifles that look assault rifles have to be registered as restricted firearms, which is ridiculous, because they are black and have pistol grips. Their function is the same as standard .22 semi-automatic rifles but if members of our clubs want one for a particular purpose, they have to apply to the chief superintendent and, under normal circumstances because it is a restricted firearm, he will interview the applicants, which is a waste of police time.