Mr. Declan Keogh:

Deputy McGrath asked about the proliferation of firearms and about fear and concern. We share this concern. As Mr. Crofton mentioned, we are nothing like the United States. If somebody wants to buy a .22 pistol, which is non-restricted at present, to enter the sport, he or she is required to join a club, which costs approximately €500, buy the pistol, which costs approximately €900, install a gun safe, which costs approximately €300, and put in place an alarm system, which costs approximately €1,000. This means the opportunity for people to easily enter the sport is limited. To give the statistics, 1,000 .22 pistols have been licensed in the State since 2004, which equates to 100 a year. Extending this out, it will be another ten years before we have 2,000 pistols and 20 years before we are anywhere near the pistol numbers that exist in Northern Ireland. There is a self-limiting aspect in how the sport is organised. People who enter our sport may take up rifle shooting, pistol shooting or shotgun shooting. A variety of shooting sports are available and people need to have this choice. The proposed amendments to the legislation would remove the choice of a .22 pistol, which is unreasonable in the current environment.