Mr. Fergus Healy:

People can be careless. Unfortunately, these guns, whether lawfully held or otherwise, are the target of people who are intent on using them for unlawful purposes. It is a concern of ours. We can give the committee a more detailed breakdown but I do not have that information to hand now. A significant number of firearms have been stolen over the last five years. The initial data was provided in response to a parliamentary question tabled by Deputy Mac Lochlainn and the matter is one of serious concern for the Garda Síochána.