Terry Leyden (Fianna Fail)

It was an internal dispute. There should be some way to appeal to a higher authority, such as the courts, to have a licence returned. When the Garda suspects someone of being a danger to himself or herself or family members, a gun should not be returned. The situation I outlined became a tragic one.

I sympathise with the idea behind the amendment. The return of a gun should not be decided upon by any one individual. Rather, a judicial system should review the matter and public representatives should not be involved, particularly when they do not know the circumstances of the cases. In this instance, the ending was a tragic one. I do not know whether anything could be done about this matter in the Bill, but it is a warning shot across the bow for many people.