Denis O'Donovan (Fianna Fail)

Having listened to the contributions of Senators Mullen and Regan, I have serious concerns to raise with the Minister of State. Is section 33 a killjoy provision? When I first read the legislation and listened to some of the comments made by individuals who run legitimate gun clubs, practice ranges, etc., I concluded that the Bill constituted a serious setback for them. Retired members of the Garda Síochána and the Defence Forces who have practised shooting like to keep up this activity from time to time in a legitimate, curtailed and regulated fashion. I am concerned that this measure will put some clubs out of business. Perhaps we are taking a sledgehammer to crack a nut and the measures go too far.

I ask the Minister of State to bear in mind that I have strong reservations about the proposed measure. Unfortunately, I had to leave the meeting of the Fianna Fáil parliamentary party which discussed this issue to attend to other business. I am aware, however, that many of my party colleagues expressed serious reservations about this measure.

The Minister argues that the section must be stringent and inflexible because evidence has been provided by senior Garda sources that groups from outside the jurisdiction have used the facilities in question to train and upskill themselves for activities other than recreational purposes. If that is the case, the relevant evidence and its source should be made transparent.