"Irish opposition calls for tighter gun laws"

DUBLIN, Nov 18 (Reuters) - The Irish opposition on Tuesday called on the government to tighten gun-control laws to avoid a tragedy similar to the massacre of 16 schoolchildren and their teacher in Dunblane, Scotland, last year.

Jim Higgins, Justice spokesman for the main opposition party Fine Gael, said Ireland's gun laws were lax and ineffectual and ``ridiculously antiquated.''

``The current gun laws were made in 1925, only a couple of years after the Civil War, when a large number of guns and rifles were in circulation,'' he said in a statement.

Ireland was plunged into civil war after the signing in 1921 of the treaty with Britain which divided the country into the Irish Free State and Northern Ireland, which continued to be ruled by London.

Under current regulations, a gun can be obtained at 16-years-old without any training or test of competence, and police must give a reason for refusing a licence.

The law only deals with arms held legally and not with the unknown numbers held by paramilitary groups.

Higgins said the Firearms Act fails to stipulate what qualifications should be necessary to own a gun and only cites some possible exclusions.

He said the law should stipulate that licence-holders be bona fide members of gun clubs and have three-yearly medical reports on their fitness to hold a licence.

``We still have a long way to go to rid our society of the type of people who carry out atrocities with guns, but we can make a start by ensuring that it is exceptionally difficult for them to get their hands on those instruments of death and carnage,'' Higgins said.

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I think we can file this one under "they never give up scapegoating gun owners".

There may actually be a grain of truth in what they are saying in that the Irish Firearms Act was basically designed to prevent civil revolt, not nutters getting hold of guns.

However, to suggest it is lax is unbelievable. Ireland has the toughest laws in Europe, if not the world.

Anything vaguely handgun shaped is prohibited. Centrefire semi-auto rifles are banned. Rifles over .27" in calibre are banned. Firearm Certificates have a Irish L100 licensing fee, and a seperate FAC is required per gun. Licenses have to be renewed yearly.

All guns require an FAC - even air rifles.

There may not be a requirement to be a member of a club or a training requirement expressly written into the law, but to get a license without being a member of a club is next to impossible.

I suggest Mr Higgins check his facts rather than his popularity rating.

Steve.