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Gardaí in plea over firearms storage

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Since 2008, there have been 20 incidents of stolen firearms in the county, the majority occurring in the commission of burglary and, as a result, gardaí in Clare are appealing to those in possession of firearms and ammunition to take extra care in securing these items.
In some cases where these items were stolen, gardaí discovered that the firearms were easily accessible and not secured away to prevent their removal.
Sergeant Joe Downey, crime prevention officer for Clare, said, “There are considerable obligations on all firearms holders to ensure that their weapons are securely stored away when they are not in use. This applies to both within the home and when travelling to a shoot or a hunt.”
He stressed that firearm holders run the risk of having their licenses revoked it if is discovered that proper security measures were not in place at the time of the theft.
Sergeant Downey outlined the proper methods for storing firearms and ammunition and asked that license holders take note of them.
“Shotguns should be disassembled and securely stored away. The trigger housing must have an appropriate trigger lock. They should be stored in a gun safe, which complies with BS 7558 and the safe should be securely fixed to a solid structure. As the amount of firearms increases in your possession, the place where they are stored should be alarmed. Where you possess six or more firearms then the alarm must be linked to a central monitoring station and have back-up signalling facilities,” he advised.
In addition, when firearms are being transported, they must be stored out of sight in an area that is not accessible to the driver or any passenger.
“Never leave them inside the vehicle, whether occupied or left unattended. If you have to stop for any reason while carrying firearms please ensure that the weapon or weapons is secured safely away. It is also a good idea to place anything that might indicate a firearm is in the vehicle, such as hunting clothing or decoys, in the boot,” he concluded.

 

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