Mattie McGrath urges meeting with firearms users' umbrella group
Mattie McGrath raised concerns about the recently published Firearms Expert Committee report and its membership, urging the Taoiseach to ask the minister to meet a representative body of sporting, hunting, shooting and farming firearms users. He said the groups want to be consulted to ensure safe and proper access to firearms and broadly accepted proposals.
Concerns over the report
There are serious concerns among sporting, hunting, shooting and farming organisations about the Firearms Expert Committee report and about the make-up of the Firearms Expert Committee itself.
Representative organisation seeks engagement
Firearms users have come together to form a representative organisation and want to meet the minister as an umbrella body for these groups to be consulted on the future of access to firearms.
Culture, heritage and safety emphasised
McGrath said these groups are well trusted and part of local culture and heritage, and that their involvement is sought so any proposals can be broadly accepted. He stressed the overarching agenda is safety and the protection of people.
Request to the Taoiseach and follow-up
McGrath asked the Taoiseach to ask the minister to meet the representative organisation. The Taoiseach said he would speak to the minister about the issues raised and return to the matter, noting safety informs any legislative or regulatory proposals.
We publish thousands of recordings to make Irish politics transparent and resistant to manipulation. Spotted an error? Report it — together we are building a reliable archive of Irish politics.
There are serious concerns about sporting, hunting, shooting and indeed farming organisations over the recently published report on Firearms Expert Committee. There are also concerns in relation to the make-up of the Firearms Expert Committee. The firearms users have come together to form a representative body and they want to meet with Minister Brown and they want to be consulted about the future of safe and proper access to firearms. These groups are very well-trusted and they are part of their culture and heritage and all they want is to be involved here and to be engaged with and to ensure that whatever proposals come out of it, that there is agreement and can be broadly accepted by them also. I am asking you, Taoiseach, if you could ask Minister Brown that he would meet with the representative organisation as an umbrella body for all these groups in the interest of everything going forward. that these pursuits, rural pursuits, can continue safely. I think Deputy Brown, sorry, Minister Brown, I speak to Minister Brown in respect of engagement with the organisation that you have referenced and obviously the overall agenda is safety and protection of people and that is all that and informs any legislative proposals or any regulatory proposals that come forward and I will talk to the Minister by returning to the issues you have raised. and Connelly
Thank you for downloading 🙏
If you publish this material on social media, we would be very grateful if you tagged VideoParliament. It helps us reach more people and keep building a transparent archive of Irish politics.
