THERE are almost 20,000 registered firearms in Cork City and county at present.

According to statistics from An Garda Síochána, there are 19,402 firearms licenced in Cork — with Cork West accounting for the highest number of licenced firearms.

That Garda division holds 8,348 licenced firearms, while Cork North has 7,702. Cork City has 3,352 licenced firearms.

Garda sources point out that rural areas have the highest number of licenced firearms, because of their use on farms and for hunting.

They also indicated that a small number of such weapons have been seized in the past year in situations of domestic abuse, or where there were disputes between people.

Firearms licences are renewed every three years. On the first application for a licence, an applicant is interviewed by gardaí and his or her background is checked.

A form must be filled in with medical information, character references, past criminal history check, and competence in relation to firearms.

To grant a licence, a superintendent must be satisfied that the applicant is not a danger to the public safety or peace; has a secure gun safe for storage of the weapon, and has a “good and sufficient reason” for owning a firearm.

A source said: “If there is a domestic incident or threats of violence made in the three years for which it has been licenced, it can be seized pending the investigation.”

A subsequent application for a firearms licence can be rejected if a person is deemed to have a criminal record which would make possession of a firearm dangerous for public safety.

In recent years, legally-held firearms have been used in crimes as well as in suicides. 

There have also been situations where legally-held weapons have been stolen and used in crimes. 

Director of the Support After Crime Services in Cork, Sally Hanlon, said it is very important people who legally hold such a weapon have it correctly and safely stored, and that those people have adequate training and competence in use of such a weapon.