Banning replicas in Ireland

Sparks

From the Waterford News yesterday:

Ban those realistic replica guns

Waterford Fianna Fáil TD, Ollie Wilkinson, wants a ban on the manufacture, import and sale of realistic imitation guns to reduce the number of raids carried out using replica firearms.

“Gardaí have told me that an increasing number of raids are carried out using realistic replica or imitation guns. They are enough to intimidate businessowners and allow the raider to escape with money or goods.

“Elderly shop-owners are especially vulnerable to being duped by realistic guns. We can no longer allow raiders to get away with this,” said Deputy Wilkinson. He stressed that he is not proposing a blanket ban on toy guns.

“The crackdown would not include toy guns and water pistols. But it must cover the sale of replica guns any person could make for a firearm.“The reality is that raiders will try to acquire realistic replica firearms to use in burglaries because they are less expensive and easier to find. But to the victim, they pose a menace equal to a real gun and so elicit the same victim response of fear and intimidation.

“The ban must be crafted to ensure it applies to sales over the internet and by mail order. It would have no effect on the use of replica guns in the production of police and crime drama on television. Equally, it would have no impact on the sale of toy guns to children. I intend to bring my plan to the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform, Michael McDowell, TD, at the earliest possible opportunity,” said Deputy Wilkinson.

I'd love to see how (in law) you don't ban toy guns but do ban replicas when they're effectively the same thing. You'd have to have a standard that replicas must meet in order to be called replicas, and then a body of inspectors, and procedures to evaluate them, and next thing you know, someone's mentioned ISO9000, and ... well. You get the idea

civdef

TD with a low media profile sees a story in the paper about something happening in the UK, TD reckons his 15 minutes of fame are beckoning, so jumps on the bandwagon enthusiastically. TD gets his publicity, nothing ever comes of it, then fades back into well earned obscurity.

Silly season is fast approaching.

Anyway, how many people have been killed by replica guns?There are already serious penalties for the use of a replica in a crime - basically the same as if it was real.

Sparks

Definitely silly season Civ, but then, this is how pistols were lost in the UK - silly season wasn't taken seriously enough.

Ri_Nollaig

civdef wrote:

Anyway, how many people have been killed by replica guns?There are already serious penalties for the use of a replica in a crime - basically the same as if it was real.

obivously none, but most people arnt willing to find out if the gun is real or fake.
cant they do something to the guns that clearly shows they are fake? have the barrel blocked or something? dont they put bright red/orange tips on some airsoft guns

Rew

Ri_Nollaig wrote:

obivously none, but most people arnt willing to find out if the gun is real or fake.
cant they do something to the guns that clearly shows they are fake? have the barrel blocked or something? dont they put bright red/orange tips on some airsoft guns

Air Soft guns are required to have Red/Orrange tips but they are easily removed or painted. Most people cannt tell the differance between a toy and the real thing even with a blocked up barrel.

Flattop 15

Not to mind that some smart arsed criminals have been known to paint their Real guns with orange tips.So that the police have thought they are facing down a criminal with a fake gun.With quite deadly consequences.Thats even if the police could see the orange tip .