Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 14 May 2026
419. Deputy Cathy Bennett asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration whether all recognised national firearms user representative organisations were invited to participate in the Firearms Forum established by his Department; and if he will outline the basis on which invitations and appointments were made. [35887/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraMy Department holds meetings with individual firearms organisations on request and engages with various firearms stakeholders, including representative firearms organisations, in various ways.
An Garda Síochána also meets with firearms stakeholder organisations in respect of relevant matters, and officials from my Department also liaise regularly with the Firearms Policy Unit of An Garda Síochána on firearms-related matters.
In 2025, my Department organised a series of engagements with firearms stakeholders in Wicklow, Limerick, Carrick-on-Shannon and Mullingar.
I and officials from my Department have also met with representative organisations, including the Target Shooting Ireland (Olympic Shooters) and the NARGC (National Association of Regional Games Councils).
The most recent engagement took place on the 28 April 2026, where more than 20 representatives of the firearms community and firearms stakeholder organisations attended a meeting with my officials. This was the fourth in a series of meetings that have taken place since 18 September 2025.
During this series of meetings, a multitude of items across the firearms sector have been discussed, and this series of meetings is due to continue throughout the year. Many stakeholders who attended have expressed positive feedback to Department officials on this engagement and were encouraged by the Department’s efforts to maintain momentum of the process.
The objective of these meetings is to provide a mechanism for ongoing engagement with firearms stakeholders from a broad range of areas within the firearms community, ensuring their valuable insights in specific areas of firearms can be considered in any future policy and legislative changes that may arise. Stakeholder organisations have been encouraged to make submissions to the meetings, engage with other stakeholders, and contribute.
A consultation phase is due to take place in the coming months with Firearms Representative Organisations with regards to the findings of the recent engagements. Any firearms stakeholder organisation that would like to participate in the upcoming consultation phase is also welcome to engage with my Department on the matter.
