Many Second Amendment supporters in the U.S. are well aware of the slanted statistics that are always pushed forward. Things are conveniently left out, as was discussed recently by Dr. John Lott, on an episode of Gun Owners Radio. For example, when someone says that the U.S. has the most amount of so-called “gun violence,” they’re not accounting for the numbers per capita. Entire European countries have populations less than many states in the U.S. There’s an underlying ideal that progressives cling to about how “sophisticated” or “modern” disarmed countries are in comparison to the states. A good illustration of such sophisticated ways can be seen in a set of recent arrests in Ireland involving a gun.
Ireland has incredibly strict firearm laws. A 2018 article, republished in 2022, discussed some of the laws regulating firearms on the Emerald Island.
In Ireland, those wishing to purchase a firearm must be 16 years of age or older and must have been living in Ireland for at least six months in order to apply for a firearm certificate. (That minimum age of 16 – two years younger than America’s limit of 18 – is the only way in which they are less restrictive.)
Applications for a firearm certificate are made via local Gardai (police), to whom you must demonstrate a ‘good reason” for wanting one, such as hunting or protecting flocks as a farmer. As John Spain wrote in a previous article on IrishCentral, “well over 90% of guns held here are shotguns and sporting rifles used for hunting or controlling vermin. These weapons are usually single shot and never automatic.”
The author of this piece was quick to point out the “only way in which they [Ireland] are less restrictive” than the U.S. is by allowing 16-year-olds the ability to purchase firearms. They were also quick to cite, “These weapons are usually single shot and never automatic.” Ireland can be considered one of those progressive osisises where there’s hardly any firearms. Of course we can ignore a sordid history of civil war involving bombings etc., over different flavors of Christianity, and whether there should be a unified Ireland. All occurred on the same island of Ireland proper. We’ll ignore the fact there’s a Republic of and a Northern variety of Ireland.
A recent report discusses the arrest of two individuals and confiscation of a firearm. A member of the Irish national police, the Garda, saw a firearm “from a distance” get “produced.” It sounded like they called for backup as, “Additional Garda units soon arrived on the scene and the two men were arrested.”
Following a search of the area, a firearm and ammunition was subsequently retrieved by gardaí.
The men, who are both aged in their 30s, are currently detained under Section 30 of the Offences Against the State Act, 1939/98 at Clondalkin Garda Station.
The firearm and ammunition will now be sent to the Garda Ballistics Unit for analysis.
Gardai say investigations are ongoing.
According to historic firearm expert and Eye on the Target Radio Show co-host, Rob Campbell, what was confiscated appeared to be a hammerless .32 caliber Harrington & Richardson top-break action revolver that was in production from 1895–1940. It’s difficult to identify the exact make year of the revolver from the provided picture, but depending on its age, it could utilize black powder cartridges. The menacing gun that was sent off for ballistic analysis was considered state-of-the-art when Teddy Roosevelt was still alive.
The level of liberty that the people of Ireland get to enjoy would be arrest for being in possession of a gun members of the Rough Riders may have owned. That’s not to say much for states like NY, NJ, MA, etc., where possession of such arms without a permit could result in felony charges, but none-the-less, we’re still not talking about a whole lot of liberty.
The scourge of their society was picked up and these two persons won’t be menacing anyone anytime soon. Although, it’s hard to say, as there are so few details. All we know is they were “detained under Section 30 of the Offences Against the State Act, 1939/98.” Taking a quick look at what kind of charge such an offense is we can learn the following about Section 30 of the Offences Against the State Act, 1939/98 [emphasis added]:
30.—(1) A member of the Gárda Síochána (if he is not in uniform on production of his identification card if demanded) may without warrant stop, search, interrogate, and arrest any person, or do any one or more of those things in respect of any person, whom he suspects of having committed or being about to commit or being or having been concerned in the commission of an offence under any section or sub-section of this Act or an offence which is for the time being a scheduled offence for the purposes of Part V of this Act or whom he suspects of carrying a document relating to the commission or intended commission of any such offence as aforesaid or whom he suspects of being in possession of information relating to the commission or intended commission of any such offence as aforesaid.
The burden of arrest seems kinda low here. Both persons were arrested in this scenario. Why? Only one could have been in possession of the firearm. There has to be more to the story. But, even if there isn’t more to the story, let the level of liberties that other civilized nations get to enjoy over that of the United States, sink in.
The police in Ireland should be commended for not making too much fanfare over the crime trophy they procured. The alleged “crimes” that were committed are buried in their legal jargon which amounts to someone getting arrested for simple suspicion of committing an act. One person for possession of a gun and the other for? How would the people of the party of mostly peaceful protests make out in such a system? Not very well we can imagine.
The next time a progressive wants to point out how much safer other countries are than the U.S., we can point out statistics like Lott has been for decades. You also can point out that in other “safer” countries, where the difference of opinion led to nearly 30 years of mostly peaceful violence, it does not take much to get thrown into the paddy wagon. No troubles there. None at all.