Carol Nolan: EU Firearms Directive and Rural Ammunition Concerns
Carol Nolan addresses the House on Ireland's opt-in to the proposed EU Directive on Combating Firearms Trafficking and Other Firearms-Related Offences. She supports targeted measures against illegal weapons while raising specific concerns about the downstream impact of unrelated EU proposals on lead ammunition.
Carol Nolan sets out her support for proportionate, targeted measures to tackle illegal trafficking of weapons entering the EU from conflict zones or organised criminal networks. She stresses the Directive is about criminal law harmonisation and not about licensed firearms holders, ammunition standards or hunting practices.
Nolan highlights growing worries from rural communities, sports shooters and hunting organisations about separate European Chemicals Agency proposals under REACH that could restrict or phase out lead ammunition. She repeats concerns raised by NARC and local Game Councils that alternatives to lead shot can be more expensive, less effective and potentially unsafe in older firearms.
The deputy recalls submitting parliamentary questions last year to the Minister for Agriculture and the Minister for the Environment seeking clarity and engagement with the National Association of Regional Game Councils, local gun clubs and responsible firearm holders. She reports that the replies were vague, non-committal and, in some cases, dismissive of the scale of the impact.
Nolan warns the proposed restrictions could have disproportionate and unnecessary consequences for rural gun owners, clay pigeon clubs, wildlife management and farmers who use shotguns for pest control. She calls for clearer engagement and tangible government action to address these practical concerns.
Directive and position
Carol Nolan sets out her support for proportionate, targeted measures to tackle illegal trafficking of weapons entering the EU from conflict zones or organised criminal networks. She stresses the Directive is about criminal law harmonisation and not about licensed firearms holders, ammunition standards or hunting practices.
Rural and shooting community concerns
Nolan highlights growing worries from rural communities, sports shooters and hunting organisations about separate European Chemicals Agency proposals under REACH that could restrict or phase out lead ammunition. She repeats concerns raised by NARC and local Game Councils that alternatives to lead shot can be more expensive, less effective and potentially unsafe in older firearms.
Parliamentary engagement and government response
The deputy recalls submitting parliamentary questions last year to the Minister for Agriculture and the Minister for the Environment seeking clarity and engagement with the National Association of Regional Game Councils, local gun clubs and responsible firearm holders. She reports that the replies were vague, non-committal and, in some cases, dismissive of the scale of the impact.
Consequences and call for action
Nolan warns the proposed restrictions could have disproportionate and unnecessary consequences for rural gun owners, clay pigeon clubs, wildlife management and farmers who use shotguns for pest control. She calls for clearer engagement and tangible government action to address these practical concerns.
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Transcript
I want to begin by briefly addressing the motion before the House concerning Ireland's opt-in to the proposed EU Directive on Combating Firearms Trafficking and Other Firearms-Related Offences. I have no difficulty supporting proportionate, targeted measures that genuinely strengthen our capacity to tackle the illegal trafficking of weapons, particularly those entering the EU from conflict zones or through organised criminal networks. But I do want to be absolutely clear, this Directive is about criminal law harmonisation and not about the lawful, responsible and highly regulated community of licensed firearms holders in this state. And it is certainly not about ammunition standards or hunting practices. However, it is precisely because this Directive is not about those issues that I must take this opportunity to highlight a very real and growing concern among rural communities, sports shooters and hunting organisations. Concerns that I have raised repeatedly through parliamentary questions. Only last year I submitted a series of parliamentary questions to the Minister for Agriculture and the Minister for the Environment, seeking clarity on the European Chemicals Agency proposals under REACH to further restrict or effectively phase out the use of lead ammunition, including for shotguns used in hunting and pest control. I specifically asked the Minister at that time to outline the government's engagement with the National Association of Regional Game Councils, with local gun clubs and with the tens of thousands of responsible firearm holders who will be directly affected. The replies, unfortunately, were very vague, non-committal and in some cases outright dismissive of the scale of the impact. And now we see NARC again, the organisation over the Game Councils, that they're calling for clarity and sounding the alarm. And this time they're warning that the proposed EU restrictions could have serious, disproportionate and unnecessary consequences for rural gun owners, for clay pigeon clubs, for wildlife management and for farmers who rely on shotguns as a practical tool. NARC is absolutely right to highlight that many of the alternatives to lead shot are more expensive, less effective and in some cases unsafe in older firearms that were never designed for high-pressure steel loads. And I have raised this repeatedly and we're not seeing any action on it or any engagement with the Game Council.