Mayor Padraig Conneely has hit out at the sale of replica guns in Galway city, claiming it “sends out the wrong message” and could lead to an increase in crime in the city.
Car Tronix, a shop located across from the Post Office on Eglinton Street, offers ultra realistic replica handguns, machine guns and sniper rifles for sale alongside motor accessories and remote controlled toys aimed at the Christmas market.
The sale of replica air guns is currently legal under Irish law, with the Criminal Justice Act 2006 stating that weapons which fire ammunition at speeds less than one joule can be legally bought over the counter.
“I believe they are legal but the risk is that if people use these things irresponsibly it could cause a lot of problems,” said Cllr Padraig Conneely.
As replica guns are classified as ‘toys’, they can be sold to any member of the public of any age and without a licence. With gun crime on the up and following a spate of recent high profile gun deaths, the city mayor fears that the sale of mock pistols locally could lead to increase in criminal activity.
“I think it sends out the wrong message to young people in the current climate and these replica guns could be used by criminals if they ended up in the hands of the wrong people. It’s nearly impossible to determine whether they are real or not.”
A representative from Car Tronix has stated that the sale of replica firearms is for use in the sport of airsoft. Much like paintballing, airsoft involves opponents firing plastic pellets at each other from special replica guns in controlled environments. Car Tronix are affiliated with a local airsoft club and implement a “strict policy” not to sell the guns to persons under the age of 18, even though they are not bound by law to do so. They confirmed that the guns were “selling well”.
The most up to date figures from the Central Statistics Office show that there were 440 robberies and aggravated burglaries involving firearms in 2006.
