Firearms Law Foul-Up!

Details A long-awaited change to the restrictive firearms law in Northern Ireland has been delayed. The Northern Ireland Firearms Consultative Liaison Forum, comprising all of the reputable organisations which represent the shooting population of Northern Ireland, has been working closely with the Department of Justice and PSNI on how best to reduce the minimum age for young shooters in the Province. The finished proposals were almost ready for submission to the Minister, and it seems that an unfinished draft of the proposals got into the wrong hands.  They were submitted to the Minister in their unfinished state, and somehow Stormont was rushed into including them in the Justice Bill, which was before Parliament at that time. The version submitted was so flawed, it almost caused the failure of the entire Justice Bill, and Stormont had to use an emergency sitting to make the Bill comply with European Law.  Although Stormont was able to save the Bill as a whole, sadly it was not possible to change the firearms proposals to make workable law, and three separate clauses in the Bill will just not be enacted (given a start date). The effect of this is that although there has been a huge amount of publicity about the minimum age for young shooters being reduced, that section of the Act has not come into effect and is unlikely to do so in its current form. The changes needed can only be made in a future Bill, and the timing of a suitable Bill is not yet known. In the meantime, members should be aware that the age restrictions on young people in NI using firearms is exactly as it was before the Justice Bill became law.