Scottish man loses gun-licence appeal

Scottish man loses gun licence appeal


A SCOTTISH man lost his appeal to gain a licence to own a handgun after the Judge ruled she did not believe he had a ‘good or sufficient reason’ to hold the gun which was described as the gun of choice by gangland criminals.
John Kelly of Ballybockagh, Shrule had been denied a licence by Chief Superintendent Paul Hargadon to own a Beretta 9mm pistol (pictured) . Mr Kelly appealed the decision claiming he was seeking the licence to take part in precision pistol competitions but Gardaí were objecting on the grounds that it was a highly lethal weapon and other weapons could be used for competitions.
At the appeal Mr Kelly (64) said the gun he owned was for civilian use only but Gardaí claimed it was the gun of choice used in gangland murders and a number of legally held firearms have been stolen.
In her ruling which she made in Castlebar District Court, Judge Mary Devins said that Mr Kelly’s character was not in question nor were his reasons for wanting to own the particular handgun.
However she said that because of the increase in the theft of legally held firearms and the existence of similar shooting competitions, she did not believe he showed good or sufficient reasons for holding the firearm, and dismissed the appeal.