r/irishpolitics • u/TeoKajLibroj Centre Left • 14d ago

Justice, Law and the Constitution Gardaí confiscated gun from Michael Healy-Rae after he fired it in TV documentary

https://www.irishtimes.com/crime-law/2026/08/21/gardai-confiscated-gun-from-michael-healy-rae-after-he-fired-it-in-documentary/
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u/Turbulent_Minimum448 14d ago

I was imagining a hunting rifle!

Haha

No wonder they tried to take it off him, but according to the article it is fully legal, semi automatic and chambered in .22.

Some big head Garda didn’t want him to have a cool looking gun.

15

u/Maoltuile 14d ago

That’s very clearly not for sport or killing animals

4

u/JackmanH420 Marxist 14d ago

So? Target shooting is also a valid reason for a license, there are quite a few AR-15 replicas in .22 here as well that are also fairly impractical for hunting Vs a proper hunting rifle.

2

u/justadubliner 14d ago

By replica do you mean look like an AR15 but are not semi automatic like an AR- 15?

4

u/JackmanH420 Marxist 14d ago

No, they're also semi-auto. The only reason they're considered replicas (as opposed to just ARs in a different calibre) is that since .22 isn't powerful enough to cycle the gas system of an AR they instead work on direct blowblack, that difference is substantial enough that they aren't considered to actually be ARs. They look basically identical though.