GARDA FEARS OVER ‘FEUD BROTHERS’ GUN LICENCES
Judge accepts one application despite concern
GARDAI objected to gun licences for two brothers over fears they would be used in an alleged family feud.
Michael and Kevin Mcgeever, both in their 40s, operate a school bus service but are also part-time farmers.
They applied for separate gun licences in a bid to control vermin and wild dogs on their 40 acres of land in Co Donegal.
At Letterkenny District Court yesterday Gda Supt David Kelly objected.
Outlining what he described as a “background” and “family dispute”, he said that since 2006 there have been 18 incidents linked to “all applicants” involved. These included attacks on buses and criminal damage to fences. The court heard a shotgun had already been seized from a rival member of the Mcgeever clan and the licence for that revoked. Supt Kelly said he would not like to leave a situation where one side Kevin and Michael Mcgeever of the family had an upper hand if they were given access to a weapon.
He added: “I feel there is a propensity on both parties to engage and I do not feel it would be doing the applicants any favours to have a firearm.” However, the brothers from Gortamore, Downings, denied they planned to use the guns for anything untoward.
Their lawyer said there was no evidence the men were engaged in a feud and that both had filled in the relevant applications.
Judge Paul Kelly refused a licence to Kevin on the basis he had written “No” on the form when asked if he had any previous convictions. He has five.
But accepting the elder brother had “acted properly and responsibly” in reporting all incidents carried out on his land and against his property, he granted Michael’s application.