§ MR. E. M'HUGH (Armagh, S.)I beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland whether his attention has been drawn to the case of a man named Richard Southey, who was received into the Armagh County Infirmary a, few days ago, suffering from a wound in the hand, caused by a shot from a revolver which he had been brandishing to the public danger; and can he state whether this man had a licence to carry firearms; and, if not, what steps does he propose to take in the matter?
§ MR. GERALD BALFOURIt is true that the person named in the Question was under treatment for a couple of days at the infirmary in consequence of an injury to his hand caused by the accidental discharge of a revolver, but there is no foundation for the statement that he brandished the weapon to the 1146 public danger. The place where the occurrence took place is some 200 yards from a public road, and is moreover surrounded by a wall. The man did not require an Arms Act licence, as the locality is not proclaimed under the provisions of the Act, nor did he require the ordinary gun licence, as the spot where the occurrence took place is within the curtilage of the dwelling where he was lodging.