The number of Gardaí carrying guns is being dramatically reduced, with almost a thousand permits taken away already.
It follows a review last year which found that more than a quarter of Gardaí, or 27 per cent, had a firearms authorisation card. That's 3,778 officers.
However many of them were working in desk jobs or non-frontline areas.
Less than 19 per cent of the force, or around 2,700 Gardaí, is now allowed to carry a gun according to figures in the Irish Times. That number is expected to be cut further.
It's part of an approach that will see specialist units almost exclusively providing armed response.
The increase in armed Gardaí followed the expansion of the Emergency Response Unit and Armed Response Units in recent years. While the number of detectives, who were authorised to use a firearm, also increased.
