Loaded handgun found by children
A loaded gun has been handed over to police after being found by children in the Ardoyne area of north Belfast.
It is the second such incident in the area in a month. On 13 July, a loaded rifle was handed in after a group of children were seen playing with it.
Both weapons were first handed to local priest Father Gary Donegan, who gave them to the police.
He said the gun found on Wednesday was a loaded Deringer pistol which had been left in an area where children play.
“If this is left in an area where children are playing, then the chances are a child will find it and the chances are we’ll end up with a very serious incident,” Fr Donegan said.
“It was a reckless and thoughtless act to leave such a thing there and thankfully somebody had the courage to intercept it.”
The weapon was handed to Fr Donegan by “a very concerned and upset” parent.
He said in between the latest find and the rifle in July, a toy gun had been found in a commercial bin in the area.
“That’s where the fear factor is for parents, how can a child figure out what’s real and what’s not,” the priest said.
“In many ways it might look harmless (the handgun), but in fact it’s actually a lethal weapon and that’s the disturbing thing, the fact that it was left in such a way.”
Sinn Fein has blamed dissident republicans for leaving the gun, although Fr Donegan said it was not up to him to speculate on that.
“At the end of the day it’s not for me to comment on that. My thing was to ensure that it was safely got rid of.”
