Dublin police want to be allowed to use high-powered machine guns to tackle a surge in gang violence in the city.

Dermot O’Brien, the president of Irish policing body the Garda Representative Association (GRA), said on Tuesday that Ireland’s police are under-resourced and he wants officers to be “protected when they go out there," the Irish Independent reported.

Police should have immediate access to Uzis, O’Brien said, and subsequently should be armed with the MP7 submachine gun, which manufacturer Heckler and Koch describes as “a new generation of enhanced-performance submachine guns that bridge the gap between assault rifles and conventional submachine guns.”

KnightsFan wrote:Is the MP7 actually a "high-powered" PDW? I wouldn't think the HK4.7x30mm would fit that definition.

Also it sounds like the request for more firearms is in an attempt to get ahead of the gangs that are selling drugs. Which is fair, but I would hope there's money also going toward preventing the gangs and drugs from taking hold in the first place

KnightsFan wrote:Is the MP7 actually a "high-powered" PDW? I wouldn't think the HK4.7x30mm would fit that definition.

Also it sounds like the request for more firearms is in an attempt to get ahead of the gangs that are selling drugs. Which is fair, but I would hope there's money also going toward preventing the gangs and drugs from taking hold in the first place