Gardaí are carrying weapons they are not properly trained to use, Fine Gael justice spokesman Jim O'Keeffe claimed today.
Speaking after the Garda Insepctorate published a report critical of the force's preparedness for sieges nearly seven years after the Abbeylara tragedy, Mr O'Keeffe said some gardaí had been issued with weapons they have never fired.
The closure of the firing range at Garda Headquarters in the Phoenix Park and the training college in Templemore meant the force was reliant on army ranges, some of which have also been closed.
Mr O'Keeffe said: "An Garda Síochána is in the process of switching over from Smith & Wesson and Walter guns to Sig weapons, but many members are concerned they have not received adequate training.
"The only Garda facilities now available are three Virtual Firearms Automated Training Systems ... These are designed to develop reflex skills but are no substitute for live ammunition training."
Mr McDowell said today land had been bought beside Templemore for developing a new range but Mr O'Keeffe noted the Co Tipperary facility was note ready and was far from Dublin where most armed gardai are based.
"Best international practice requires that gardaí using weapons should be able to shoot live ammunition at least three times a year.
"Furthermore, they should undergo at least 24 hours of training when moving on to new weapons. With such limited training facilities available this is currently not possible for every member of the force."
Mr O'Keeffe also noted the Inspectorate's concern about the absence of a dedicated firing range.
The Inspectorate prepared its report on foot of the Barr Tribunal finding that poor organisation contributed to the death of John Carthy who shot dead by gardaí in April 2000 after a 25-hour siege in Abbeylara, Co Longford.
The Inspectorate, headed by former Boston police chief Kathleen O'Tooles made 84 recommendations to improve the handling of "barricade incidents" including a strengthening of procedures for on-scene command.
Labour Party justice spokesman Brendan Howlin welcomed said the recommendations but said they were "not an end in themselves".
"The recommendations regarding procedures, communications, and logistics for gardaí dealing with such situations, specific protocols for crisis management, and the development of clear command structures, must be both welcomed and swiftly implemented," Mr Howlin said.
The Irish Council for Civil Liberties (ICCL) welcomed the "sharp operational focus" the Inspectorate's recommendations added those of Mr Justice Robert Barr.
The ICCL's Director, Mr Mark Kelly, said: "It is particularly welcome that the Inspectorate has highlighted the urgent need to improve On-Scene Command procedures.
"It is quite extraordinary that, almost seven years after John Carthy's death, there are still no definitive Garda criteria for determining who takes charge at the scene of a barricade incident, and that it is not obligatory that command be assigned to an officer who has completed the On-Scene Commander Course."