A change in the legislation governing the sale of samurai swords would be welcomed by one of the main vendors of the weapons in Dublin city centre.
The sale of these instruments is legal, but following a spate of attacks involving the weapons Fine Gael spokesman on justice Charlie Flanagan proposed a change to the Firearms and Offensive Weapons Act of 1990, to include a ban on their sale, possession or importation.
Alan Mullen of Mullen Sports on Mary Street in Dublin, who sells samurai swords, said that although legislation was not in place, people who purchased swords in his shop signed a form stating that they understood the weapons were designed for ornamental and training purposes.
"I would welcome a policy that would limit the sale of swords to members of martial arts clubs for example," Mr Mullen said. "We try to deter people from buying swords if we feel they are not suitable. However, there is no obligation to do this."
Samurai swords can be purchased in a number of shops in Dublin with prices starting at about €100 and shop assistants are not breaking the law by selling them to people of any age. They can also be purchased on the internet for less than €50.
He also said samurai swords played an important part in some martial arts and "if you were to tell people who fence they could not use a sword, they would be outraged. The same would apply to any sport".
Last week, two gardaí were chased by a man wielding a samurai sword at an apartment complex in Dublin city centre.
The previous week in Cork, a 21-year-old man received slash wounds when he was attacked by a man with a samurai sword. He received treatment at Cork University Hospital.
In another incident earlier this month, a 24-year-old man threatened firefighters with a samurai sword in Dundalk.
The firefighters had to turn a water hose on the man after he approached them wielding the weapon.
