According to the Garda Representative Association.
Unarmed gardaí are like "lambs to the slaughter" when confronted by violent and sometimes armed aggressors.
That is according to the Garda Representative Association (GRA) after a man was jailed on Tuesday in connection with an hour long rifle rampage.
One member of an armed response unit told at Tuesday's sentencing hearing how he eventually managed to subdue the perpetrator and said he thought he would never see his family again.
Gardaí told how they feared for their lives as bullets missed them by inches after drug and drink-fuelled deer-hunter Stephen Dowling went berserk.
Dowling, aged 25, of Burren Rd in Carlow, let off up to nine shots in Glenties, Co Donegal, during an hour-long escapade in the early hours of February 22, 2020. On Tuesday, he was sentenced to eight years in prison.
Garda John Joe O' Connell, Kildare Representative, GRA commented:"We are often pawned off by the government.
"They say, 'what do you expect when you join An Garda Siochana?
"The armed support units could be 5 minutes away or an hour away," he said.
"Every call is first attended by an unarmed Garda," he said.
Garda O' Connell spoke of his own experiences on Thursday morning's Kildare:
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