Taoiseach Micheál Martin has said that Ireland cannot ignore the deaths of three family members in a suspected murder-suicide in Co Kerry.
Speaking in Cavan ahead of the Fianna Fáil think-in, Mr Martin indicated that he would be open to a conversation about changes to gun laws in Ireland.
He said: “My deepest sympathies go out to the families of those who were killed and to the community.”
“These are devastating events and the enormity of them is quite shocking,” he said.
Gardaí are still investigating the deaths of the three family members and have launched a criminal investigation after the bodies were discovered at a property near Lixnaw in the north of the county.
“It has happened elsewhere as well in the country in recent times,” Mr Martin said.
Another suspected murder-suicide shooting took place at a home in Cork in 2020.
“I do think we need to evaluate,” Mr Martin said. “I don’t want to pre-empt what happened here. But we can’t ignore events of this kind.”
Officers called at the home in Kerry on Tuesday evening and discovered the bodies of a 56-year-old woman and her 24-year-old son inside the property.
They were named locally as Eileen and Jamie O’Sullivan.
In a follow-up search outside the home, gardaí found the body of a 63-year-old man, Mossie O’Sullivan, at the boundary of the rear yard, also with gunshot wounds.
A firearm was recovered close to his body.
Gardaí investigating the shooting said they have “a lot of unanswered questions” about the incident.
Superintendent Paul Kennedy said gardai were not made aware of any issues with the family.
He described them as a “decent family” who were not previously known to gardai.
“We have no knowledge of anyone in the days preceding this that would have contacted us directly,” Mr Kennedy said.
