The Minister of Fisheries and Land Resources is responding to allegations he ran afoul of his own department in connection with a firearms incident two years ago.
Gerry Byrne says regulations require a plug to be used to prevent what is usually a five-round shotgun from firing any more than three rounds.
Byrne says during a standard hunter check while he was out in the woods, it was found that the pin was not in place on his firearm and he was ticketed.
Byrne says it is a regulation that should be adhered to, and that he regrets the mistake and notes it should never have happened.
According to Byrne, officials hand out about 100 tickets each year for plug violations. As an example, he says it could happen while a hunter is cleaning their gun, they take out the plug and forget to put it back in.
While it can be accidental, he says it is not something to be proud of, and unfortunately, he suffered the consequences a little over two years ago.