Straight Answers Anyone?

yank_in_eire

I was just wondering if anybody can give me the lowdown on the highly restrictive firearms regulations in Ireland? So far nobody has given me a straight answer on what I need to do to get a shotgun licence. The (not) very helpful garda said I would need permission from a landowner to shoot on their property (assuming they have a good head of wild clays stalking around the place!!;-) to get a licence, or become a member of a gun club. The gun club apparently won't let you in if you don't own a gun--bit of a vicious circle isn't it?

civdef

The Guard's answer was pretty much bang on.

Not really a vicious circle. Have you spoken to many gun clunbs yet? I doubt many clubs would turn somone down as a member if they were currently applying for a licence. Are you looking to shoot game or clays?

That said, Dublin is probably the hardest area to find a club to join, given the lack numbers of clubs in the area. I'm not sure what the membership situation is generally with them.

You could do worse than contact the NARGC for details of clubs.

Gun Shy

I'm sorry but "Straight Answers" are going to be very difficult if not impossible considering the legal situation in respect of firearms.

On the surface things seem simple enough but then you go about trying to get one and it and opinions will differ from district to district.

Have a look at the various threads on the subject and try to get as much info as you can, then try to seek advice from somebody in your area who has gone through the procedure etc. They will perhaps be the best judge of what the local garda opinion is etc.

I know that its not much of a help but the best advice I can offer I'm afraid, theres many others frustrated at the system also.

Perhaps other posters can be of better assistance.

Degsy

Gun Shy wrote:

I'm sorry but "Straight Answers" are going to be very difficult if not impossible considering the legal situation in respect of firearms.

On the surface things seem simple enough but then you go about trying to get one and it and opinions will differ from district to district.

Have a look at the various threads on the subject and try to get as much info as you can, then try to seek advice from somebody in your area who has gone through the procedure etc. They will perhaps be the best judge of what the local garda opinion is etc.

I know that its not much of a help but the best advice I can offer I'm afraid, theres many others frustrated at the system also.



Perhaps other posters can be of better assistance.

This is MY favourite poster!!

Sparks

Given what you said about "wild clays", perhaps you should be looking to join a clay pigeon club? It's just that here a gun club generally refers to the local NARGC club which would be more hunting than target shooting as such, and a lot of these clubs operate membership policies based on where you live (which makes sense, if you're going to be depleting local wildfowl stock levels, I suppose). Somewhere like courtlough would be a good place to start, I hear (I'm not a shotgun shooter myself).

Chopperdog

Hi Yank,
If you would like an introduction to Courtlough drop me a PM. We are open for membership (Selective though!) and membership of a club like ours makes for a 'smoother' first time licence application with the Gardai.
It's not that difficult to obtain a shotgun licence once you prove a valid reason for ownership and provided you haven't been a bad boy in the past.
Good Luck!:)

civdef

provided you haven't been a bad boy in the past.

Good point, depending on how long the original poster has been in Ireland, he may need to provide evidence of a lack of a criminal history from his previous residences. This can cause delays in the process.

yank_in_eire

I've never had a criminal record anywhere in the world (I've never even had a speeding ticket) and I have citizenship here, maybe that would make things a tiny bit easier.
I've also heard that you have to specify what you want to shoot and if you put clays on your shotgun licence app. than you cannot legally use the same gun for bird hunting. Is this true?
Sorry if these are idiotic questions--gun ownership is so much different here than in the states--just trying to get my facts straight!
Chopperdog I may take you up on that intro--was there once before and had a great time. I broke 39/50 after not shooting for a few years--not too shabby I think.
I wonder how hard it will be to get the mrs. to part with a chunk of the SSIA for a shotgun? Something tells me that getting the licence will be easier!!

Clare gunner

I've never had a criminal record anywhere in the world (I've never even had a speeding ticket) and I have citizenship here, maybe that would make things a tiny bit easier.

Well it should,but depends on how you approach the local LEOs.Somtimes a US accent can move things alot quicker.:rolleyes: It depends on your circumstances and where you live.

I've also heard that you have to specify what you want to shoot and if you put clays on your shotgun licence app. than you cannot legally use the same gun for bird hunting. Is this true?

Nope that is bull!You apply either for a limited liscense[somtimes referred to a farmers liscense]which allows you to shoot clays,targets or vermin.If you apply for an unlimited liscense,that is pretty much your hunting liscense which allows you to hunt game birds only.For the unlimited liscense you need the following;
1] Be a landowner or [2] have written permission from two landowners to hunt on their land. [3]Be a member of a local game club that has permission to hunt in your area.
If you are going to landowners get some form of personal insurance to calm them down.Alot of farmers are worried about accidents happening on their land and being sued.You can get a deal from the Countryside Alliance for personal insirance.Somthing like 60 Euros per year.

thelurcher

NARGC membership is what the guards here look for - I'm in the ICPSA now as well but they still want you to be joined the gun club!

NARGC insurance now extends to pistol/rifle ranges as well so is a bit more value as you won't have to take out a seperate policy if you join one.

Rovi

As you can see yank_in_eire, this is one of those grey areas for which 'Irish solutions' have evolved over the years.
With a bit of luck, the legislation will be tidied up soon.

Anyhow, for the moment, your local Garda Superintendent is the sole arbiter of who gets licensed for what.
In theory, if you could come up with a persuasive enough case, your local Super can license you for stuff that's highly restricted or even flat out illegal even in the States.
Won't happen though, the Supers are very conservative.


Most conventional firearms (shotguns, rifles, handguns) are licensable here, provided your Super is satisfied you have a legitimate reason for ownership, and you're not precluded by law- criminal record, nutcase, etc.
Currently (and for the foreseeable future) the only acceptable reasons for firearm ownership are hunting and target shooting. Self/home defense, collecting, 'I like guns', etc, are not accepted as valid reasons.

Supers like to see applicants with somewhere to use the firearm for which they're applying.
Simply put, if you're looking for a gun to go hunting, you'll need to either have land of your own, or permission from a landowner(s). Depending on what you're looking for, some Supers want to see a certain 'area' (acres/hectares) of permission; others want to see a 'number' of permissions (2 or more individual landowners). This is the sort of information you'll only find out locally.
Membership of a 'gun club' (in the Irish sense, meaning a local game shooting club affiliated to the NARGC) counts as 'permission' as the club will have done the legwork and acquired permission from local landowners. You'll also get insurance by joining one of these clubs.
If you want to go target shooting (including clay pigeons), membership of a recognized target shooting club would be a good thing to have.
None of this is strictly necessary in law, but it all goes to smooth the path with the Super. The same goes for secure storage for your firearm.

I'm in the happy position of having my own land, so I had no problem getting my first shotgun and rifle without any sort of permissions or club memberships. I am now a member of several target shooting clubs though, and this has considerably eased my acquisition of various (:D) other firearms.

The Superintendents are very much guided in these matters by their Firearms Officers and the Guards in your local station who know you and the area, so take heed of the advice you get from these people.



.

TomBeckett

Hey!
Yep i Know how you feel the irish laws are all over the place:(
I had the same problem..
What i did was..
1) My brother is in the local gun club here so i just joined the same club
got my NARGC club card
2) Went down to shoot'n and Fishe'n and bought my guns
Remington 700Vssf .308Win
Remington 700Vssf .220swift
Winchester SuperX Semi-Auto 12shot:D
3)Went to the local Garda station (New Ross Co Wexford) Had the Licences in about 14weeks:( Took a while but i did not have any bother getting them:)

yank_in_eire

Thanks for all the advice everyone! It sounds like my first order of business should be to join a gun club straight away.