Legality of obtaining an old sword??

SpitfireIV

Hi there,

Just looking for any help if possible. I'm collecting various bits and pieces related to 1798 and would if possible like to get my hands on a pattern 1796 light cavalry sabre (original if possible) as this would really top off the collection!

But I was wondering are these types of swords legal here?? Or was I dreaming that I seen somewhere that knifes etc beyond a certain lenght were illegal? Do curio/militaria swords fall into this pithole too?

I'm asking this because I'd probably have to buy from the UK and have it posted. Any other collectors out there that collect such swords etc?? Love to hear from ya

Many thanks,

CroppyBoy1798

Turner

All should be contained in the Firearms And Offensive Weapons Act. 1990 i think it is.

As long as you dont take on a group of people, hack a garda car to bits or produce it in a fight I'd say youd be ok to own one.

SpitfireIV

Great, thanks for that Chief, much appreciated.

Emm...I doubth I'll be doing any of the mentioned activities so I should be ok in that regard.

Thanks again,

CroppyBoy1798

Turner

No problem, note public place is mentioned in the act.

So keep it indoors and its ok. (obviously not for illegal guns)

valen

There should be no problem owning a sword. However, transporting it *is* a problem. You should let the local gardai know what you have in your house, and if you have to collect something in Cork and drive to Galway with it, just let *some* guard know what you are doing.

There is no specific law against owning a sword. However, showing one in public is enough to cause 'distress and excitement', which is enough to get your an appearance in front of a Judge to explain yourself.

It's also worth mentioning that the UK is considering an outright ban on the sale of sharp & blunt replica swords, except to those who have licences (same as Guns, really).

I'd love to know how much such things cost actually, if you do find one. I'm more a man for fighting with replicas myself, though I'm curious.

John

SpitfireIV

Thanks for the advice Valen, much appreciated. I guess letting the local Gardai know would be the best course of action, but in saying that, I got an old flintlock pistol (pattern 1796 light dragoon pistol) in relic condition (missing top hammer jaw and lock stuck in place as well is pretty severe pitting to all the metalwork) from a UK seller, I visited my local Gardai station to enquire was it ok to have such an item posted from the UK..........they looked at me as if I had two heads and couldnt care less, one guy said this, the other said that, what I basically got was, as it was in relic (ie could NOT be fired condition) it was ok.

Just to be safe again, I contacted the Department of Justice, the firearms section, two e-mails...........no reply!! They probably didnt have an answer.

So, I went ahead and bought it, arrived in the post not a problem. I wish the Goverment would sort them selfs out when it comes to such items and have a set and standard rule, not all this confusion and such. A shame that militaria collectors have to go through so much trouble and hassle to get antique militaria/curio pieces.

A confused CroppyBoy1798 :mad:

valen

Urg. Guns are a lot more difficult. You definitely want more clearance than that; including some sort of documentation from a gunsmith declaring it unfireable.

Best thing to do if you have weapons of *any* sort is to get pally with your local gardaí and let them know why you have such things. Just in case. Though, if you aren't moving them around regularly, you shouldn't really have much problems at all.

If you are interested in such things, there is a show in Shane's Castle in antrim where people will be display firing flintlocks & matchlocks somtime in June, at the Irish Medieval Festival. Bigger guns will be going off in July at the militaria show in Duncannon Fort.

John

SpitfireIV

I understand Valen, but its not so much a 'gun' anymore, its a relic, an antique. I tried to do what was right and make things official, get Garda permission, maybe get some info from the Department of Justice, but none of them seemed to be interested in my query at all, which really surprised me as I thought that was there area of expertise and they'd be more than willing to help. I though that if it were again the law I would have been told outright 'NO!!', but I wasnt, the most I got was 'well I guess as its an antique it'd be ok'.

I'm interested in militaria and local history and wont let my interest and collection suffer because of some silly Irish laws...or lack of. I'll be getting back onto the local Gardai again about this topic and maybe drop the Department of Justice another mail and find out what the deal is.

Regards,

CroppyBoy1798

valen

Aha! I knew there was a discussion on this before...all you need to know about firing & non-firing gun ownership.

http://livinghistory.ie/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&t=446

Tar.Aldarion

I think you should be absolutely fine with the sword, I had no trouble with mine. We even had a little spar on the train, ahem.

SpitfireIV

I got me a sword

A pattern 1796, light infantry sword otherwise known as "That Perfect Encumbrance". A little damage, ie the knucklebow is gone and the pommel is a little loose, but I got it for a little cheaper because of that. Great etched blade though and in good shape otherwise. Pics to follow.

valen

How much was it, out of curiousity ?

John

SpitfireIV

John, it was €145, and thats pretty cheap for such a sword, if it werent damaged it'd be worth a couple hundred more. It'll fit right in with the collection and is marked GR III, he reigned from 1760 to 1820 or there abouts.










Below is an intact one, note the knucklebow which is missing off mine, it seems very flimsy anyway and not attached very well.




CroppyBoy1798

Tar.Aldarion

Ah very nice.
Good price too.