In a nutshell, what firearms are available?

wyk

I'm new from America, and have been shooting my whole life, air guns all up to machineguns. I was wondering, in a nutshell, what was legal to have, and how one has to go about it? Are suppressors regulated as strictly as firearms? Is ammunition regulated? What are all the costs involved...Etc. etc.

Obliged,

Wez

bullets

Howdy,

Will let some of the more seasoned board members here fill
ya in on what's available and whats not.

Typically you either get your first fire arms cert through owning land
or getting appropriate landowners permission
or being part of a shooting Club.

One thing to be aware of it for each firearm you buy you need
to pay a a separate licence fee for each firearm you buy.

I got my first cert less than a year ago and as I am from the suburbs
needed to Join a club. I joined Midlands club as its facilities are
fantastic and cater for Rimfire, Fullbore, shotgun and Pistol.
Some other clubs have restrictions such as .22 only or only using subsonic
ammo. And there are not too many clubs in Ireland where you can shoot
out part 400m or greater if ya can afford the gear.


With regards to dealing with the Gardai and your firearms officer
it appears to be a grey area. You basically have to conform to
whatever guidelines your local station superintendent sets out before
they will issue you with a cert.

Typically you would need a Gun safe installed. (but its not a legal requirement) I needed mine bolted to both the wall and floor and it
needed to be inspected.

Some Super's may insist that you have an alarm in your house and
for Pistols some insist that you have a 3rd party monitored alarm.

Using a sound moderator is Common enough from what I can see.
You need to get a letter of permission from your local superintendent
before you use one though and justify the need for one.

~B

rrpc

For a start, fully auto is not allowed under any circumstance. Under Irish law, the local Superintendent (normally in charge of a number of stations in a district) has the final say as to what you can or cannot have.

Because each gun is licensed you must therefore have a serial number before you apply for a licence and that means that you either have to pay in full for the gun or typically pay a deposit. The dealer gives you a note with the make, type and serial number which you hand in to your local Garda Station along with your application form and other documentation.

Other documentation may include a letter from your club confirming you are a member (or letters from at least two landowners giving you permission to shoot on their lands) and if you do not own your own house, a letter from the owner stating that they have given you permission to store the firearm in the house.

For pistols, you will also need confirmation that you have an alarm installed with 3rd party monitoring and a gun safe. You may also need a gun safe for other firearms (not law yet, but going to be). The only reason for owning a pistol is to be a member of an authorised target shooting club.

Some target shooting clubs are not yet fully authorised (process only started last year), so make sure that they are before applying.

The whole process can take anything from two weeks up to three months and beyond. Sometimes the district Crime Prevention Officer (CPO) pays you a visit to check on your security.

You must apply to your local Garda Station, not the district office. The default amount of ammunition you can hold is stated on your licence and is 100 rounds. However, you can apply to your Super for this to be increased. 500 rounds is no problem.

SMERSH

Typically you would need a Gun safe installed. (but its not a legal requirement) I needed mine bolted to both the wall and floor and it
needed to be inspected.

I never had my safe inspected, in fact no one called out to suss me out. I was told to submit a receipt for the safe with my application.

I had a call from the local detectives about 2 weeks before I got the cert. They had trouble finding me in pulse, I wasn't in it afaik. They also wanted to know how long I was living in the area and some general questions as to what I wanted the gun for.

In my case it was 3 months from start to finish.

wyk

Looks like I will have to make some friends if I'm to pursue shooting sports...

I sold all but one of my firearms in preperation to move to Ireland. Here is my gun gallery:

http://www.pbase.com/wyk/guns

I have been shooting since I was 8, airguns before then. At one point I was shooting several thousands rounds a month of 9mm and 45acp.

Here's a couple videos of me showing how to do a quick reload in a 10mm Smith and Wesson revolver with moon cips:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=7xepXu4rJ5Q
http://youtube.com/watch?v=1sufkkHDTHA

You'll have to pardon my voice if it's muffled, I had some mold allergies at the time I shot the video.

Wez

cantona

In you pictures, is that a S+W 686, loaded, finger on trigger, pointed at camera?. Hope camera was remotely operated.

V Bull

cantona wrote:

In you pictures, is that a S+W 686, loaded, finger on trigger, pointed at camera?. Hope camera was remotely operated.

Cricky, Cantona, you are right. Double click on the photo titled "S&W 686 .357". You can clearly see the LIVE AMMO in the cylinder, finger on trigger pointing right at the camera and who ever might have been behind it.......

We don't need this kind of stuff goin' around, let's not mention the other photo's while drinking a bottle of beer and shooting at the same time, totally irresponsible.

wyk

Laf, that's sort of the response I was expecting.

Not only is my finger on the trigger of a loaded gun, but you can see I am putting pressure on the trigger as well. You see, here in Texas you carry your gun loaded on your person legally. So being out on a ranch with it pointed at a camera isn't nearly as dangerous as when you have to point it at people(and I have had to in my work, especially as a volunteer deputy). Of course it was a timed exposure. I took the photo myself.

The one with the beer(Shiner Bock) and the USP 45 with suppressor were staged. It was made mostly for the exact reaction below. However, in Texas it is perfectly legal to hunt and drink on private property. So even if I was piss drunk, that would have been perfectly legal(if a bit irresponsible). That photo is me on a bud's ranch out just north east of the hill country.

Ya gotta understand, America has a heavy gun culture. Many of us have had guns since childhood, loaded, and carried on our person. In Texas, you can carry a loaded rifle or machine gun in plain view in public, but for a few government buildings and schools of course. Having a loaded gun on one's person is akin to you having a Guinness in your hand at pub - seriously. I've made it nearly to 40 so far without being shot accidentally or without shooting someone by accident(though I have been shot at,a nd have shot at people with intent), so we can't be causing all that much trouble...


Wez

V Bull wrote:

Cricky, Cantona, you are right. Double click on the photo titled "S&W 686 .357". You can clearly see the LIVE AMMO in the cylinder, finger on trigger pointing right at the camera and who ever might have been behind it.......

We don't need this kind of stuff goin' around, let's not mention the other photo's while drinking a bottle of beer and shooting at the same time, totally irresponsible.

V Bull

Point taken, WYK, but this is BOARDS.IE and we go by Irish standards, enough said, out to you.

V Bull

wyk

I understand. Our cultural differences in humor can sometimes surprise me. I forget how serious ya take firearms, even if something is meant in jest. The fact that someone has a silenced gun and is drinking a beer while shooting it is very silly. It shows a nonchalance that contradicts the act. It's not something we do every day. It's something you'd take a pic of to surprise folks with. You either get one of two reactions in the states "That's badass" or "That's irresponsible". The simple fact here is - it's both. Some people see Pulp Fiction and think is racist, some find the humor - some realize there's plenty of both in it. Even so, it's only staged. So there's no need to get too excited. Here, I thought Americans were the ones whom were crazy about putting warning signs all over everything.


Wez

V Bull wrote:

Point taken, WYK, but this is BOARDS.IE and we go by Irish standards, enough said, out to you.

V Bull

scuby

i'd move to the usa for a stash like that !! .....

wyk

scuby wrote:

i'd move to the usa for a stash like that !! .....

Apparently, there's plenty to go around:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070828/us_nm/world_firearms_dc;_ylt=Ai5orye_1TJg_FpC7ZqmEI5H2ocA

"By Laura MacInnis Tue Aug 28, 1:25 PM ET

GENEVA (Reuters) - The United States has 90 guns for every 100 citizens, making it the most heavily armed society in the world, a report released on Tuesday said. "

Wez

Trojan911

scuby wrote:

i'd move to the usa for a stash like that !! .....

Have to agree with you there...... To be able to pick your own firearm, ammo & peripherals for reasonable prices & without the rubbish red tape & incompetence that goes on here would be a dream come true..... I love the States as a tourist & I think I would love it as a home.....

(Snaps back to reality) d'oh, I'm still here...... Still, mustn't grumble I suppose, cops are excellent to me here, never bothered me & given me what I've asked for compared to some of the grief posters have gone through when I read their threads...

TJ911...

wyk

Trojan911 wrote:

Have to agree with you there...... To be able to pick your own firearm, ammo & peripherals for reasonable prices & without the rubbish red tape & incompetence that goes on here would be a dream come true..... I love the States as a tourist & I think I would love it as a home.....

(Snaps back to reality) d'oh, I'm still here...... Still, mustn't grumble I suppose, cops are excellant to me here, never bothered me & given me what I've asked for compared to some of the grief I read on some threads...

TJ911...

Cork is lovely, don't you dare leave it just to be shot in the back for being at a convenience store at the wrong time.

And be glad yer police have no guns, it makes it MUCH more difficult for them to shoot you 'accidentally'.

Wez

Trojan911

wyk wrote:

Cork is lovely, don't you dare leave it just to be shot in the back for being at a convenience store at the wrong time.

And be glad yer police have no guns, it makes it MUCH more difficult for them to shoot you 'accidentally'.

Wez

You are quite right, Cork is lovely, it's the backward mentality of some of the people that does my nut in. Having lived in the UK for fifteen years I feel justified in saying that we are at least five years behind the times here in Ireland.

My idea of moving to the States would be in a small town where I could just tip away at my job and shoot with the boys on weekends..

As for cops and guns.... Well, I'm glad they don't carry here or the UK. I've met some decent NYPD in my time and respect them and trust them, I've also met some NYPD that I think should be barred from carrying a firearm. I'm sure it happens in every country...

TJ911...

wyk

Well, if ya ask any Southerner, banning any New Yorker from gun ownership doesn't sound like a bad idea But, I am sure they feel the same(damn yanks). Anyways...

A working holiday in the states wouldn't be difficult to arrange I would think. Afterall, our INS rarely deports anyone, so even coming in and staying for a while without permits is effortless. As with Ireland, you can be as forwards or backwards as ya like in the States. There are places(one of which I am about to head to, armed, after this post to pick up a cadillac) where you can go here that haven't changed in years...

And I think you'll find, by and large, most Americans love the Irish. French...maybe not so much(and often because our women like French men ). But we've always considered Irish to be hard working, unpretensed, and tough folk. Even if some of us have no idea Ireland is an actual country now...uh...or where it really is...

As for guns, there's plenty to be had. In Texas, I can go out right now to a pawn shop, and with my concealed gun permit as my ID, I can purchase a Smith and Wesson 357 magnum for about $350 US in decent shape, and walk right out the door, around the corner, and buy as much ammo as I like for maybe $10 a box of 50, tax included. Then after that, you better make sure yer not at the convenience store I have on my list of things to do...

Cheers,

Wez

Trojan911 wrote:

You are quite right, Cork is lovely, it's the backward mentality of some of the people that does my nut in. Having lived in the UK for fifteen years I feel justified in saying that we are at least five years behind the times here in Ireland.

My idea of moving to the States would be in a small town where I could just tip away at my job and shoot with the boys on weekends..

As for cops and guns.... Well, I'm glad they don't carry here or the UK. I've met some decent NYPD in my time and respect them and trust them, I've also met some NYPD that I think should be barred from carrying a firearm. I'm sure it happens in every country...

TJ911...

Sparks

wyk wrote:

we've always considered Irish to be hard working, unpretensed, and tough folk

Ummm, wez, you sure you meant "Irish" there?

wyk

Sparks wrote:

Ummm, wez, you sure you meant "Irish" there?

Yep! I get a good laf from my Irish mates when I tell em that. Apparently, yer forefathers were very hard workers when they first emigrated. I dinno what's happened since but I would venture some of the blame lies with the introduction of mass production beer in the early 1900's...;)

Wez