Licence carrying

V Bull

You guys just crack me up and make me laugh.

We hear about these stories all the time, a Garda stopping you while you are out shooting and ask for proof of ownership and your licence. You still havent learnt anything. You have to prove that the firearm and ammo that you are carrying are licenced and yours.

"Agh, Jaysus Garda, it doesnt say anywhere on the licence that I have to carry it with me, so I dont have it, right head."

WRONG.

Your certificate authorises you to have in your possession, use and carry a certain firearm and quantity of ammo subject to condictions bla bla.

You go out and spend big money on a shootgun / rifle and other bits, but you're too mean and stingie to have your licence cert photo copied and or laminated.

Wake up guys, it's common sence to have your cert with you and on your person at all times when shooting to PROVE your identity, your firearms identity and proof of permission to shoot on the land.

But there's no photo ID on the cert, I could be anyone, I hear the clever tooo-its say, and the arguement goes on and on, and nobody learns............. Attitudes like that just get up the Garda's nose, no wonder some of you out there have a hard time getting licences, and lets be honest, you deserve it.

This topic has been touched on time and again, but no-one listens, sad eh.

alan123

Wildlife rangers were out last week end checking shooters, probably in response to the red kite incident.

cavan shooter

V Bull you are right I would have been more subtle but you said it as it is. The piece of paper is the permit and you should have it with you if you are carrying a fire arm and ammo

V Bull

Thanks Cavan Shooter, but I was actually holding back.

Great fishing up your neck of the woods, used to go with my dad when I was a lad, many moons ago.............

Thanks a mill...............:)

V Bull

Hey Alan123, the Wildlife Rangers were down at the Midlands last Monday & Tuesday practicing or what ever, and I beleive that one or two even hit the target..................Teee Heeee...........

rrpc

If you had read the full thread V-Bull, you'd see that everyone agrees that you should keep your licence with you in some way or other. It's the little details of how to do so safely that are the main topic of discussion. There is also a legal question as to whether you have to.

V Bull wrote:

You guys just crack me up and make me laugh.

We hear about these stories all the time, a Garda stopping you while you are out shooting and ask for proof of ownership and your licence. You still havent learnt anything. You have to prove that the firearm and ammo that you are carrying are licenced and yours.

On a strictly legal basis, you can do so easily by producing your licence at the station, or by giving your name and address which is the only thing you're legally obliged to do.

Your certificate authorises you to have in your possession, use and carry a certain firearm and quantity of ammo subject to condictions bla bla.

You go out and spend big money on a shootgun / rifle and other bits, but you're too mean and stingie to have your licence cert photo copied and or laminated.

And nobody has established here if a Garda would accept a photocopy. Would you? And as for laminating an A5 page to make it easier to carry???

Wake up guys, it's common sence to have your cert with you and on your person at all times when shooting to PROVE your identity, your firearms identity and proof of permission to shoot on the land.

But there's no photo ID on the cert, I could be anyone, I hear the clever tooo-its say, and the arguement goes on and on, and nobody learns............. Attitudes like that just get up the Garda's nose, no wonder some of you out there have a hard time getting licences, and lets be honest, you deserve it.

Agreed. But if you lose it, or it gets destroyed or damaged, then I'm sure they'll clap you on the back and tell you your a great chap indeed when you try to explain it to them. :rolleyes:

Bottom line. The so-called licence we are issued is a joke. It is unwieldy, looks like something that was lashed up on Microsoft Word by someone with half an hour to spare and has the square root of damn all information on it.

cavan shooter

I think we all agree on that. For one I remember putting in a submission at the time the cja was at bill stage, suggesting that they license the person not the firearm (thats the problem)

credit card style licence with a chip/magnet strip info and changes that can be made at the swipe of the card. Also 5 year licence, One of the biggest issues the guards have is the amount of firearms under peoples beds and they don't use them (my brother being one)i.e no just cause.

Link the licence to the amount of ammo etc, then if they see your not buying ammo, why do you need a fire arm. I agree put in a proper system and then we all are happy carrying a credit card sized id(photo) etc...

Please no civil liberties arguments, I for one actually believe there should be gun control... the older i get the more i think there should be tighter controls but on the people not the caliber etc... has anyone stood in a gun shop lately and listened to some people who come in i for one heard a guy ask questions on getting an AR 15, On the funny side can you imagine the Supers face!!!!!!:D

Trojan911

LOTTOWINNER wrote:

My question is, am I the only person who doesn't carry their licence with them?

Nope, I never carry mine unless I am heading up to Limerick to shoot. When I shoot local I never carry it.

I was stopped locally at a drink drive checkpoint a few months back & the officer asked me how did I get on, having noticed the pump on the back seat. No licence asked for but suggested I cover it up in future, to which I now comply. No breath test requested either....

TJ911...

cavan shooter

Theirs my point as well no hassel all depends on the guard.....

V Bull

There goes the attitude again rrpc, the law doesnt say I have to have my licence on me, and the law doesnt say this, that and the other thing..............

The Gardai are right in giving you guys a hard time.

Wake up............................

alan123

Trojan911 wrote:

Nope, I never carry mine unless I am heading up to Limerick to shoot. When I shoot local I never carry it.

I was stopped locally at a drink drive checkpoint a few months back & the officer asked me how did I get on, having noticed the pump on the back seat. No licence asked for but suggested I cover it up in future, to which I now comply. No breath test requested either....

TJ911...

"Limerick, pump, checkpoint"- How did you NOT get a cavity search!!!!

The rangers asked my buddy a few questions V Bull: What are you shooting? Whos permission have you got? Can your gun fire more than three shots?
(his gun can fire more than three shots but only after you break it and put in another two shells!)

rrpc

V Bull wrote:

There goes the attitude again rrpc, the law doesnt say I have to have my licence on me, and the law doesnt say this, that and the other thing..............

The Gardai are right in giving you guys a hard time.

Wake up............................

It's not an attitude V-Bull, if you read my posts you'd see that I always carry my licences in the car. It's no problem for me to do this as I'm a target shooter and lots of clubs/ranges want to see your licence.

What I'm pointing to (and if you stopped jumping to unfounded conclusions you'd see this) is that those in the rough shooting fraternity are in a bit of a quandary as the licence ends up in a lot of cases to be completely unreadable after being soaked, crumpled etc. These guys can be stopped (as others have pointed out) on roads, fields or whatever and it's for them I am pointing to the law.

I'm also suggesting that if the licence were in a better form this question does and should not arise.

I am also not under any circumstances saying that you should get smart with Gardai when asked for your licence, or start quoting the law to them. The purpose of pointing to the law is to put peoples mind at rest if they are told by Gardai that they can be arrested or have their firearm confiscated. The Gardai are there to enforce the law, not to make it up as many of them feel they can.

If you are stopped on the road, you can give your name and address and tell the Garda that your cert is in your car, and offer to take them to it. That is not unreasonable and certainly better then holding up a piece of blotting paper that's been folded and unfolded so many times that it could be anything.

This is a practical solution to a practical problem that perhaps you do not or ever will encounter. It doesn't mean that others don't encounter it and perhaps you could bear that in mind the next time you're moved to get on your high horse and call people smart asses.

alan123

I think ever gunowner should be issued with a car to keep their licence in!!!

V Bull

rrpc, your points are taken and I agree, humble pie eaten, but I'm not on my high horse, dont like heights and didnt call anyone a smart ass, I called them toooo-its (twits) and they are.

Anyway, in the times that we live in now with all the shootings and murders, I agree that the authorities should move to issue a credit card type photo ID licence that must be kept on the person when they leave their home with their firearm.

Where I live there are a lot of unsavory people on the opposite side of the law and if you are stopped by an armed Garda check point without your licence and your firearm locked in the boot and its spotted, man your in big trouble trying to explain, they flock around you like bluebottles. " how do we know it's yours, is it licenced, where is your licence, why havent you got it, where are you going with it, is that a sniper rifle, there was a shooting up the road or a treat made against Joe Blogs, how do we know it's wasnt you" and your left at the side of the road for hours while they check everything out and it goes on and on.

So you see why I get angry and thats why I think that everyone should and must carry there certificate / licence. Afterall it doesnt cost a bucket to have them photocopied and laminated, does it, keep the original at home in a safe place and recopy them when the others are sodden or worn out or when you need to, whatever.

rrpc

V Bull wrote:

rrpc, your points are taken and I agree, humble pie eaten, but I'm not on my high horse, dont like heights and didnt call anyone a smart ass, I called them toooo-its (twits) and they are.

Fair enough, accepted.

Anyway, in the times that we live in now with all the shootings and murders, I agree that the authorities should move to issue a credit card type photo ID licence that must be kept on the person when they leave their home with their firearm.

Not necessarily a credit card type as this may be too expensive to produce and may be too small to have enough information on it for a roadside inspection. However a little booklet like the europass or even your passport would be a step in the right direction, especially if we move to a three year licence. Can you see the current piece of paper lasting three years?

So you see why I get angry and thats why I think that everyone should and must carry there certificate / licence. Afterall it doesnt cost a bucket to have them photocopied and laminated, does it, keep the original at home in a safe place and recopy them when the others are sodden or worn out or when you need to, whatever.

You would still wonder if a Garda would accept a photocopy (though the original could be mistaken for one ).

nice1franko

Like a lot of things, I think it all depends on the individual garda. Some would read you riot act and another might just radio to check it out.

I was out hunting with my shotgun once and got stopped by the gardai just as I was leaving the fields. They were actually called for me by some idiot but anyway, they asked to see my license and I told them it was at home. They asked me a load of questions, checked my answers out on the radio and then gave me a lift home so I could show them the license.

When we got to my house I couldn't find the feckin thing and the next thing they were bailing up the stairs after me. I found the one from the year before though and they were great alright about it. I didn't even have to go up and present the current one because they checked it out on the computer and knew it had been renewed. Since then I just have it in a little ziplock bag in a pocket of my gunslip though!

sixpointfive

"So you see why I get angry and thats why I think that everyone should and must carry there certificate / licence. Afterall it doesnt cost a bucket to have them photocopied and laminated, does it, keep the original at home in a safe place and recopy them when the others are sodden or worn out or when you need to, whatever. "



Hmm, depend on the copper alright, my FO told me its alright to photocopy them for the shooting jacket but when i was stopped at a checkpoint one evening, i showed the cop the photocopy and he had a freaker and told me it was an offence to copy it and then told me he was seizing my guns and i would never see them again, typical jumped up little prick on power trip, so i quickly rang a good buddy of mine in the SDU and put robo-garda on the phone to him and it was all sorted,good job my man was on duty, i told my local FO about this and he had a right good lough about it, needless to say i didnt see the funny side of it now or then,

thelurcher

Not having read the whole thread - here's what I do -
I scan in all my licenses including the deer hunting one and photoshop them to credit card size - play around with brightness and contrast etc until they print out legible - cert no - serial - and pulse id are all you really need to be clear.
Print - cut to size - laminate them.
Stick them in the wallet and the originals in the gun safe.
That's what I use when I buy cartridges etc. and never have a problem.

V Bull

Yeh rrpc, the Europass type booklet would by good alright, but I think for convenience the creditcard size would be better, afterall they produce the Garda Age Card for youngsters.

Where my brother lives in Canada, Manitoba Provence, they do just that, the credit card size permit has photo and name only on it but comes with a chip built in. They stick it in a creditcard type devise connected to the firearms dealers computer and it gives all the details of the holder and their firearms etc. Expensive to set up but once up and running.......

I know, I know, we're getting way off the point but food for thought and the future.................

Sparks

There's just the one problem with the chipcard idea vbull - it costs time, effort and money, and at the end of all that investment, the firearms dealer is no better off than they were before they started. The gardai might be, and the shooters might be, but the people who have to do the work to make it happen have nothing to gain...

V Bull

I know what you mean Sparks, the dealer would also have to contribute to the set up and that cost would fall back on the customer....................

I think rrpc's idea with the Europass style booklet is the best so far but we would need more pages. I have to get a new Europass book every year, not enough space on it.......:eek:

Cheers...........