gun license

Hot Dog

Hi all, I may be heading off to Canada soon to work in the wilderness as a geologist, and they look more favorably upon applications if one has a gun license, as obviously guns are necessary for protection in the Yukon due to bears etc.

So, how do i go about getting a gun license? (shotgun i suppose, or rifle) in this country, and the likely cost? If its prohibitivly difficult, i may acquire one over there.

Blazher

Hot Dog wrote: »

Hi all, I may be heading off to Canada soon to work in the wilderness as a geologist, and they look more favorably upon applications if one has a gun license, as obviously guns are necessary for protection in the Yukon due to bears etc.

So, how do i go about getting a gun license? (shotgun i suppose, or rifle) in this country, and the likely cost? If its prohibitivly difficult, i may acquire one over there.

Wrong Section mate,

But its like everything, You can pay as little or as much for a firearm, But as for the License its 39 Euro for a Rifle/Pistol you need to get land or be a member of a club get a safe and insurance so i would say 300 Euro min

foxshooter243

Dont even think about it here cos between buying a gun , getting the licence sorted ,then having to export it -not worth the bother, buy in canada cos the gun will be much cheaper and you will have less hassle,
take good advice on a suitable weapon for a charging bear cos I would good luck.

Blazher

foxshooter243 wrote: »

take good advice on a suitable weapon for a charging bear cos I would good luck.

Funny was talking to a guy today, He was telling me when he was over there about a guy he knows, Went hunting with his son, When a grisly Bear came at them, He had to shoot it in the leg after he shot it in the head becz it was still COMING after him and his son to kill them lol,

BTW it was a .44 Mag Revl he shot it with in the head, It was dying but was still able to come after them,

I would get a nice .50AE better to be safe then dead

Rovi

As the other posters have already said, acquiring and licensing a suitable 'bear defence' firearm here and then going through the hoops of taking it to Canada sounds to me like a convoluted and difficult exercise; that said, people do travel the world in pursuit of big game, so I'm sure it's probably possible to do it if you're really determined.
Head over to www.canadiangunnutz.com for information and real world opinion on the legal aspects of bringing over your own firearms, and/or purchasing or renting suitable stuff over there.

Getting yourself a pump or semi-automatic shotgun here shouldn't be too prohibitively difficult and would give you some hands-on experience to bring with you on your travels. A pump loaded with slugs appears to be well regarded by those who know about this sort of thing.

foxshooter243

Rovi wrote: »

As the other posters have already said, acquiring and licensing a suitable 'bear defence' firearm here and then going through the hoops of taking it to Canada sounds to me like a convoluted and difficult exercise; that said, people do travel the world in pursuit of big game, so I'm sure it's probably possible to do it if you're really determined.
Head over to www.canadiangunnutz.com for information and real world opinion on the legal aspects of bringing over your own firearms, and/or purchasing or renting suitable stuff over there.

Getting yourself a pump or semi-automatic shotgun here shouldn't be too prohibitively difficult and would give you some hands-on experience to bring with you on your travels. A pump loaded with slugs appears to be well regarded by those who know about this sort of thing.

Many alaskan guides carry 458 s and larger
with no apologies to stop a charging bear

José Alaninho

Yeah, I can imagine trying to license a 500 S&W x-frame in Ireland!

The world's best bear-repellent:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S&W_Model_500

spideog7

Yup for shootin bear you're going to need something big. US Fish and Wildlife Service use 12-gauge pump action shotgun's as standard for bears, first shot is a cracker ("blank") and if that doesn't scare him off next is a slug.
Thing is you need to carry it at ALL times so a shotgun might be cumbersome.
For pistols, no smaller than a .45 I've heard.

Hehe I'd like to see the look on the Super's face if you told him you wanted a .45 Magnum for self defence against bear !!

Hot Dog

The idea was I would get a license here, which would stand to me if I needed to obtain a gun in Canada. Obviously, buying and exporting is just plain silly. Its the license i was curious about.

Rovi

I don't know if an Irish Firearms Certificate would cut any/much ice in Canada, perhaps it would; I'd still suggest contacting someone in Canada for confirmation.

I'm sure you've had a look through the forum and have seen how variable an experience getting a Firearms Certificate can be.
Far be it from me to discourage a potential new Irish shooter, but unless you want to actually get into shooting here (target and/or hunting), it might be of more use to you to get some coaching and experience of various firearms before you head out into the wilds and possibly have to use one for real.

If you're anywhere within reasonable reach of Hilltop Quad & Sporting Club, give them a call and I'm sure they'll be delighted to help out.

meathstevie

I don't think the Canadian cops will have any problem with you acquiring a gun for the purpose you stated. They'll probably deem you to be a complete fool if you didn't buy one. If push comes to shove I suppose you should buy something powerfull, rugged and easy to handle. Mossberg, Remington and Winchester pump shotguns are quite likely what you want to look at. Their "home defence" models are probably the best for what you want. Magazine tubes for at least 6 rounds, fairly short easy handling guns and cilinder bores ideal for "brenneke" type slugs. If you'd be inclined to go for a rifle the Browning BAR in battue or shorttac version in .300WSM might be the ticket but will cost significantly more than a pumpy.

Hot Dog

sure, but it would still be nice to get practice and familiarity with gun usage before i went, so i don't look a complete Noob, or blow my foot off.

meathstevie

Go to one of the clayshooting setups like Hilltop or Courtlough if you want a decent introduction to shooting moving targets..it's not too costly at all. If you want a taste of rifle shooting at steady targets Midlands and Hilltop will cater for you as well I believe.

spideog7

If you knew someone with a gun you could get licensed on theirs that'd save you spending a lot on a gun and then just leaving it here when you go to Canada. That way you'd also have a gun licence to put on your CV !!!

I wish that was a good thing on a CV for my job

CJhaughey

Plenty of info below
http://www.panda.com/canadaguns

Rovi

CJhaughey wrote: »

Plenty of info below
http://www.panda.com/canadaguns

Excellent resource there CJ, well done for finding it and bringing it to our attention.

The Temporary Borrowing License looks like just the job in this case, unless the OP is going to need a firearm for more than 60 days, when he might need to acquire a PAL (Possession and Acquisition License).
PALs appear to be available to visitors, to that should be possible too.

spideog7's suggestion above of getting licensed on someone else's gun is a good one too, as besides avoiding the expense of purchasing a (possibly unwanted) gun it would avoid the whole gun safe/alarm/Army Ranger Wing patrol thing, but would give the OP an Irish Firearms Certificate to add to the CV.

The advice about getting some hands-on experience here in Ireland still stands.

sidneyreilly

Indeed, take heed of Rovi. It's something about which you could be asked questions in an interview, cant beat experience.

Rovi

sidneyreilly wrote: »

Indeed, take heed of Rovi. It's something about which you could be asked questions in an interview, cant beat experience.

That too, but I was thinking more along the lines of the difference between a learner and an experienced driver.
Out in the wilds in the company of an ill-tempered grizzly is not the time to be learning how a gun works, or what the recoil and noise are like when you fire it.

foxshooter243

Rovi wrote: »

That too, but I was thinking more along the lines of the difference between a learner and an experienced driver.
Out in the wilds in the company of an ill-tempered grizzly is not the time to be learning how a gun works, or what the recoil and noise are like when you fire it.

Yeah! a real steep learning curve