Handgun licenses in Ireland

jwshooter

Sparks wrote: »

Speaking of not engaging the brain before posting, if you walk into a GAA shop and ask to buy a hurley, it's generally not assumed without cause that you're looking to walk out into the street and brain someone with it. So if someone wants to come into target shooting as a sport, and they post on here imperfectly, it would be nice if people didn't jump down their throats immediately. The ethos and idioms of a community are meant to be things you pass on, not tests you have to pass.

hurleys and pistols great comparison

patsat

Sparks wrote: »

Apart from shooting-related contact or friends/relatives in AGS, what contacts have you had with the Gardai pat? Were they pleasant? Or were they speeding tickets or something similar?

Not one to be honest that wasn't pleasent, not even a parking ticket. I'm from a rural area and think the guards in my area are quite friendly! :eek:

I wasn't jumping down his throat I was just enquiring. :rolleyes:

BogMonkey don't be afraid of walking into the guards, find some info from the range you wish to join then meet the guards and discuss your plans. Once they see you have looked into joining a club they will know your serious about it!

And I really doubt they will see you walking down the street and search you for drugs because you enquired about a gun!!

Bananaman

Also remember that the interaction with the Gardai while applying for a license - all going well - is to your benefit.

1. They do a background check to verify - and document - that you are a law abiding citizen.
2. They inspect your house, alarm, safe to ensure it is all well secured.
3. You get a PULSE number - for positive reasons.
4. You are categorically NOT a person of interest to them (unless you do something to become so)

It may not feel it when you are waiting for the process to complete.

As a 'Junior', if you do join a target shooting club, you should get yourself on a basic firearms safety and handling course. Most clubs wither offer them to their members or will enrol you on one in another club.

The Gardai will most likely require you do some form of training prior to issuing you a license.

B'Man

Sparks

jwshooter wrote: »

hurleys and pistols great comparison

jw, if you've nothing positive or constructive to add, would you at least refrain from putting off people who'd like to try the sport?

Tackleberrywho

Bananaman wrote: »

Also remember that the interaction with the Gardai while applying for a license - all going well - is to your benefit.

1. They do a background check to verify - and document - that you are a law abiding citizen.
2. They inspect your house, alarm, safe to ensure it is all well secured.
3. You get a PULSE number - for positive reasons.
4. You are categorically NOT a person of interest to them (unless you do something to become so)

It may not feel it when you are waiting for the process to complete.

As a 'Junior', if you do join a target shooting club, you should get yourself on a basic firearms safety and handling course. Most clubs wither offer them to their members or will enrol you on one in another club.

The Gardai will most likely require you do some form of training prior to issuing you a license.

B'Man

There are several clubs scattered throughout the country where you can take a course, or just have a look.

To get into shooting you will have to spend a min of €400 to get into the sport. €200 on security cabinet approx and €200+ on a rifle and/or scope.(insurance can be purchased through IFA countryside, or NARGC)

Membership of a club is desirable and may help your application, however they are not cheap for a student.

We all were students once and we all had cheap shi**y guns once to get into the sport, of course if your Parents are minted then happy days.

Handguns would not in my opinion be the way forward for you. Perhaps a .22lr Rifle, or a 12g shotgun; as most folk here in Ireland started on one or the other.

Or perhaps you should join one of your College Clubs. As far as I am aware UCD & Trinity have fairly well established shooting societies.

If you are from the country go to A NARGC meeting as this might be your cheapest way into the sport and relatively easy. Most NARGC's cost ~€100 depending on size.

There is a list on NARGC.ie
Or if you want to pay as you go, MNSCI amongst others are a great place for a novice to start and learn the sport from the ground up.

If going to Gardaí for advice i would if you are in your teens bring a relative preferrably a shooter with a good standing in the community to vouch for you.

Grizzly 45

If this guy turns out to be some sort of kook and goes on a rampage in one of our towns.Honestly I thought the idea was to be doing some self policing of our own as well.We can be all be niccy piccy and oh so PC ,but who will carry the can if a Cumbria happens here???
Then questions will be asked.Thought you would be abit more responsible as a Mod Sparks!!!

Tackleberrywho

Grizzly 45 wrote: »

If this guy turns out to be some sort of kook and goes on a rampage in one of our towns.Honestly I thought the idea was to be doing some self policing of our own as well.We can be all be niccy piccy and oh so PC ,but who will carry the can if a Cumbria happens here???
Then questions will be asked.Thought you would be abit more responsible as a Mod Sparks!!!

Grizz, I believe the young fella made an innocent comment that was taken up wrong by myself included.

We were not all as savvy on firearms when we were young.
And I was lucky as I had a few to advise me on the basics.

Although I wish I had more in depth advise from a source such as boards.

There was no intreeweb back then, just hearsay and i know a fella that knows a fella that got a big rifle etc.

At least the chap can benefit from some sterling advice and start of right not pardon the pun, Half cocked

Sparks

Grizzly 45 wrote: »

If this guy turns out to be some sort of kook and goes on a rampage in one of our towns.Honestly I thought the idea was to be doing some self policing of our own as well.We can be all be niccy piccy and oh so PC ,but who will carry the can if a Cumbria happens here???
Then questions will be asked.Thought you would be abit more responsible as a Mod Sparks!!!

/facepalm

Grizzly, we don't even get t-shirts as mods, let alone the legal authority to grant licences.

And there is no self-policing in our community. Thankfully. As bad as the bad cases with the PTB are, the bad cases with our own PTB have been far, far worse in my experience. If you want a firearms licence, you go to the Gardai and they have the final say, not us as a self-policing community.

And for the record, we'd see queries like this on a regular basis in clubs all over the country, and it's not "I'm a crook looking to get a gun" that they're saying, it's "I'm an ordinary person who's interested in the sport but I don't want the Gardai calling up my boss/mom and making me look like a criminal and getting me in trouble, can I avoid that?", because like it or not, most people don't want to go within an ass's roar of the Gardai.

Dusty87

Sparks wrote: »

most people don't want to go within an ass's roar of the Gardai[/i].

They're called criminals or for some reason or another dont want to be known.

Grizzly 45

Tack,
I accept that not all are as knowledgeable on guns as we are.But,maybe it is just me,isnt it just common sense to research a bit on the net about your questions especially a chat group that you have never posted on before?Or is it just the way nowadays,barge in,drop a massive bunch of questions and hope for the best??

Tackleberrywho

Sparks wrote: »

/facepalm

Grizzly, we don't even get t-shirts as mods, let alone the legal authority to grant licences.

And there is no self-policing in our community. Thankfully. As bad as the bad cases with the PTB are, the bad cases with our own PTB have been far, far worse in my experience. If you want a firearms licence, you go to the Gardai and they have the final say, not us as a self-policing community.

And for the record, we'd see queries like this on a regular basis in clubs all over the country, and it's not "I'm a crook looking to get a gun" that they're saying, it's "I'm an ordinary person who's interested in the sport but I don't want the Gardai calling up my boss/mom and making me look like a criminal and getting me in trouble, can I avoid that?", because like it or not, most people don't want to go within an ass's roar of the Gardai.

I can uderstand people not wanting to be in a garda barracks, the lads by there nature are nosey.
Ask a lot of questions not to do with the application, where you work, what ya do, how much ya make, what colour is yer underpants etc

I just say, where I work, what i do and currently Blue garda

Dusty87

Tackleberrywho wrote: »

I can uderstand people not wanting to be in a garda barracks, the lads by there nature are nosey.
Ask a lot of questions not to do with the application, where you work, what ya do, how much ya make, what colour is yer underpants etc

I just say, where I work, what i do and currently Blue garda

TBH never had that from them. The only time iv got an ignorant, smart gaurd was when i got the points not the point and in fairness i wasnt as friendly back and a young gaurd who was just not chatty. You meet people like that in every job.
I wont say in what ways but they've been more than helpful to me, both from a rural barracks and town barracks

Grizzly 45

Sparks wrote: »

/facepalm

Grizzly, we don't even get t-shirts as mods, let alone the legal authority to grant licences.

And there is no self-policing in our community. Thankfully. As bad as the bad cases with the PTB are, the bad cases with our own PTB have been far, far worse in my experience. If you want a firearms licence, you go to the Gardai and they have the final say, not us as a self-policing community.

Honestly Sparks SNIP all that for irrevelancy to the point would you???:rolleyes:

And for the record, we'd see queries like this on a regular basis in clubs all over the country, and it's not "I'm a crook looking to get a gun"

DOUBLE Facepalm on that one.:rolleyes:

that they're saying, it's "I'm an ordinary person who's interested in the sport but I don't want the Gardai calling up my boss/mom and making me look like a criminal and getting me in trouble, can I avoid that?", because like it or not, most people don't want to go within an ass's roar of the Gardai.

Well then t'would it not be better to say it like that ,rather than "hows doya get a gun without de paperwork,cos I dont want de Gaurds findin out about it,cos I have a bit of bother with them?"
Or simply just read up here abit?Why do we have a big sticky on how to apply for a liscense here??

Thats why I asked in a post was this somones idea of a joke???As it looks[ed] like somone extracting the urine.

Tackleberrywho

Dusty87 wrote: »

TBH never had that from them. The only time iv got an ignorant, smart gaurd was when i got the points not the point and in fairness i wasnt as friendly back and a young gaurd who was just not chatty. You meet people like that in every job.
I wont say in what ways but they've been more than helpful to me, both from a rural barracks and town barracks

The more often you go in, and the more you look for the more questions you will get.

You'll see that if you try get another 1 or 2

Sparks

Grizzly 45 wrote: »

Or is it just the way nowadays,barge in,drop a massive bunch of questions and hope for the best??

Do you really want me to go search all your earliest posts to compare?

Tackleberrywho

Grizzly 45 wrote: »

Tack,
I accept that not all are as knowledgeable on guns as we are.But,maybe it is just me,isnt it just common sense to research a bit on the net about your questions especially a chat group that you have never posted on before?Or is it just the way nowadays,barge in,drop a massive bunch of questions and hope for the best??

My experience young people are less knowledgeable as they never had to learn stuff the hard way like we did.

I went to the library and got out books in mine and my sisters names just so I could get a few books at a time

young people these days want instant answers, God you are making me sound old now

Grizzly 45

Touche Sparks..But ditto..:):)

If I had had the net when I was 18.My parents would have forgotton that they actually had a son.

Dusty87

Tackleberrywho wrote: »

The more often you go in, and the more you look for the more questions you will get.

You'll see that if you try get another 1 or 2

I mean with anything.

Sparks

Dusty87 wrote: »

They're called criminals or for some reason or another dont want to be known.

Really? Go ask around a bit more. People rarely know their local Gardai anymore. Most of the times that an ordinary person comes into contact with the Gardai, it's not a happy experience for them. It's getting a speeding ticket, or reporting a break-in or something along those lines. I know that one of the biggest reasons my parents weren't happy at me getting into target shooting back in the day was that they were worried that the Gardai knowing I was into target shooting could cause problems with finding a job. It's not correct, but neither were half the responses here to the OP. It's paranoia in both cases, just different flavours.

Sparks

Grizzly 45 wrote: »

Touche Sparks..But ditto..:):)

Yup. So we grit our teeth and make allowances, just like everyone else did for us. Welcome to the circle of life

Dusty87

Sparks wrote: »

Really? Go ask around a bit more. People rarely know their local Gardai anymore. Most of the times that an ordinary person comes into contact with the Gardai, it's not a happy experience for them. It's getting a speeding ticket, or reporting a break-in or something along those lines. I know that one of the biggest reasons my parents weren't happy at me getting into target shooting back in the day was that they were worried that the Gardai knowing I was into target shooting could cause problems with finding a job. It's not correct, but neither were half the responses here to the OP. It's paranoia in both cases, just different flavours.

Ok Sparks. Right i live in the Country side. No shop let alone barracks. Nearest barracks is in Town, or a village next county.
First experience with gaurds, being pushed into a squad at 15 for drinking at a teenage disco and breaking a window. Wasnt me, they sorted it got the right fella. Next one, take a pic of anyone of 6 points. Next reporting my car being broken into, next finding uncles van stolen. And more. None of them were nice were they? All to gaurds i didnt know. However thats their job

When i applied for a gun did i care? No, iv nothing to hide, and they are just doing their job.
My ma wasnt fond of the gun idea either by the way, but as she was told its a piece of machinery, same way as your car is a piece of machinery and can do the same damage. (well your car more than the air pistol i suppose).

Grizzly 45

Sparks wrote: »

Really? Go ask around a bit more. People rarely know their local Gardai anymore. Most of the times that an ordinary person comes into contact with the Gardai, it's not a happy experience for them. It's getting a speeding ticket, or reporting a break-in or something along those lines. I know that one of the biggest reasons my parents weren't happy at me getting into target shooting back in the day was that they were worried that the Gardai knowing I was into target shooting could cause problems with finding a job. It's not correct, but neither were half the responses here to the OP. It's paranoia in both cases, just different flavours.

In fairness to that generally fine body of men and women.They are exactly like us.They bleed red too.So you will have the sound,the good,the egotists,the bullies,etc.It's humanity.Yes they have bad eggs,and quite a few of them too they admit so themselves.But it is up to us to make sure they know they are there and to make sure their PTB removes them.
Not to mind maybe its me but I've noticed the younger crop being more skilled in PR and dealing with the public,rather than the old style of Garda ,addressing a member of the public as "Hoi you there.." So maybe they need abit more in "PR skills"
So yes they will be paranoid,for whatever reason about us "mere civillians" having access to guns,which I personally belive shouldnt be there.
But it is,so there is little that can be done about it.
We however might have to be more paranoid ashow do we know "what evil lurks in mans minds".Last thing we need is somone letting their dog off the leash and going off on one and the info was tracked back to us for some reason.As unfortuneatly the net seems to be the source of good and evil intent these days,an odd request might be just odd,orsomthing more sinister.
Just because you are paranoid,doesnt mean they are not out to get you.:)

jwshooter

Sparks wrote: »

jw, if you've nothing positive or constructive to add, would you at least refrain from putting off people who'd like to try the sport?

what ? .

jwshooter

Sparks wrote: »

Really? Go ask around a bit more. People rarely know their local Gardai anymore. Most of the times that an ordinary person comes into contact with the Gardai, it's not a happy experience for them. It's getting a speeding ticket, or reporting a break-in or something along those lines. I know that one of the biggest reasons my parents weren't happy at me getting into target shooting back in the day was that they were worried that the Gardai knowing I was into target shooting could cause problems with finding a job. It's not correct, but neither were half the responses here to the OP. It's paranoia in both cases, just different flavours.

the day of the local guard is gone ,we now have some dickhead that is brain dead and does not give a toss about local communities.

my local lad retired two years ago . the hole place loved him ,there was not a bit of trouble in the parish .

as far as looking for a pistol and not wanting the gardai to have little or no dealings with it .

that i have a problem with "big time " hard to defend that .

Sparks

jwshooter wrote: »

as far as looking for a pistol and not wanting the gardai to have little or no dealings with it .
that i have a problem with "big time " hard to defend that .

It's a long way from being reluctant and nervous about approaching the Gardai for a licence because of a lack of knowlege about the process; and actually trying to circumvent the process.

People having a problem with people asking questions about things they don't know much about is why the average age in our sport is climbing into the low 50s at the moment, and why it will ultimately die out unless people change their ways.