Shop in Limerick fined for selling crossbow's

bullets

The local head shop in Limerick which was basically where the most unsavory of our local wildlife seemed to be attracted to finally got fined for selling Crossbow Pistols.
Only 250 Euro fine :eek:


http://www.live95fm.ie/news/news-item/experienced-weapons-trader-was-unaware-lethal-crossbows-were-illegal/8c046092-9056-4b43-9662-07b19272701a


EXPERIENCED WEAPONS TRADER WAS UNAWARE LETHAL CROSSBOWS WERE ILLEGAL
03 December 2010

A Limerick retailer has been fined for selling lethal crossbows after ballistic testing confirmed they are classified as firearms.

20 'Pistol Crossbows' were seized by gardai who searched Brightside at Foxes Bow in Limerick City on the 21st of July last year.

Store owner Bertie Coffey - with an address in Lios Rua, Tralee - pleaded guilty to selling the 'Pistol Crossbows' without a licence to sell firearms.

Live 95FM's Eric Clarke has more:


Solicitor Ted McCarthy said Bertie Coffey wasn't aware he needed to be a registered firearms trader to sell the self-cocking Pistol Crossbows as he had the same UK supplier as other traders in the city who didn't believe there was a problem selling them.

Photographs of one of the 20 seized crossbows -which were on sale for €75 at Brightside in Foxes Bow - were presented to Judge Tom O'Donnell said that even the most cursory examination would lead him to believe it was a lethal weapon.

The court heard that ballistic testing confirmed the crossbows are classified as firearms under the Firearms Act

Coffey has three previous convictions for similar offences under the firearms act and Judge O'Donnell commented the 38 year old has some experience with weapons.

Mr McCarthy said his client is no longer in that business and even declined an offer to have some other seized items returned.

Coffey was fined €250.

sliabh

Fined €250 after 3 previous convictions? I am not psychic, but I predict that won't be the last time he is seen in a court.

Sparks

I would have thought there would have been a higher penalty since they're not just firearms, but restricted firearms under the law.

johngalway

Seems he got off very light. Wonder how his legal bills compare to the ones for pistol owners?

Grizzly 45

Another bloody joke this story..:mad:.The Gardai didnt even know they were for sale until a certain member of the public who is a gun enthausaist tipped them off.
"Experianced weapons trader" my ass!:rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes: Guy sold crap knives and el cheapo samauri swords and airsoft.Along with grow your own weed seeds,lights,DIY grow your own pot books,and weed fertilizer.Be better off doing him for selling drug equipment and components to enable persons to manufacture a proscribed drug.
Leathl pistol crossbows....Novel idea.

kildare.17hmr

Grizzly 45 wrote: »

Leathl pistol crossbows....Novel idea.

I had an 80lb pistol crossbow for a long time up the north and it would have been more than capable of being leathel, they are very dangerous in the wrong hands and not very well made so can be very unpridictable and fire without warning. Mine came with aluminium bolts with steel pointed tips that were fairly heavy and sank themselves deep into wooden targets and went through 5 ltr water bottels and out the other side

Grizzly 45

You must have had one that worked then Kildare.:p
Had one years ago,when these were legal to purchase here.It was the biggest POS ever.Appaling trigger pull,saftey that was a joke,ate strings like nothing,mostly from slapping them of the nocks of the bolts,which managed to fly about 6foot,so worrying about the scope falling off it occasionaly wasnt too much of a problem re accruacy .
Getting injured or killed with this would have been very much a situation wherethey would be beaten to death with the buttt end ,garrotted with the string,or stabbed with the prod! Shot by it,a very unlkely occurance.:rolleyes::).

rowa

the pistol type crossbows were always a toy , i did have a full size barnett with a 175lb prod on it and it was a very powerful bit of kit , they were a favorite among deer poachers in england and scotland , they were made into a licenceable firearm here after a crowd of scumbags held a dublin garda station under siege one night (store street i think) firing them in through the windows from more then one side.

Cass

sliabh wrote: »

Fined €250 after 3 previous convictions? .

Sparks wrote:

I would have thought there would have been a higher penalty since they're not just firearms, but restricted firearms under the law

Am i wrong in thinking that the maximum fine/punishment is:

(a) on summary conviction, to a fine not exceeding €5,000 or imprisonment

for a term not exceeding 12 months or both,
(b) on conviction on indictment, to a fine not exceeding €20,000 or imprisonment for a term not exceeding 5 years or both.

FISMA

Somehow, I don't think I'll feel any safer in Limerick City after this.

Still cannot help but laugh when the word firearm correlates with a bow/arrow.

Grizzly 45

Wouldnt be too worried about it FIMSA.Limerick is still safer than 90% of the Worlds big cities.:D.Plus hiding a pistol Xbow isnt very easy by shoving it down the tracksuit pants:D

FISMA

Grizzly,
True.

Although, it may have come off as a slam, it was not intended as so.

I have gone out in Limerick city for many a night and never, ever, had a problem.

Aside from a few little flakers that just can't hold their drink.

As in any city, you have to know where are and when you're there.

Sorry to anyone who took it otherwise. FWIW - I always look forward to a night out at Nancy Blakes. However, someone needs to tell them to turn down the volume. It's getting obscenely loud. When concert level speakers start to crack, you're playing them too loud.

Grizzly 45

None taken..We are abit more thick skinned than that around here .
BTW if Nancy Blakes is too loud ,go up the road to another pub on the same side,before you hit the corner...Shooters are very welcome there.;)

johngalway

Grizzly 45 wrote: »

Wouldnt be too worried about it FIMSA.Limerick is still safer than 90% of the Worlds big cities.:D.Plus hiding a pistol Xbow isnt very easy by shoving it down the tracksuit pants

Thought it may help clean up the gene pool, perhaps the court decision was rather hasty, hmmmmmm.

kildare.17hmr

Grizzly 45 wrote: »

You must have had one that worked then Kildare.:p
Had one years ago,when these were legal to purchase here.It was the biggest POS ever.Appaling trigger pull,saftey that was a joke,ate strings like nothing,mostly from slapping them of the nocks of the bolts,which managed to fly about 6foot,so worrying about the scope falling off it occasionaly wasnt too much of a problem re accruacy .
Getting injured or killed with this would have been very much a situation wherethey would be beaten to death with the buttt end ,garrotted with the string,or stabbed with the prod! Shot by it,a very unlkely occurance.:rolleyes::).

the one i had was a cheap chinese pistol xbow, similar to the ones you buy now, i used to have a target made out of a shoebox and inside it i had a phonebook, the bolts from the xbow used to penatrate deeper at about 20meters than an air rifle pellet from a 12ftlb break barrel smk!

Mine was similar to this one just without the cocking leaver on the back, you had to pull it back by hand
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dey6JqNSz1o&feature=related

Couldnt get the video to embed, how do ya do it?

Grizzly 45

Yup,same one I had,"self cocking"bolt breaking,barn door latch trigger POS.

deerhunter1

FISMA wrote: »

Grizzly,
True.

Although, it may have come off as a slam, it was not intended as so.

I have gone out in Limerick city for many a night and never, ever, had a problem.

Aside from a few little flakers that just can't hold their drink.

As in any city, you have to know where are and when you're there.

Sorry to anyone who took it otherwise. FWIW - I always look forward to a night out at Nancy Blakes. However, someone needs to tell them to turn down the volume. It's getting obscenely loud. When concert level speakers start to crack, you're playing them too loud.

Ah! thats old age creeping in:rolleyes:

FISMA

What? What was that deerHunter? Can you speak up?;)

I wonder just how much of a nerd I would look like bringing a sound meter to check the dB's there?:o

I reckon they were pushing close to 100dB's that night. When you're physically in pain - literally - that noise just hurt, it's more than just convenience.

I bet the nightclubs will be next to be sued. Surprised they do not have free ear plugs to shield against liability. Isn't losing your hearing as much a workplace hazard as second hand smoke?

Grizzly 45

Did it once the Db meter thing in a nite club in Berlin.Ok,I dont think Nokia phone app Db meter is going to be the most accurate,but it read 140Db!!!
Apprently thats the same as a 747 on full take off thrust!:eek:
That was just from the Bass,which was appx 6x4foot in size.So average time in the place 4to5 hours with that kind of noise from 70 odd amplifiers around the dance floor[was over 4 million euros worth of sound and lighting in ther place].Go figure how many people were saying "was,wie bitte??"[What?? in German] at the end of the night.:eek::eek:

It wasn't me!

A night out in a club typically has my ears ringing until probably lunchtime the next day. Puts the instantaneous damage done by gunfire into perspective, eh? Saw tests recently measuring the noise from gunfire around the 155dB level. Funnily enough, it was the same for shotguns and centrefire rifles (.308/.30-06 level) and I know which I find louder to the ear. I think a lot of it is the shorter barrels on rifles are a lot barkier. I know my .25 is seriously disorienting without a mod on. With a full length barrel around 25-26" I expect it would be perfectly manageable.