Airguns Legal in Ireland?

scobyleeNlucy

Could someone explain if airguns are legal and what I would need to do to get one. Should I buy online or from a local dealer. Any info would be great thanks.

Sparks

Yes, they're legal, but they need to be licenced just like any other firearm. All the information on licencing them is in the big red flashing announcement at the top of all of the shooting forums, and the process is described more directly here.

mr lee

sorry for hijacking the thread but its a related question can someone clarify things for me,earlier in the year i was going to buy an air rifle ,i done all my research about the license and from what i could make out its illegal to hunt with an air rifle in ireland,they are only meant for target shooting and you have to join a target shooting club,on the license application form the question asks what use is the gun for and if you say its for hunting you will not get the lincense,my questions are, did i pick things up wrong ,can i legally hunt with an air rifle and on the lincense application form what do i state the guns use is for.

Tackleberrywho

mr lee wrote: »

sorry for hijacking the thread but its a related question can someone clarify things for me,earlier in the year i was going to buy an air rifle ,i done all my research about the license and from what i could make out its illegal to hunt with an air rifle in ireland,they are only meant for target shooting and you have to join a target shooting club,on the license application form the question asks what use is the gun for and if you say its for hunting you will not get the lincense,my questions are, did i pick things up wrong ,can i legally hunt with an air rifle and on the lincense application form what do i state the guns use is for.

Shooting rats is technically not hunting, but vermin control, so too with rabbits.
A firearms certificate is what you want, and a cover letter explaining specific requirements.

Sparks

mr lee wrote: »

can i legally hunt with an air rifle

In specific cases, yes, for example any wild bird which is the subject of a derogation order by the Minister (you can't shoot them without that order).

The problem is that the law doesn't say "airgun" when talking about wild animals (which includes the vermin Tack mentions - and yes, shooting them is hunting; it's just not hunting game animals, the Wildlife act - at least after the 2000 amendment - speaks of "wild animals" and doesn't distinguish between vermin and game in section 33, which covers the restrictions on the kind of firearms you can use), it says "spring gun"; but it says "airgun" in other parts of the Wildlife Act, which suggests that the law thinks they're seperate things which is confusing. I mean, I understood a spring gun to be a kind of airgun, but I happen to know for a fact that those who draft the laws rarely, if ever, knew what end of a firearm was which, let alone know the difference between spring, SSP and PCA airguns. I know of some folks who do hunt rabbits using compressed air guns; but whether or not that's legal, I honestly don't know. The wildlife acts aren't exactly clear, easy to understand, or well-written

and on the lincense application form what do i state the guns use is for.

You state what you intend to use it for. Seriously, providing incorrect information on your application is not only going to lose you your licence if caught, it's a specific offence under the act with serious consequences if you're convicted:

(i) on summary conviction, to a fine not exceeding €2,500 or imprisonment or a term not exceeding 6 months or both, or
(ii) on conviction on indictment, to a fine not exceeding €20,000 or imprisonment for a term not exceeding 5 years or both.