Someone else using your gun

goz83

I've a friend waiting on his rifle license and we shoot at the same range. We have even shot eachothers rifles and he has shot my shotgun, but ALWAYS at the range. This is no problem, as he is insured and it's ok at the range.

I shoot on a permission I recently got, which is over 100 acres (not bad for Dublin I reckon). I have permission to have someone accompany me, but as my friend is not licensed, he will be just there for company and to show him around, as he is seeking permission for the same spot when he gets a license.

I told him that he won't be shooting, to which he asked why. "No License" I reply. He said there would be nobody around, but I am not willing to take a risk, even if the chances for being caught out are so slim. I might be a bit more flexible if he had a license for a firearm, but he doesn't, so it's not something I will be allowing to happen.

Have any of you been in a similar situation and what did you do? Or maybe you know others who have and do allow friends to fire off a few rounds.

Cass

As i said on another thread, and this is a classic example of it, this is illegal. Allowing someone to use your firearm even with you there, outside of a range, is not allowed.

If it happens that is the decision of the people with the license and the person without the license. We, the people on this forum, are not the Gardaí and we can only advise you as to what is legal and what is not. We do not condone any illegal activity nor do we allow the discussion of it on the forum.

There are certain things that Gardaí may "turn a blind eye to" such as the issue regarding zeroing. Technically it's illegal, but even the Minster at the time said this was not his intent. However apologetic he was he never corrected his mistake. So you can say go ahead and do it, but all it takes is for a Garda to have a bad day, decide to enforce the law as it is, and then you find yourself up in court.

These posts, and warnings, are not designed to scare you. They are informational. IOW, and as said above, you do what you want, but you now have all the facts.


Lastly, this forum, like other social media, is monitored/watched. IOW do no think for a second that what you say here, other forums, Facebook, or videos you put up on Youtube are risk free. They're not. So any posts that admit to breaking the firearms act will be removed, and frankly people should really consider what they say on an open and public forum.

I know that does not directly answer your question, but you are asking for people to admit to either breaking the firearms act or not.

cookimonster

In relation to privately owned firearms there is no provision for anyone other than individuals licensed on a particular firearm to use it. Firearms my have more than one license associated with it either full or a training certificate. Ranges that facilitate club guns have a 'license' to do so.

Edit - Above is mute, Cass got there before me...

Sparks

cookimonster wrote: »

In relation to privately owned firearms there is no provision for anyone other than individuals licensed on a particular firearm to use it.

This is almost fully correct; when on a range authorised under section 4A, no firearms cert is needed to possess or use an unrestricted firearm, so under those circumstances, someone else other than the holder of the firearms cert can use the firearm.
In other words, it's not just the club guns that can be used by anyone on the range.
Note that this doesn't apply to restricted firearms, and some ranges may have rules against it above and beyond the firearms act for reasons relating to conditions of their 4A authorisation or their insurance cover.

cookimonster

Sparks,
Thanks for the clarification, that explains the range thing and clearly voids the less than black or white interpretations.....

goz83

Cass wrote: »

I know that does not directly answer your question, but you are asking for people to admit to either breaking the firearms act or not.

It answers my question just fine Cass, thanks. To be super clear though, I was not asking for confessions and for people to say "ahh, sure it'll be grand". I was asking how others dealt with it, as I just said to my friend that as he has no license, he would not be shooting.

goz83 wrote: »

Have any of you been in a similar situation and what did you do? Or maybe you know others who have and do allow friends to fire off a few rounds.

Cass

Perhaps i'm missing the point, but the only answer that can be given when someone asks to use your gun without a license is no.

If you're asking for ways to phrase this then i'll open the floor to others.

goz83

Cass wrote: »

Perhaps i'm missing the point, but the only answer that can be given when someone asks to use your gun without a license is no.

If you're asking for ways to phrase this then i'll open the floor to others.

No, no....I think I phrased it well enough when I said he wouldn't be shooting without a license. I waited long enough to get that piece of paper, so I wouldn't be putting that at risk to satisfy someone elses gun lust. I'm sure lads on here know of people who took the risk and had a lax attitude and maybe ended up with a fine and loss of license. I was curious to read some of those stories.

Cass

goz83 wrote: »

I'm sure lads on here know of people who took the risk and had a lax attitude and maybe ended up with a fine and loss of license. I was curious to read some of those stories.

This is what i was saying above.

Anyone that has done this has broken the law and discussing illegal activity on this forum is not permitted.

Anyone that has done it, and been caught, will not want to discuss it (or i doubt they would) on an open forum.