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Reading the pages of prognistications of doom and gloom for you all, if your own government gets its way, it might be a timely reminder that your ancestors fought a bloody and protracted war of rebellion to decide your own future.
The land that some of your ancestors left behind ahs some pretty strange laws, that for certain, but bleeve it or don't, there ARE worse places to live if you are, or want to be, a gun-owner.
So, here the skinny for today - 11 June 2022.....
We can have ANY shotgun that holds UP TO 3 cartridges can be held on a Section 2 Shotgun certificate. A fourteen year-old can hold a shotgun certificate - many do, and compete in the usual shotgun sports at the very highest level. That's why the UK STILL does well in these sports, in spite of the limitations imposed by draconian laws.
These shotguns must have a barrel or barrels longer than 24" to comply. Having gotten your Section 2 Certificate , you can then have as many Section 2 shotguns as you want/afford.
We can have ANY shotgun that holds MORE than 3 cartridges - up to eight [so that we can shoot practical shotgun comps] on a Section 1 Firearms Certificate FAC].
Northern Ireland is the only part of the UK in which a person can legally own a modern cartridge-firing handgun that looks just like the ones you can buy in the USA. The reasons why they can, and WE on the Mainland of UK can not are complex, and unless you have a good grasp of the recent history of Northern Ireland it would probably not make any sense to you.
Northern Ireland is also the only part of the UK where the GOVERNMENT issues personal defence handguns - around 3500 ATM - for people whose lives are still under threat from the usual terrorist organisations.
While none of us can have a semi-auto CENTREFIRE rifle or carbine, we can have anything else, up to .75cal. That limitation is set because, right now, there is no commercially-available firearm that is bigger. BTW, the UK .50cal shooting association is the largest outside the USA.
We can own any calibre muzzle-loading smooth-bore up to 2" calibre - punt guns fit in this limitation. We can also have cannons, but that comes under a separate heading outside the remit of hand-held firearms.
We can own magazines of any capacity.
We can own any and all types and styles of night-vision equipment - much of the best in the world comes from UK anyhow.
We can have sound suppressors/moderators/silencers without paying an ownership tax. It compulsory for night-shooting on any calibre and yes, we can shoot 24/7/365.
We can own any kind of muzzleloading rifle or handgun.
We can freely buy ANY obsolete calibre firearm on the HUGE list of so-called obsolete calibres - under Section 58 of the firearms Act. BUT, if we want to shoot it, we must have a Firearms Certificate with that particular arm or calibre on it to authorise it, like my Snider or Pritchett rifles.
We can reload for any of the calibres we have. What we can NOT do is load for a calibre for which we do not have authorisation.
We can buy black powder, but like everywhere else in the civilised world except the USA, we need a license to do it. It's free and lasts five years - mine is tied to my Firearms Certificate so both get renewed at the same time. It must also be stored in an approved safety container.
We are required to keep our guns at home - locked up, but at home. They can NOT be on display as you have them in the USA. Only obsolete calibre firearms or de-acs can be openly displayed. All modern-manufacture replicas capable of firing are classed as Section 1 firearms, just like anything else that shoots a cartridge, and must be treated the same way.
The Authorities CAN come to your house to check them, but they need either a Search Warrant, or what you would call justifiable cause, to do so. If they have neither, then you can tell them to poke off/GoPUAR. When you apply for another firearm, the FEO might ask to see your guns to check them out. Mine has done so once in the last 34 years...
There ARE worse places to own a gun - shooters in the Republic of Ireland might be considered lucky by shooters on mainland GB, as they can have a .22 calibre handgun - but it is limited to 5 shots. They can also have a semi-auto centrefire rifle or carbine, but it has to look innocuous - black is not popular, and there no bullpup anythings - they are prohibited. There are moves afoot to stop licensing those few lucky owners of a FAL/SLR/Garand/M1 carbine - there are probably less than twelve [yes, read that again, twelve] in the entire country.
All guns that fire a projectile of more than 1 Joule m/e have to be licensed - yes, licensed, not on a certificate. You might need to look up the difference - in law, it is considerable.
That means that ALL airguns require a license. All airgun pellets are classed the same as real-live ammunition - try having a limitation of just 200 airgun pellets and having to buy them 200 at a time...
Crossbows are prohibited.
Although target archery is a popular and thriving sport in the Republic, there is no hunting with a bow.
You can NOT set up a target on your own land to zero in a gun. This is classed as 'target shooting' and your land is NOT authorised for target shooting. You must be full member of a gun club, or as they call it there, a range, in order to carry out target shooting. This can be pricey, to say the least.
Hunting of local game, OTOH, is a popular and in some places, necessary part of shooting in Ireland - even now a mainly rural country. Pest control is vital for animal husbandry. Poaching, however, is endemic and a real problem for authorised shooters.
Firearms licenses are needed for EACH gun - yes, EVERY individual gun has to be licensed - currently three years, hopefully soon to be five, but at a cost of 80eu each.
There is NO black powder shooting except a few people licensed to shoot blanks for re-enactment purposes. The Spike Island midday gun in Cork Harbour is the remit of the Army, not a bunch of dressed-up civilians.
Worse?
Yup. There is no reloading unless you are in the National squad, or likely to be in it. So, out of a quarter of a million shooters, around forty can reload so that they are on an equal footing with, say, the USA rifle team. However, it is carried out in a secured bunker, with guards, and in just one location, the Midlands National Shooting Centre at Tullaghmore - it's just called 'The Midlands'. There are a number of clubs countrywide, but club membership is, let's say, costy - around 600eu for the first year, with, I think, another 600eu 'joining fee', for the Midlands. For every one else, possession of a loose bullet, or a primer, or any kind of propellant is an offence under the Anti-terrorism Act. As it is an absolute offence, ie. you either are or are not in possession, there is no defence.
It's odd to me that in spite of Ireland being the spiritual or even ancestral home of so many Americans, from presidents downwards, nobody has ever mentioned just how restrictive The Republic of Ireland's gun laws are. A gentle reminder that this year marks the 100th anniversary of Ireland gaining a measure of independence from the rest of the United Kingdom - a commendable achievement gained by force of arms, and the ruthless application of a guerrilla war in which my own father played a small but very noisy part.
Sounds familiar?
The land that some of your ancestors left behind ahs some pretty strange laws, that for certain, but bleeve it or don't, there ARE worse places to live if you are, or want to be, a gun-owner.
So, here the skinny for today - 11 June 2022.....
We can have ANY shotgun that holds UP TO 3 cartridges can be held on a Section 2 Shotgun certificate. A fourteen year-old can hold a shotgun certificate - many do, and compete in the usual shotgun sports at the very highest level. That's why the UK STILL does well in these sports, in spite of the limitations imposed by draconian laws.
These shotguns must have a barrel or barrels longer than 24" to comply. Having gotten your Section 2 Certificate , you can then have as many Section 2 shotguns as you want/afford.
We can have ANY shotgun that holds MORE than 3 cartridges - up to eight [so that we can shoot practical shotgun comps] on a Section 1 Firearms Certificate FAC].
Northern Ireland is the only part of the UK in which a person can legally own a modern cartridge-firing handgun that looks just like the ones you can buy in the USA. The reasons why they can, and WE on the Mainland of UK can not are complex, and unless you have a good grasp of the recent history of Northern Ireland it would probably not make any sense to you.
Northern Ireland is also the only part of the UK where the GOVERNMENT issues personal defence handguns - around 3500 ATM - for people whose lives are still under threat from the usual terrorist organisations.
While none of us can have a semi-auto CENTREFIRE rifle or carbine, we can have anything else, up to .75cal. That limitation is set because, right now, there is no commercially-available firearm that is bigger. BTW, the UK .50cal shooting association is the largest outside the USA.
We can own any calibre muzzle-loading smooth-bore up to 2" calibre - punt guns fit in this limitation. We can also have cannons, but that comes under a separate heading outside the remit of hand-held firearms.
We can own magazines of any capacity.
We can own any and all types and styles of night-vision equipment - much of the best in the world comes from UK anyhow.
We can have sound suppressors/moderators/silencers without paying an ownership tax. It compulsory for night-shooting on any calibre and yes, we can shoot 24/7/365.
We can own any kind of muzzleloading rifle or handgun.
We can freely buy ANY obsolete calibre firearm on the HUGE list of so-called obsolete calibres - under Section 58 of the firearms Act. BUT, if we want to shoot it, we must have a Firearms Certificate with that particular arm or calibre on it to authorise it, like my Snider or Pritchett rifles.
We can reload for any of the calibres we have. What we can NOT do is load for a calibre for which we do not have authorisation.
We can buy black powder, but like everywhere else in the civilised world except the USA, we need a license to do it. It's free and lasts five years - mine is tied to my Firearms Certificate so both get renewed at the same time. It must also be stored in an approved safety container.
We are required to keep our guns at home - locked up, but at home. They can NOT be on display as you have them in the USA. Only obsolete calibre firearms or de-acs can be openly displayed. All modern-manufacture replicas capable of firing are classed as Section 1 firearms, just like anything else that shoots a cartridge, and must be treated the same way.
The Authorities CAN come to your house to check them, but they need either a Search Warrant, or what you would call justifiable cause, to do so. If they have neither, then you can tell them to poke off/GoPUAR. When you apply for another firearm, the FEO might ask to see your guns to check them out. Mine has done so once in the last 34 years...
There ARE worse places to own a gun - shooters in the Republic of Ireland might be considered lucky by shooters on mainland GB, as they can have a .22 calibre handgun - but it is limited to 5 shots. They can also have a semi-auto centrefire rifle or carbine, but it has to look innocuous - black is not popular, and there no bullpup anythings - they are prohibited. There are moves afoot to stop licensing those few lucky owners of a FAL/SLR/Garand/M1 carbine - there are probably less than twelve [yes, read that again, twelve] in the entire country.
All guns that fire a projectile of more than 1 Joule m/e have to be licensed - yes, licensed, not on a certificate. You might need to look up the difference - in law, it is considerable.
That means that ALL airguns require a license. All airgun pellets are classed the same as real-live ammunition - try having a limitation of just 200 airgun pellets and having to buy them 200 at a time...
Crossbows are prohibited.
Although target archery is a popular and thriving sport in the Republic, there is no hunting with a bow.
You can NOT set up a target on your own land to zero in a gun. This is classed as 'target shooting' and your land is NOT authorised for target shooting. You must be full member of a gun club, or as they call it there, a range, in order to carry out target shooting. This can be pricey, to say the least.
Hunting of local game, OTOH, is a popular and in some places, necessary part of shooting in Ireland - even now a mainly rural country. Pest control is vital for animal husbandry. Poaching, however, is endemic and a real problem for authorised shooters.
Firearms licenses are needed for EACH gun - yes, EVERY individual gun has to be licensed - currently three years, hopefully soon to be five, but at a cost of 80eu each.
There is NO black powder shooting except a few people licensed to shoot blanks for re-enactment purposes. The Spike Island midday gun in Cork Harbour is the remit of the Army, not a bunch of dressed-up civilians.
Worse?
Yup. There is no reloading unless you are in the National squad, or likely to be in it. So, out of a quarter of a million shooters, around forty can reload so that they are on an equal footing with, say, the USA rifle team. However, it is carried out in a secured bunker, with guards, and in just one location, the Midlands National Shooting Centre at Tullaghmore - it's just called 'The Midlands'. There are a number of clubs countrywide, but club membership is, let's say, costy - around 600eu for the first year, with, I think, another 600eu 'joining fee', for the Midlands. For every one else, possession of a loose bullet, or a primer, or any kind of propellant is an offence under the Anti-terrorism Act. As it is an absolute offence, ie. you either are or are not in possession, there is no defence.
It's odd to me that in spite of Ireland being the spiritual or even ancestral home of so many Americans, from presidents downwards, nobody has ever mentioned just how restrictive The Republic of Ireland's gun laws are. A gentle reminder that this year marks the 100th anniversary of Ireland gaining a measure of independence from the rest of the United Kingdom - a commendable achievement gained by force of arms, and the ruthless application of a guerrilla war in which my own father played a small but very noisy part.
Sounds familiar?
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