and you can read stuff like this - found today on an Irish shooting forum. I know that you rightly pan the UK for its wacky gun laws, but remember that the UK is not alone in having a strange take on guns of any kind...

Back story is, a non-shooter found an old beat-up Webley Junior in his dad's garage after he passed away...

He asks the Irish-based shooting forum -

Quote - Q. I found a Webley junior air pistol while clearing my deceased Dad's garage. I'd say it's from the 1950's. Do I need to call the Guards to collect it? [Guards = An Garda Sióchána - Irish police]

A. If you do that you will never see it again. Maybe that doesn’t bother you. First thing you must decide is whether you want to keep it or not. Maybe it has sentimental value?

Alternatively you could drop it into a registered firearms dealer and apply for a license on it. You will only get a license if you meet a number of requirements and jump thorough several hoops. It may not be worth it.

A. That is up to you, but you have options. Ringing the Gardaí and telling them you have a gun, well put it this way, can you livestream it so we can all watch? biggrin.png

The gun is, and only by the thinnest margins, an actual gun under the law. A single shot, low powered, air pistol that were it a little less powerful would be considered a toy.

You can have An Gardaí collect it, you can drop it into the station (make sure to take it slowly, explain yourself very well before producing it so as not to get rugby tackled by the dude behind the counter, and leave it in whatever carrier you're using and let the Garda unwrap it), or alternatively you can, as said above, drop it into an RFD (Registered Firearm Dealer).

The RFD route is the best option. It gives you more options such as :
Getting the gun out of your possession.
Having it stored safely and legally until you license it.
Having it stored until it sells (an RFD can sell it for you without you needing to license it)
If you decide you want to keep it you need to apply for a gun license. This is an easy, but can be somewhat long, process however there are other factors. Such as a gun safe. You need one for a pistol. Now it can be a small safe but with the safe, the license fee (€80) and then you have to show "Good reason" why you want the pistol (which is target shooting so you have to join a range which may cost hundreds per year) its a lot of money if you have zero interest in shooting.

If you already hunt/shoot then you know the process and the costs involved may be less as you'll have had to meet most of the criteria already. If not it'll be expensive.

So the first question is do you want to take up shooting, if you don't already do it?

Are you prepared for the costs (guesstimate of about €450 - €750) to be legally compliant).

If you answer no to both then store it in an RFD's, sell it, and save yourself the hassle.
End quote.

Remember that in the Republic of Ireland, a nation, just like yours, that was born out of the barrel of a gun and will to use it, EVERY airgun over 1 Joule is considered to be a firearm, just like a .300Win Mag rifle. To have one, you have to have what they call a license [actually, to be correct, a certificate. AND you have to be a member of a gun club to have a license. You can't even shoot one on your own land, as that is illegal in the Republic of Ireland. Target shooting can only take place on a target-shooting range.

Good grief

Thanks for the info, tac.

As much as I despise what's currently going on in the good ole USA, this is one reason why I will continue to stay here... at least until it's worse than other countries!

Question: Isn't Northern Ireland quite a bit different on gun laws? Aren't they much more open to citizen possession of firearms?

My lord in heaven

Meanwhile, exactly 100 years ago in 1921, Irish civilians successfully utilized actual firearms (not just air guns) to end British rule of the island and establish themselves as a self-governing free state...

quote:

Originally posted by bronicabill:Question: Isn't Northern Ireland quite a bit different on gun laws? Aren't they much more open to citizen possession of firearms?

Good question, Bill.

Northern Ireland, as you probably know, is part of the UK, and subject to MOST of the rest of the UK gun law.

But in one respect it is very different.

In Northern Ireland an ordinary Joe like me can have ANY kind of a cartridge-firing handgun, NOT the freaky abortions we have to have here.

There are also about 3500 CCW permits, with defensive handguns actually ISSUED by the government for self-protection of those whose lives might be at risk from the still-extant terrorism.

Unlike the Republic, where reloading is prohibited, except for about 40 'special case' shooters, it is totally legal in the North, just like it is in the rest of UK. If you have the gun, then you can reload for it. Simple. However, unlike mainland UK, all powder purchases and primers have to be documented on your Firearms Certificate [FAC].

There are, no semi-auto centre-fire rifles or carbines, just like mainland UK.

AND, for reasons I've never figured out, but probably because you can move from one country to another by taking a single pace, just like the Republic, ALL airguns are subject to authorisation.

That’s a depressing read.

quote:

Originally posted by RogueJSK:
Meanwhile, exactly 100 years ago in 1921, Irish civilians successfully utilized actual firearms (not just air guns) to end British rule of the island and establish themselves as a self-governing free state...

Yup, and I am SOOO proud that my dad was one of them.

This whole thread makes me sad.

I was in the Republic of Ireland in 2012 for my honeymoon and didn't see a single gun even on the Guards (Police).

But we went to Northern Ireland and in Belfast the cops were armed up like any typical American cop. Even saw a couple still packing big revolvers IIRC!

I enjoy your posts Tac. Depressing as they may sometimes be, I like the information.

I too appreciate your informative posts about firearms in the UK and Ireland. I am also aware of plenty of US politicians that would have no problem making the firearm laws in the US equally restrictive if left to their own devices.

One option they left out was just to leave the airgun where it is, in the back of the garage. It has been fine there for decades, it would seem.

From an area where it is illegal to fight back I am not surprised that an ancient toy gun is illegal too.
Much to appreciate here.

quote:

Originally posted by PASig:
I was in the Republic of Ireland in 2012 for my honeymoon and didn't see a single gun even on the Guards (Police).

But we went to Northern Ireland and in Belfast the cops were armed up like any typical American cop. Even saw a couple still packing big revolvers IIRC!

99% of all the terrorism in recent years happened in Northern Ireland. The RIC [Royal Irish Constabulary], then the RUC [Royal Ulster Constabulary], now called the PSNI [Police Service Northern Ireland] have always been armed.

quote:

Originally posted by smschulz:
From an area where it is illegal to fight back I am not surprised that an ancient toy gun is illegal too.
Much to appreciate here.

Sorry, Sir, you have it wrong. It is NOT wrong to defend yourself in Irish law - no more than it is in UK law.

Remember that we can't do it with our legally-held guns because they are locked up. However, please note that here in UK break-ins while a house is occupied are incredibly rare. ARMED break-ins with firearms only happen to drug dealers, carried out by other drug dealers, it seems.

quote:

Originally posted by tacfoley:
ARMED break-ins with firearms only happen to drug dealers, carried out by other drug dealers, it seems.

Well, that's a relief?

quote:

Originally posted by tacfoley:

Sorry, Sir, you have it wrong. It is NOT wrong to defend yourself in Irish law - no more than it is in UK law.

Remember that we can't do it with our legally-held guns because they are locked up.

These two statements seem to be in conflict with each other. Seems like we have vastly different ideas as to what constitutes self-defense when protecting home and family.

quote:

Originally posted by RogueJSK:
Meanwhile, exactly 100 years ago in 1921, Irish civilians successfully utilized actual firearms (not just air guns) to end British rule of the island and establish themselves as a self-governing free state...

I think you may have just proved why the government doesn't want the citizenry to own guns.

Your post are quite informative. I find them helpful when watching Irish tv programming, which I often do.