Month: July 2009

Firearms Licence Renewal Information

Just a single post in order to centralise all the information so far.

  • The main Garda page on the new regulations
  • The new Firearms Application/Renewal Form
  • The new Firearms Amendment/Cancellation Form
  • The new Firearms Rifle and Pistol Club licencing Form
  • The new Non-Resident Firearms Certificate Application Form
  • Frequently Asked Questions on Licencing:
    Quote:
    POPULAR QUESTIONS IN RELATION TO NEW FIREARMS LICENSING PROCESSESQ. What do I do when my current Firearm Certificate expires on 31st July 2009?
    A. Do nothing until you receive a letter from the Garda Commissioner which will extend your current firearms certificate for at least three months and a maximum of twelve months. This extension will be free of charge. You will be informed in the letter when you can apply for a new 3 year firearm certificate under the new legislation

    Q. Will there be a limit on the number of firearms an individual may have licensed?
    A. There is no limit. However, new minimum security standards will now be required of holders of firearm certificates in relation to the provision of secure accommodation for their firearms. The level of security is dependent on the number of firearms certified to an individual.

    Q. Who can apply for Training Certificate? What is the age limit? Can a trainee use any firearm?
    A. Any person over 14 years of age can apply for a firearms training certificate. The training certificate does not entitle the holder to actually own a firearm and the certificate can only apply to a non-restricted firearm. The person must always be under the supervision of a specified person over 18 years of age who holds a firearm certificate in respect of it. The training certificate shall continue in force for 3 years unless revoked.

    Q. Where can I get a new application form for a Firearms Certificate and who do I apply to?
    A. All application forms that apply to the new firearms legislation can be obtained at any Garda Station or on www.garda.ie An application for a non restricted firearm certificate shall be made on form FCA1 to the superintendent of the district where the applicant resides. If the application refers to a restricted firearm, the superintendent shall forward the application to the chief superintendent of that division.

    Q. How much is a new Firearms Certificate and what is its duration?
    A. All new firearms certificates will cost €80 and will remain in force for 3 years from the date it was granted unless revoked. The collection of fees will be outsourced to An Post and no money will now be accepted at Garda Stations for firearms certificates.

    Q. Where can I get more information in relation to Firearm Licensing?
    A. The Garda Commissioner has issued Guidelines as to the practical application and operation on the firearm acts 1925-2009. These Guidelines should be read as an aid to recently enacted firearms legislation, in particular the Criminal Justice Act 2006 and the Criminal Justice (Miscellaneous Provisions Act) 2009. The Guidelines are available on www.garda.ie
  • From the Department of Justice today:
    Quote:
    As you know the new system starts tomorrow on 1 August 2009.The Garda Commissioner started issuing extension letters earlier this week to all existing licence holders and I understand that the new application form is up on the Garda website.

    A range of documents will be signed by the Minister tomorrow to give effect to the following

    • Two fees order (one for the outsourced fees and one on for the non outsourced ones);
    • Commencement Order for the remaining elements of CJA 2006 (28, 30, 32 and 33);
    • Commencement Order for substantial parts of Criminal Justice (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2009 (sections 25, 26, 27, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 35, 37, 39, 40 (part), 41, 42, 43 and 44);
    • New target shooting Clubs S.I.;
    • New secure accommodation regulations for storage of firearms.

    Please note that the personal import ban does not come into effect for some
    time yet because we will have to address in the context of the EU Weapons Directive so sections 34, 36 and 38 aren’t being commenced just yet.

    Copies of the S.I.s will be available early next week.

    We will address the ranges S.I. and an amended restricted firearms S.I. in due course.

The Ultimate Irish Hunting Knife

Personally, I don’t hunt; but not doing a particular task shouldn’t prevent you from appreciating a well-made tool for that task.

There’s been a thread on the Hunting forum over in boards.ie for a few hundred posts now where Davy Moore, an Irish knifemaker has been creating, with the help of the hunting community on the forum, a knife optimised for field use by Irish hunters. No big scary machetes, no Walter-Mitty-esque “tactical combat cutting system” nonsense, no Giger-inspired wierd shapes, just a practical, designed-for-the-job field knife for hunters, created with excellent craftsmanship and attention to detail. And the end result has a beauty all its own that isn’t restricted by its focus on functionality, but is instead created by that focus:

Davy’s summing up of the project is here for those who’d like to read it.