[Overature]

Im just wondering what are the regulations for owning a crossbow in Ireland? do you need a license and is it legal to import them by post from other countries, eg order one of ebay?

thanks

[ruiner]

They are treated the same as owning a rifle. You need to have a firearms licence, gun box to store it and you also need to be a member of an archery club, preferably one that has crossbow shooters in it

[Damo123]

Originally Posted by ruiner

They are treated the same as owning a rifle. You need to have a firearms licence, gun box to store it and you also need to be a member of an archery club, preferably one that has crossbow shooters in it

I think I might be misinterpreting you (But happy days if Im not)!

So if I have a firearms licence.... as in I have my rifle license... I can buy a crossbow and my rifle licence will cover it..?? Is that what your saying. I wont have to get a second license (in other words a seperate licence just for the crossbow?)

Obviously enough I have the gun cabinet. Though Im not a member of an archery club... but in fairness I have being doing archery for about maybe a year and a half now. I just never saw much point in joining a club.

[ruiner]

You need to licence each individual firearm that you have in your possession so if you have a rifle and a crossbow you need two seperate licences, if you have a rifle and 2 crossbows you need three licences as far as I'm aware. The corssbow guys I know recently had to decomission some bows because they couldn't afford to pay for them all.

You'd be best to talk to your local garda station though as I've been told different things in different areas.

The reason for being a member of a club is to show that you have somewhere safe to shoot and that you have a genuine reason to want a crossbow.

[Damo123]

Originally Posted by ruiner

You need to licence each individual firearm that you have in your possession so if you have a rifle and a crossbow you need two seperate licences, if you have a rifle and 2 crossbows you need three licences as far as I'm aware. The corssbow guys I know recently had to decomission some bows because they couldn't afford to pay for them all.

You'd be best to talk to your local garda station though as I've been told different things in different areas.

The reason for being a member of a club is to show that you have somewhere safe to shoot and that you have a genuine reason to want a crossbow.

Damn. I was hoping thats not what you meant... ahh well. Do you think since I have a couple of rifles and 2 shotguns all since around 04 that would mean I would get a crossbow handy enough. I admit I dunno anything about them... but I couldnt see the average crossbow being as dangerous or as powerful as a rifle..?

Also where do you get them? Ive being round quite a few firearm dealers and I never spotted a crossbow with any of them... Its probably an import job is it..?

Hmmm I think I might pay the guards a little visit this evening.

Oh yeh (sorry for all the questions)... But eh would I be able to shoot deer with the crossbow on my deer licence... or would I have to get a second deer licence for the crossbow..???

[CJhaughey]

Originally Posted by Damo123

Oh yeh (sorry for all the questions)... But eh would I be able to shoot deer with the crossbow on my deer licence... or would I have to get a second deer licence for the crossbow..???

It's illegal to shoot deer with a crossbow, you must use a rifle with minimum of 1700lbs ft of energy at the muzzle.
Crossbows are defined as restricted firearms and the application will have to be made through the Chief superintendent of your local district.

[ruiner]

If you don't know anything about crossbows I'd definitely say join a club. You have to know what you are doing or there's a chance you can explode the bow It's not a nice thing to be near if the limbs or string go and that's speaking from experience.

That and it's getting increasingly harder to get a licence for a crossbow since a person up North was killed by one.

If you are buying in a crossbow you have to already have the licence for it and get it shipped to a garda speced location so they can inspect that everything is as it should be.

Hunting with a crossbow is extremely dodgy territory, it's illegal to hunt with a recurve or compound and I don't know what the regulations are on crossbows

[CJhaughey]

Originally Posted by ruiner

Hunting with a crossbow is extremely dodgy territory, it's illegal to hunt with a recurve or compound and I don't know what the regulations are on crossbows

For a Deer license you have to have the calibre of the rifle on the application, the NPWS do not issue sec 29(i) licenses for crossbows.
If you are caught with a Deer and a crossbow you will find yourself in a lot of trouble, killing protected wild mammals with no license and possession of an unlicensed restricted firearm would not be a road that I would like to travel.
If the crossbow is licensed it can only be done for target use.

[Damo123]

So I went up to the garda barrack and had a little chat with the FAO who is under the impression that me getting a crossbow should be straightforward enough, giving my record with firearms.

THough she is gonna investigate a bit more, as she said herself that crossbow applications arent something she comes across every day. But she reckons there should be no problems. So happy days. Just have to find a dealer now

[CJhaughey]

Page 27 of the Commissioners guidelines is the appropriate part

[Overature]

sound, thanks for the info. i think ill go up to the gaurds tomorow