extensions has run out what now

smokin ace

hi everyone i have applied for my 3 year licence back at the start of march and have heard nothing back yet but my licence extension that i got last year has run out four days ago what do i do now seen as my rifle is un-licenced do i have to hand i my gun to the local dealer until i get my licence sorted or where do i stand when i am out shooting and i am stopped by the law looking for the licence seen as my current licence is expired

Sparks

Hand it in to your local RFD for storage until the paperwork's sorted out. Anything else is not worth the hassle, because once the extension runs out you have possession of an unlicenced firearm until your new licence is issued.

Rovi

Legally speaking, you're now in possession of an un-licenced firearm.
Depending on who you might meet up with and how much sand they have in their... erm... underpants, this could lead to very serious consequences.

The standard recommendation is to lodge the firearm into the secure custody of a Registered Firearms Dealer as soon as possible; like, tonight or tomorrow.
Get a note from the RFD stating that they have the gun.

At the very least, talk to your local Gardai as soon as possible, but even if they give you 'permission' to carry on in the meantime, I'd still be recommending you take the RFD option.


Added:
GAH! Too slow

dCorbus

I understood that there was a "pragmatic approach" being taken in relation to this. If the O/P has applied for the new licence within three months of the extension expiring, I understood that:

To quote from the NARGC website:

6/11/2009

The question has been constantly raised as to whether firearms licence holders have to hand their firearms in to a firearms dealer if their licence applications/renewals had still not been processed by the end of the period of extension which was granted by the Garda Commissioner.

This matter was addressed by the Head of the Firearms Policy Unit at Garda HQ, Superintendent Fergus Healy, at a meeting of the Firearms Consultative Panel in the Department of Justice on October 6th 2009. At that meeting he stated that the Gardai would be taking a pragmatic approach to this matter and elaborated that it would be the same approach they had historically taken in relation to the payment of licence fees i.e. even those who paid late were not required to surrender their firearms.

Because of continuing questions on this subject as a result of some Garda stations telling licence applicants that they would have to hand in their guns if the licences were not processed at the end of the extension period, NARGC Director Des Crofton raised the issue again and the situation as set out above was reaffirmed.

Therefore, if licence applications are in the system at the end of an extension period but not yet issued, guns do not have to be handed in. If however the applications have not been made at the end of the extension period, then that is a different matter and the guns do have to be handed in. Also, if a refusal to grant has been made, even before the extension period has expired, the gun owner must dispose of the gun or hand it in to a dealer pending the determination of any appeal to the District Court.

This re-enforces our previous urging of gun owners to get their applications in as quickly as possible. There are now literally thousands of licences being processed every week.



There was something on the Garda website on this too, if I remember correctly, but can't seem to find it now.

But a word of caution, if I was you, I would get in touch with the FPU and get their confirmation that this is in fact the case, in the absence of any other official written advice - and I'd get their advice / confirmation of this in writing too (by email perhaps).

That all said, I'd still check with your NGB and your F/O, and if there's any doubt in your mind, drop your firearm(s) into your friendly neighbourhood RFD for minding, until you recieve the new licence.

Hope that helps.

dC