New Licence

Hilux2005

Hi Lads,

Got my grant letter last week for my first gun (.22 Rifle) and paid the €80 the following day, my new licence arrived this morning but when i appied for the licence i asked for 400 cartridges of ammo and i aslo asked for a moderator. but my new licence has no mention of the moderator and only allows me 100 rounds of ammo.

Is this normal practice for a FO or Super?

Should i contact them to ask why they have done this?

cz .17

Ya i would just go to the station had the same problem applied for a moderator and no s was on my license so just went to the local station and had a new license in a couple of days

Cass

The Moderator is identifiable by the "S" in the bottom left corner under your name, address, etc.

As for the ammo limit, did you supply a reason for needing that amount on the separate sheet of paper. If so it's either a mistake or the Super felt the amount unnecessary for your needs. As said above a call or trip to the station to see your FO should sort it all out.

Hilux2005

Yeah definitely no "S" on the license, i did supply a letter stating why i need a moderator but I didn't give a reason for the ammo amount didn't know i had too. I will contact the FO and see what happens.
Thanks.

Thanks

Cass

There are pre-set amounts that Supers use (in the commissioner's guidelines) as a basis for giving out ammo limits. For example a hunter, not involved in target shooting, etc. they have a pre set limit of 100. Unless you supply a written reason as to why you need more than that limit theywill generally ignore the amount you request and just give the minimum.

When applying i always provide reasons. Such as i use the firearm for hunting and target shooting and need a supply of suitable ammo for both disciplines. Also as empty brass is classed as live ammo i need to make sure that the amount i have can cover me. legally, for the amount of live (unfired) and spent (fired) ammo/brass i have. Lastly my nearest dealer is an hour away and to avoid having to make numerous trips per week i require a higher amount to see me through 2 weeks, a month, 2 months, etc.

I also do not ask, generally, for silly amount. The only high amount i've ever asked for, and gotten, was 5,000 on my .22lr. It was in my benchrest days and i was buying in batches of 5,000 at a time. At the moment i have 2,000 between my two .308 rifles, 1,000 on the hmr, and 1,500 on the shotgun. All gotten by supplying the required information and it being genuine. IOW i have club and range membership and ticked both hunting and target shooting on the FCA1.

k31

As regards the ammunition allocation I think Cass has covered all the information you require. The moderator is another issue. Some Superintendents do not like granting moderators full stop. If as you say you do not have the small s in the lower left hand corner you do not have authorisation. This could have been an error by the Guard processing the application or the Super could have made the decision that in his opinion you not need a moderator. Either way you will not know for sure unless you give your Fo a call. Do not be tempted to attach a moderator to your rifle without authorisation. To do so could see you in court. Good luck.

Cass

If you are refused the mod you should be notified in writing. That is the law so chances are it's an oversight.

Hilux2005

Grand thanks lads. I will give the FO a ring in the morning, im more concerned about the mod.The ammo allowance isn't that big of an issue as im close enough to a supplier

sharkfox

All of my licences arrived without an s even though it was marked on the form. Has anyone ever had any issue buying a mod or even been asked to see the s on a licence by a rfd or ags?

Cass

In the last week i've heard of two lads, and one i know personally, that have had their guns seized (all of them) and are being brought to court for no "S" on their license. Effectively, and people forget this, no "S" and having a mod is being in possession of an unlicensed firearm.

The "S" on your license only appears when the authorisation for it is inputted onto PULSE and the license is printed. While a letter form your Super (as said above) stands as authorisation it's not on PULSE meaning if you are stopped and a Garda wants to check he needs to be able to contact the FO or Super's office at your local at s time when he is there and get him to check a physical file to see if the original letter is in your file. This is why the FPU want all Supers that issue authorisation for a suppressor to enter it onto PULSE and have it printed on the license.

When buying a suppressor the onus is on you, the license holder, to have the authorisation. You are also responsible when selling it privately to another person to make sure they have the "S" otherwise it's the same as selling a gun to someone without a firearms license. RFDs, i believe, are not under the same obligation. It's the same a electronic callers. Legal to sell, illegal to use.

Cass

sharkfox wrote: »

All of my licences arrived without an s even though it was marked on the form.

Meant to say above this means you have not been granted authorisation and therefore cannot own, possess and/or use a suppressor. Just because the form was ticked does not mean it's granted. Hence the "S" or at the very worse a letter from the Super.

For anyone that has received a letter instead of the "S" they should immediately request a new license with the "S" printed on it. There is no fear of you being refused because you requested the reprint, you were granted it and to refuse it afterwards would require the Super to issue a letter of revocation saying why he is now refusing it. If he wrote "because he wanted it on his license" well that problem resolves itself really.

BattleCorp

Hilux2005 wrote: »

The ammo allowance isn't that big of an issue as im close enough to a supplier

You are limited to the type of ammo you can buy if you only have an allowance of 100 rounds. You won't be able to buy ammo such as Fedral bulk packs because they are sold in boxes of 525. Admittedly it isn't the best ammo when it comes to target shooting but it's cheap and ok for rough shooting.

I'd supply a letter looking for an increase to 1000 using examples like Cass gave and the fact that bulk packs sometimes come in boxes of 525.

Hilux2005

Got in contact with the FO and the moderator not marked on the licence was an oversight on there side and they are issuing a new licence today. but they wont increase the ammo allowance without a very good reason might just leave that one alone for the time being as i said its not that much of an issue for me.

Thanks for all the advice guys much appreciated.

Cass

You could always try it out for a while, but as said above fired cases are classed the same as live ones so if you have 2 full boxes of ammo and one (1) spent/fired case then you're over your limit and in breach of the conditions of your license.

If you want to try it then do so, and at a later date apply for more if it's needed. However before you use some/all of the reasons above make sure you understand that if you claim target shooting you need to be a member of a range. SO don't name a reason simply because i listed it above. Make sure it applies to you.

Of course if the 100 suits you then happy days.