How to get started?

Cass

goz83 wrote: »

Are you saying I should only tick the box for range shooting, because I have now joined a range and say nothing about hunting?

As said in one of my first posts:

Cass wrote: »

You can tick both the hunting and target shooting boxes in section 4.2. For the target shooting you will need to supply membership details, but for hunting you'll have no permissions. I've yet to be asked for such permission letters when i provide my membership details, but if asked you could always say you intend to hunt with the guns when you get permission down the road, and as the law requires you to declare your intentions you ticked the hunting box in anticipation of getting the permissions.

Most likely if you tick both boxes, and provide the range membership details the hunting aspect or more specifically the permission letters may get overlooked.

Just tick both boxes, supply your range details and submit the application. I guarantee you'll get it.

goz83

Cass wrote: »

As said in one of my first posts:


Just tick both boxes, supply your range details and submit the application. I guarantee you'll get it.

That's actually what I was referring to in my last post. While I have intention, I have no permissions as of yet, so have ticked both boxes.

Am I better off ticking NO for the NPWS section and just apply to them anyway? I have ticked YES on it and this is where I was going to add a note to say I have applied for the permission from the NPWS.

If there are any land owners, or farmers reading this....I would be happy to do some vermin control on your land. There's a bottle of whiskey in the running

My insurance is in the pipe lines too via courtlough with countryside alliance.

Cass

goz83 wrote: »

That's actually what I was referring to in my last post. While I have intention, I have no permissions as of yet, so have ticked both boxes.

That is fine for the reasons i gave in my post. Leave both boxes ticked.

Am I better off ticking NO for the NPWS section and just apply to them anyway? I have ticked YES on it and this is where I was going to add a note to say I have applied for the permission from the NPWS.

Tick yes. There is no need for an explanation, letter or permission from the NPWS as the only game shooting that requires a license is deer hunting. You're not doing this so tick the box in 5.1 and leave it at that.

My insurance is in the pipe lines too via courtlough with countryside alliance.

That'll be a help when going to land owners for permission. For your application (FCA1) make sure you provide a scanned copy of your insurance and membership card. Insurance is not a prerequisite but it's not harm to stick in.

hexosan

goz83 wrote: »

Are you saying I should only tick the box for range shooting, because I have now joined a range and say nothing about hunting? I could get bored with range shooting after a while and decide only to hunt. I am only filling in the form honestly, so as not to leave myself open to problems down the line, however unlikely they may be. I figure the Gardai have enough paperwork coming through without FCA2 forms coming in on top of everything else that could have been completed on the FCA1.

As has been said just tick all the boxes and submit the forms then forget about them for a few weeks. Unless your a complete nut job or The general you'll more than likely be granted the licence

Luckysasha

Tbh I can see where goz83 is coming from on this. Applying for the first time is pretty daunting to the uninitiated. I got myself worked up that much the first time I actually pulled out of going through with it. It was only when I sat down with my RFD and had a chat with him about what I wanted the rifle for etc it certainly made it a lot easier. Because I was buying the gun from him and doing the competence course etc he sat me down and basically filled in the forms with me. I suspect because of the professional relationship the RFD and the FO in my locality have I was micro vetted as such by him first. I was amazed at how quick the whole process took 2 weeks start to finish. So maybe as people are saying goz83 is overthinking things etc but it seems to be with the best of intentions.

goz83

Cass wrote: »

That is fine for the reasons i gave in my post. Leave both boxes ticked.

Great.

Cass wrote: »

Tick yes. There is no need for an explanation, letter or permission from the NPWS as the only game shooting that requires a license is deer hunting. You're not doing this so tick the box in 5.1 and leave it at that.

I seem to be getting conflicting info on this. One of the lads on here said a license (which is free) is required to hunt on the malahide estuary and it could be got from the npws. I looked on the npws website and clicked into licenses and Deer is the first one, with Fauna being the second one. So i'm confused on this now.

http://www.npws.ie/licences/hunting/fauna-state-owned-foreshore

Cass wrote: »

That'll be a help when going to land owners for permission. For your application (FCA1) make sure you provide a scanned copy of your insurance and membership card. Insurance is not a prerequisite but it's not harm to stick in.

That's great. I will be sure to note that I have insurance on the fca1, even if I have nor received a cert by the time I apply.

hexosan wrote: »

Unless your a complete nut job or The general you'll more than likely be granted the licence

:eek: Who have you been talking to!!!? :cool:

Cass

goz83 wrote: »

I seem to be getting conflicting info on this. One of the lads on here said a license (which is free) is required to hunt on the malahide estuary and it could be got from the npws. I looked on the npws website and clicked into licenses and Deer is the first one, with Fauna being the second one. So i'm confused on this now.

http://www.npws.ie/licences/hunting/fauna-state-owned-foreshore

That is a foreshore license. Your firearms license allows you to shoot on land you nominated and have permission to shoot on. However state owned land requires permission in the form of a license to shoot on them.

I might have oversimplified the license issue. Duck, Pheasant, rabbit, foxes, crows, pigeons, etc, etc, etc. can all be shot either year round as they are not classed as game or during the appropriate open seasons which can be found here.

You need licenses for Foreshore shooting, deer during the season, deer is the off season, and a couple of other things. However the majority (99%) of people's shooting happens without these licenses and under the cover of their firearms license.

So don't bother with the NPWS, don't bother with licenses, etc. at least not for now. Just tick both boxes and send in your application. If you want to apply for a foreshore license, deer license, etc it can be done at a later date. It doesn't have to be done now.


I know what you're going through and Luckysasha has it right in that it's your first application and you're trying to make sure you have all bases covered. We were all in that position at some stage, but over time it's become second nature to us and the process is nowhere as daunting as it used to be. Hence the reason we may seem somewhat flippant or dismissive in our answers.

However if you think too long and listen to too many people it'll end up like reading the Bible. One thing will contradict the other and you'll be as confused at the end as you were at the start.

So just follow the advice given above and submit the application. If your FO has any issues they'll contact you. They will most likely contact you anyway with it being your first application.

goz83

So I rang the local station today to speak with the FO. He was out on patrol and I was told he would be given a message to call me. Not feeling to fuzzy inside about that, I decided to drop into the station about 4 hours later. I was unlucky enough to walk in while a friend of a friend was waiting to see the FO about his confiscated firearms :rolleyes:

I chatted with him while waiting, but I hope i'm not seen as any kind of friend of this guy. I don't know why and what was confiscated. I don't want to know either.

The FO brought me into the hallway when the other lad was finished and I was there for less than 2 minutes. I said I just wanted to make sure everything was in order and that there was no issue with applying for two licenses together. He did say that 2500 rounds is a bit high for the rifle and 1000 is more realistic. I left it as it was.

Now I suppose it's just a waiting game. I did want to add a few snaps of the gun safe, but I haven't yet bolted it into place, so I just left it. That's a job to be done in a few days by someone else.

Is there anything else I can do, or is it a case of be quiet and hope they sort it in less than 12 weeks?

Cass

goz83 wrote: »

He did say that 2500 rounds is a bit high for the rifle and 1000 is more realistic. I left it as it was.

Right thing to do. just leave it that is.

If they deem it too much they'll issue what they think is appropriate.

Is there anything else I can do, or is it a case of be quiet and hope they sort it in less than 12 weeks?

Its in now so just sit back and enjoy the wait.

goz83

Went to Courtlough for my first free lesson and quick show around the place. My shotgun has an allocated locker and is stuffed with Ammo :pac:

I missed most of the clays, but it was quite windy. I had better success with the rolling clays (rabbit simulation) and turned most of those to dust.

I went through 2 boxes of ammo and 50 clays were on the sheet, costing around €30 or less. I'm pretty sure he fired a few more than 50 though. It was quiet. I only seen one other person shooting when I was there...it was a pump action...didn't really look right to be using it. Can't imagine it being ideal for clays.

All in all, it was a bit of fun, but I am really looking forward to the rifle end of things. They don't loan out rifles for members to use, so I don't have any options there. To be honest, I wouldn't really want to be using a club gun anyway, but having the option would have been great.

I was thinking of going to the station to see if there was any news on my applications, but because of a recent shooting of a local lad, I figured it wouldn't be a good time to be asking about guns.

Luckysasha

Can you not store your rifle along with your shotgun in courtlough ?

goz83

Luckysasha wrote: »

Can you not store your rifle along with your shotgun in courtlough ?

Yes, but it's a private sale and the seller has to drop it in to them. However, he is not available to do that because he is busy and is a good hour from courtlough.

Luckysasha

Ah I see. How does it work then when your license comes through can you just go and collect the rifle from the seller or does it still have to pass through a RFD. Pity I'm not free this week I could have took a spin up to courtlough and let you fire off a few rounds with my rifle. Looking at their website they seem to have a good set up for rifle shooting I'm looking for an excuse to pay them a visit !!!!!

BattleCorp

Luckysasha wrote: »

Ah I see. How does it work then when your license comes through can you just go and collect the rifle from the seller or does it still have to pass through a RFD.!!

If it is a private sale and the gun is not stored with a dealer, you don't need to involve a dealer. Once you have your licence, you can go and collect the rifle.

goz83

Luckysasha wrote: »

Ah I see. How does it work then when your license comes through can you just go and collect the rifle from the seller or does it still have to pass through a RFD. Pity I'm not free this week I could have took a spin up to courtlough and let you fire off a few rounds with my rifle. Looking at their website they seem to have a good set up for rifle shooting I'm looking for an excuse to pay them a visit !!!!!

Courtlough wouldn't be getting involved as an RFD so to speak. At least, they wouldn't be charging anything. They just hold the firearm(s) until I get licenses and I get to use them while waiting. I think it's really handy that way.

And yes, I can just collect when I get license, but the waiting (or more to the point...the not knowing how long I will will be waiting) is a killjoy.

I think they have a decent set up alright. Much more than I expected tbh.

goz83

So I got the rifle sorted today. It's safe at the range. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to fire off a few, because I had little people with me, but I plan on heading up on Monday for an hour, or two. The locker is bursting open with all the crap I have stored in it :pac:

Luckysasha

Glad to hear you got the rifle sorted. If you don't need a license to shoot at the range is there a grey area about buying ammo. I know if I buy ammo at a RFD then I have to show my license. So how does it work at the range? I know I'm limited to 500 rounds but in theory you could shoot all day if you wanted to.

Cass

Luckysasha wrote: »

.........If you don't need a license to shoot at the range is there a grey area about buying ammo. .........

No.

It's all covered under Section 2(4)(d) of the Principle Act otherwise known as Section 15 of the 1964 Act. It states:

(d) the possession, use or carriage of a firearm or ammunition by a member of a rifle club or other gun club that stands authorised under this section while engaged as such member in a competition or target practice at a range or other place that stands authorised under this section,

So once you are a member of the range you are covered.