Bring back shotgun from France

stef22

My son went hunting in France for a few days and for some reason left his shotgun with a relative in France. He obviously has the European pass / Irish firearm licence so all in order.

He can't go back to France for a while so was wondering if i could bring if back on his behalf next time I go there by car?

Or do I need to get a firearm dealer to do it for us?

otmmyboy2

You may only possess a firearm, in France or here, with the appropriate firearms licence/certificate.

Thus you cannot transport it, as a private individual, without being licenced on that firearm here in Ireland, and with an appropriate EFP for France and whatever paperwork they require in addition to the EFP, if any.

That would likely result in charges of illegal possession of a firearm, illegal export of a firearm, illegal import of a firearm, etc.

The simplest solution would likely be to have your French relative export it to your son, and have your son get an import permit for it(can be done as an individual very easily).

Or via firearms dealers, but getting a firearms dealer in France to export a firearm has proved to be difficult when other boards members have tried it.

On the Irish dealer side importing it should be no issue, though, so if you do get a French dealer or your relative to export it then your should be golden.

Grizzly 45

And good luck with doing the paperwork to export it from France via a GD! Unless you are a native-speaking French person with a unique mindset in dealing with their Gallic govt depts, you'll get nowhere fast.

I've had a native-speaking French German gun dealer try to get a part exported for me where they are plentiful in France to Ireland, and every, single, turn, the French PTB come back with "C est impossible!"It's like they just don't want to do it or it just isn't worth their time and hassle to deal with their govt bodies on these sales.

Best advice to the OP.Get your son to go back and collect it, tout de suite too as I'm sure his import permit in France and whatever possession rights he has isn't unlimited either to keep it in France.Not to mind if AGS might drop by to do a random inspection and the gun is unaccounted for "in France"

Mellor

The easiest way would be for him to just go back and collect it. He'd waste less time and money.

stef22

Thanks lads, I am well used to the French bureaucracy. I am french🙂.

Didn't know it would be so much hassle to bring it back though