Air Gun INFO

Bigalow

Im just looking for some info. Im looking to get an Air Gun for pest control etc........ And I was just wondering how many land owners permission do you need, to get the licence to have the gun. and how much land do they have to own in order for them to qualify ??? Also is it easy enough to get land owners permission And is there anything else I would need ???

fiacha

if you're buying it for pest control, i'd have tought that you would already have land to shoot on ?

unless you have family / friends etc who can get you access to land, the only other real option is to join an NARGC club. from speaking to friends, it is next to impossible to get land permission from someone you don't know.
if you are going to go knocking on farmers doors, having proof of insurance cover (countryside alliance ireland, countryside ireland etc) might help.

I only needed 1 landowers permission to get my shotgun but I've seen people here mention that you need 3. i need to go look up the details again.

just found this doc on the justice.ie site. according to it, you need 3 landowners for a rifle and you CAN'T shoot animals with an air rifle.

Rovi

fiacha wrote:

if you're buying it for pest control, i'd have tought that you would already have land to shoot on ?

This occurred to me too!
Certainly, don’t go making enquiries to officialdom without at least one ‘permission to shoot’ from a landowner or a club membership. Turning up at a Garda Station saying “I want a gun, what do I have to do to get one?” will cause flashing lights and sirens to go off (metaphorically!), and subsequent applications will be very carefully scrutinised (for a loooooooong time), no matter how many permissions are attached.

In this country, just wanting a gun is NOT considered to be a valid reason for having one; a not unreasonable position in my opinion.
But then, I’m a landowner and I know plenty more landowners, and I’m also a member of a few shooting clubs/organisations, so coming up with a valid reason for acquiring pretty much anything isn’t an insurmountable problem in my case, so it’s easy for me to be smug. I can see how someone interested in getting into shooting who doesn’t have shooting somewhere in their background or circle of family/friends might feel as if they are trying to get into some sort of exclusive club, where access is determined by personal contacts and secret handshakes.

fiacha wrote:

just found this doc on the justice.ie site. according to it, you need 3 landowners for a rifle and you CAN'T shoot animals with an air rifle.

Excellent link fiacha, I’ve put in a fair bit of time looking for that on the Justice/Garda sites
This is another fine example of the Irish technique of the ‘law’ saying one thing, and lots of other things happening in reality.
I know for certain of a person who recently obtained a licence for an air-rifle with one permission, specifically stating it was for shooting pigeons and rats around a farmyard. I’m sure there are plenty of others.
When my father bought me my first gun (BSA Meteor air-rifle in .22) many (many!) years ago, he applied for it with the disposal of vermin as its stated main purpose.
As with many things in Ireland, it depends a lot on who you’re talking to. If your local Guards know you (in a good way!), things go much more smoothly than if you are a total stranger, or if you have a history of ‘helping them with their enquiries’
.

civdef

That DoJ link is full of errors, and you'd want to double check facts rather than relying on it.

There is no legal basis for the "3 landowner" rule whatsoever, and plenty of people get licences on the basis of one letter once the amount of land is sufficient.