Crossbow

Con9903

I was considering buying a crossbow (I know what you're going to say, no skill required ) and was wondering if they allow crossbows on the ranges?

halenger

Cross bows require a licence and permission from the Gardai to bring into certain areas. They've to be stored in a gun cabinet too. All sorts of stuff, so I've been told.

I doubt they're lacking in skill but I'm not sure there are really that many proper crossbows that are inexpensive. Most of the cheap ones are well...that...cheap.

You'll need to be a member of a club before you'll be licenced...

Con9903

I was planning to buy a good quality one in france when I'm on holidays this summer. You don't need to keep weapons in gun cabinets, that law wasn't passed. I heard that you don't need a license for crossbows? It is silly though considering you need a fulll rifle licence to own a measly Air rifle

Cú Aranel

think u only need alicense for a crossbow if its over a certain poundage, its either 25lbs or 40lbs, can't quite remember.

Con9903

Ah aye that makes sense

halenger

Any proper crossbow will be of the poundage. I talked to a Garda about this before, when people had asked if we could have crossbows in the club. It does need to be stored in a gun cabinet. I've no idea what law you're talking about but this is what I was told and I'm gonna assume it's true - this was about 4 years ago.

Con9903

Nah they were trying to bring in the gun cabinet law a couple years ago but it fell through at the least minute. But by then most people had bought gun cabinets anyways. So if its over the poundage do you have to get a full rifle licence to own one?

halenger

It's nothing to do with a rifle that I'm aware of.

All I was told is join a club, have proof of membership and goto Garda station. You'll have no problem getting the licence once you're a member of the club. Again, that's just what I was told. Ask at your local Garda station, or if you're "known" to them perhaps a less local one.

Cú Aranel

''known'' to gardai!
speaking from experience?!?!

halenger

Lol, no. Just having a laugh.

Info just in via PM from a helpful lurker who is "in the know".

(one = crossbow)
"...you do in fact need a rifle licence to own one (well, it's not actually a "rifle" licence, it's a firearms certificate, but you get the idea). There's no lower limit on poundage, oddly enough (we're unique in europe on that point it seems, both for air rifles and for crossbows) - and yes, technically that does mean that there's no such thing as a "toy" gun or "toy" crossbow in Irish law!

Details on how to get a firearms certificate and the form you have to fill out are here."

Reku

Sure if you actually read the law even recurves could be restricted to licenced people only too but it's just that the Gardaí couldn't be bothered trying to chase that one up.
It pretty much falls down to the fact that anything down to a slingshot is defined as a firearm under Irish law, but the Gardaí only bother with the items which are more likely to be "misused" so slingshots and recurve/compound bows tend to be ignored.
The government maintains an online site with all Irish legislation on it, I found this (the above info regarding the law on firearms) out when investigating any possible legal difficulties in importing various knives and swords.

P.S. I've recently been told that you don't need a licence for pistol format airguns, can anyone confirm/deny this? Would've thought the Gardaí would be interested in these too since they could be used to rob shops (how many Irish people could genuinely tell the difference in the middle of a robbery?).

toxof

The reason that cross bows require a licence is that they are a loaded weapon. A recurve and compound bow are not. There are 5 guys in ireland who shoot crossbow and you need to be part of the cross bow association, member of a club and have a licence from the gaurds.

lilRedSmurf

The only advice I can think of is dont skimp on the scope. Most crossbows around europe come without them, but Simmons is a good company, basically a riffle scope and yes you can get them for up to and over 1.2 mile ranges, depending on the poundage you're working with and how much cash you're willing to fork out....
And dont get one with a foot loop that you have to pull back unless you're looking forward to your spine turning to jelly. You can get a two handed or one handed winding thingy that looks a bit daft but they'll do the trick also much faster load and reload.
You can get poundages of around 170 and above on a serious crossbow but it really depends on what you're able to spend or how big into them you are.
Mind your shoulders too cos there is some serious recoil from the good ones. And most definitly yes a full firearms licence is needed and yes they do check up on where you are and what you're up to with it.

Thats all i can think of at the moment anyway so good luck.

Reku

Tracked down that site again, here's the definitions of a firearm:
http://193.178.1.79/ZZA12Y1990S4.html

4.—(1) In the Firearms Acts, 1925 to 1990, "firearm" means—

( a ) a lethal firearm or other lethal weapon of any description from which any shot, bullet or other missile can be discharged;
( b ) an air gun (which expression includes an air rifle and an air pistol) or any other weapon incorporating a barrel from which metal or other slugs can be discharged;
( c ) a crossbow;
( d ) any type of stun gun or other weapon for causing any shock or other disablement to a person by means of electricity or any other kind of energy emission;
( e ) a prohibited weapon as defined in section 1 (1) of the Firearms Act, 1925;
( f ) any article which would be a firearm under any of the foregoing paragraphs but for the fact that, owing to the lack of a necessary component part or parts, or to any other defect or condition, it is incapable of discharging a shot, bullet or other missile or of causing a shock or other disablement (as the case may be);
( g ) save where the context otherwise requires, any component part of any article referred to in any of the foregoing paragraphs and, for the purposes of this definition, the following articles shall be deemed to be such component parts as aforesaid.
(i) telescope sights with a light beam, or telescope sights with an electronic light amplification device or an infra-red device, designed to be fitted to a firearm specified in paragraph (a), (b), (c) or (e), and
(ii) a silencer designed to be fitted to a firearm specified in paragraph (a), (b) or (e).

As you can see (a) allows them to include anything capable of launching a projectile with sufficient force to kill a person so if they were bothered to try control them recurves and slingshots would also be illegal.

Strangely enough Blowpipes are covered here instead:
( l ) the weapon sometimes known as a blowpipe or blow gun, being a hollow tube out of which hard pellets or darts are shot by the use of human breath;

so the law regarding them is that:
12.—(1) Any person who—

( a ) manufactures, sells or hires, or offers or exposes for sale or hire, or by way of business repairs or modifies, or
( b ) has in his possession for the purpose of sale or hire or for 3 the purpose of repair or modification by way of business, or
( c ) puts on display, or lends or gives to any other person,
a weapon to which this section applies shall be guilty of an offence.

And I'm left seriously doubtful of what the lad told me about air pistols since the legislation specifically says that they are treated to be the same as air rifles.