Gun politics in Ireland

Firearms in Ireland are strictly controlled, both with strict legislation governing licensing and very conservative application of that legislation by the Gardaí (Irish Police). The legislation is quite difficult to follow because of the multiple overlapping Firearms Acts that define it, however the core principles are reasonably straightforward, requiring all firearms to be licensed individually and each applicant to have a good reason for having the firearm, a safe place in which to use it, a secure place in which to store it and to be of sound mind and temperate habits.

Gun crime is rising steadily in Ireland as a result of the illicit drugs trade; this has resulted in extensive tightening of licensing legislation during the last decade over the protests of the shooting sports organisations.

With the exception of the recent rise in gun crime, politics in Ireland has not concerned itself very much with firearms since the Belfast Agreement. Firearms do not have widespread visibility in most of Irish life outside farming and the shooting sports.

There are a wide range of shooting sports in Ireland and a somewhat confusing array of shooting sports organisational bodies. The main entry points to the shooting sports remain family, college clubs and the Irish Pony Club (who run a tetrathlon event that involves shooting). Newer entry points including corporate shooting events and "tryout days" for events like Modern Pentathlon have appeared in recent years but have not yet eclipsed the more established channels.

There is no right to own firearms in Ireland.

Firearms generally require a firearms certificate (commonly referred to as a licence) in Ireland, though several exceptions to this (such as couriers transporting firearms or people shooting at authorised fairground stalls or shooting ranges with club-owned firearms) are specified in sections 2(3) and 2(4) of the Firearms Act. To obtain a firearms certificate, applicants file a form with either their local Garda Superintendent (for unrestricted firearms) or to their local Garda Chief Superintendent (for restricted firearms). Once presented, the licensing person has three months in which to issue a grant or refusal of the certificate. If the licensing person does not communicate a decision to the applicant within the three months, the applicant is deemed to have been informed of a refusal. If a licence is refused, the applicant may appeal the decision to the local District Court, who are the final authority for licensing (while a District Court's decision may be appealed, the District Court itself must overturn the licensing person's decision should the appeal be successful). The certificate lasts three years from the date of issue.

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Wikipedia