asked the Minister for Justice by whom arms may be imported into the State; whether a licence is required; if so, what conditions must be fulfilled by any applicant for such a licence; and whether it is an offence to import or attempt to import arms without licence.
Written Answers. - Arms Imports.
76.
Under section 17 of the Firearms Act, 1925, as amended, an importation licence from the Minister for Justice is required for a firearm except in the following cases, namely (1) the importation of a firearm by a person who already holds a firearm certificate, (2) the importation, under the authority of the Minister for Defence, under subsection (8), of firearms for use by the Defence Forces and (3) the importation, under the authority of the Minister for Justice, under the same subsection, of firearms for the use of the Garda Síochána.
Before an importation licence is granted, the applicant has to show that he will be legally entitled to have such firearms in his possession here. This usually means that the applicant must be a registered firearms dealer, but he could also be a person who wishes to import a weapon for sporting or clay pigeon shooting or with the intention of taking out a firearm certificate after arrival. It is not the practice, save in exceptional circumstances, to issue firearm certificates or importation licences for rifled weapons.
The unauthorised importation of a firearm is an offence under section 17 of the 1925 Act, punishable by fines or imprisonment or both and may be prosecuted on indictment under section 25 of the Act. An attempt to commit such an offence is itself an offence at Common Law.