There are differences between all EU countries on gun ownership, game laws and shooting.
In some EU countries (e.g. Germany) there is an exam based on safety skills, quarry identification, etc., before a license is granted. Neither the UK nor Ireland has that requirement. I do not know of any requirement to “store” guns in a police station.
In the UK some laws are slightly more relaxed than in Ireland, others are tighter. As a result of some conflict taking place in the northern part of this island, in the Ireland of the early 1970’s all rifle calibres above .22 and all handguns were required to be surrendered/placed in police storage. That situation has now changed here and a revision in various laws in 2006 allowed ownership of side arms and larger bore rifles.
In both UK & Ireland it is easier to obtain a shotgun licence than one for a rifle, and generally it is easier to get a rifle license then one for a sidearm. Much of the implementation of the license process is down to the local senior cop, so it varies from district to district. In Ireland a gun safe is mandatory for obtaining a sidearm license.
In Ireland, all guns must be licensed, no exceptions (i.e. even a wall-hanger must be licensed.) In the UK, antiques (pre 1898?) are exempt. In Ireland if a wall-hanger is deactivated it becomes exempt.
In the UK, reloading is quite common. In Ireland, re-loading is not illegal but it must be done under license, which is difficult to obtain (through cop ignorance primarily) and it is almost impossible to obtain the powder/primers. I never have seen reloading equipment on sale here.
In Ireland a license for a shotgun is about USD30 each year, with an additional USD5 for each subsequent shotgun. Once you belong to a gun club, have no criminal record and do not have mental health issues, it is easy to obtain one. If you do not belong to a gun club but have land (as an owner, or over which you have a right to shoot) that will meet license requirements.
The license also specifies whether or not you can shoot game.
In Ireland a license for a rifle is harder to obtain, the larger the calibre the harder it becomes. Membership of a gun/target club is very helpful. There is a need to show why, say a .308 or a .450 is required. A separate licence is needed to shoot deer and although there is no hunters exam requirement, before the State body will lease you shooting rights on State forestry, one must have passed the HCAP (Hunter Competence Assessment Programme)
Licenses for sidearms are harder to obtain but there is a big increase in their sale/ownership. The biggest problem seems to be the disparity in requirements between the different police districts, each of which has a Firearms Officer and each interprets the law differently.
Ownership of a gun safe is a big help, although my local cop prefers that a shotgun is broken down and stored separately. Same for bolts/rifles.
Remember, history, population density statistics, and availability of hunting ground are quite different here to the US, hence the differing requirements..
K.
