Firearms act, 1971

• Enactment Date: 06 July 1971
• Act Number: 13

Number 13 of 1971
FIREARMS ACT, 1971
ARRANGEMENT OF SECTIONS
Section 1. Definitions. 2. Amendment of section 1 of Principal Act. 3. Amendment of section 2 of Principal Act. 4. Application of section 15 of Principal Act. 5. Sale, possession and carriage of parts. 6. Registration of dealers in sporting ammunition. 7. Short title, collective citation, construction and commencement.
Acts Referred to Firearms Act, 1925 1925, No. 17 Firearms (Proofing) Act, 1968 1968, No. 20 Firearms Act, 1964 1964, No. 1
Number 13 of 1971
FIREARMS ACT, 1971
AN ACT TO AMEND AND EXTEND THE FIREARMS ACTS, 1925 TO 1968. [6th July, 1971.]
BE IT ENACTED BY THE OIREACHTAS AS FOLLOWS:
	Definitions.	1.—In this Act—
	“the Minister” means the Minister for Justice;
	“the Principal Act” means the Firearms Act, 1925 .
	Amendment of section 1 of Principal Act.	2.—Section 1 of the Principal Act is hereby amended by the insertion after “discharged” in the definition of “firearm” of “and, save where the context otherwise requires, includes a component part of a firearm”.
	Amendment of section 2 of Principal Act.	3.—Section 2 of the Principal Act is hereby amended—
	(a) by the substitution in subsection (2) of “under this section” for “under this Act and shall be punishable accordingly”,
	(b) by the insertion after subsection (2) of the following subsections:
	“(2A) Where a person is guilty of an offence under this section he shall be liable—
	(a) in a case where the offence relates to a sporting firearm or to any firearm in respect of which the defendant held a firearm certificate (if the firearm certificate most recently held by him was not revoked) or to any ammunition for, or component part of, either a sporting firearm or such other firearm—on summary conviction, in the case of a first offence, to a fine not exceeding £50 and, in the case of any subsequent offence, to a fine not exceeding £50 or to imprisonment for a period not exceeding three months or to both such fine and such imprisonment,
	(b) in any other case—on summary conviction, to a fine not exceeding £200 or to imprisonment for a period not exceeding one year or to both such fine and such imprisonment, or, on conviction on indictment, to a fine not exceeding £500 or to imprisonment for a period not exceeding five years or to both such fine and such imprisonment.
	(2B) (a) In subsection (2A) of this section ‘sporting firearm’ means a firearm (other than a firearm of a kind declared by an order under this subsection for the time being in force to be especially dangerous) which is a shotgun having a barrel of not less than 24 inches in length or an unrifled airgun or a rifled firearm of a calibre not exceeding .22 inches.
	(b) The Minister may by order declare a firearm of a kind specified in the order to be especially dangerous and may by order amend or revoke an order under this subsection.”,
	(c) by the insertion after subsection (4) (i) (inserted by the Firearms (Proofing) Act, 1968 ) of the following:
	“(j) the possession or carriage of a component part of a firearm by a person who stands authorised in that behalf under this section.”,
	and
	(d) by the insertion in subsection (5) (a) (inserted by the Firearms Act, 1964 ) after “this section” of “, or of...