Firearms regulation in the Republic of Ireland

Firearms policy in the Republic of Ireland is subject to control measures that rank among the strictest globally. With approximately seven civilian firearms per 100 people, Ireland is the 107th most armed country in the world.

Firearm laws include strict legislation governing licensing and application of it by the Gardaí. The legislation has multiple overlapping Firearms Acts that define it, but the core principles include: all firearms must be licensed individually, each applicant must 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 be of sound mind and temperate habits.

The Firearms Act, 1925, states that a legal licence is required by law to own or possess a firearm in the Irish Republic. Failure to adhere to the law may result in fines or imprisonment and can result in firearms being seized by the Gardaí. The Firearms Act, 1925, also lists a number of groups which are prohibited from legally owning a firearm, these include those suffering from mental health issues, those under the age of fifteen years and those who are under the supervision of the police.

Gun crime has risen steadily in Ireland as a result of the illicit drugs trade; this has led to tightening of licensing legislation over the protests of the shooting sports organisations.

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