An Garda Síochána is the competent authority for the licensing and possession of firearms within the State. My Department is the competent authority for maintenance of the Register of Firearms Dealers and the import and export (within the EU) of firearms and ammunition.
I am advised by An Garda Síochána that they currently operate the licensing and possession of firearms through a secure digital system, the PULSE database. This system is only accessible by members of An Garda Síochána and the relevant staff within An Garda Síochána.
When an applicant is successfully granted a firearms certificate by a licensing officer, they are issued with a physical firearms certificate issued by An Garda Síochána. The onus is on the individual to ensure the security and privacy of their firearms certificate. All relevant records of the firearms certificate are digitally stored within the PULSE database.
I am further advised that the PULSE database which is the digital system in which firearms licensing is conducted is in compliance with the relevant Data Protection requirements as set out by the Data Protection Act 2018.
Reform of the firearms licensing system has been under consideration for a number of years, and extensive consultation has been undertaken.
There is regular and structured engagement between my Department and firearms users and I am informed that the most recent engagement took place on the 28th April 2026, where more than twenty representatives of the firearms community and firearms stakeholder organisations attended a meeting with my officials. This was the fourth in a series of meetings that have taken place since 18 September 2025.
The stakeholders attending these meetings include several from representative organisations, experts in technical areas of firearms and members of An Garda Síochána’s Firearms Policy Unit. I am informed that the reform of the current licensing system is one of the issues being discussed at these meetings.
