4.—(1) The Minister may by order prohibit the export, sale, letting under a hire-purchase agreement or on hire, or the use of any firearms, or any specified class of firearms, unless there has been applied to such firearms either—

(a) a mark prescribed under this Act for application to firearms, or

(b) a mark required or authorised under the law of another State to be applied to such firearms, being a mark recognised for the purposes of this section by the Minister.

(2) The Minister may in an order under this section make such exceptions to any prohibition in the order in such circumstances as he thinks fit.

(3) The Minister may by order revoke or amend an order under this section.

(4) A person who contravenes an order under this section shall be guilty of an offence.

(5) Where the Minister recognises for the purposes of this section a mark required or authorised by the law of another State to be applied to firearms, he shall give such notice of such recognition, in “Iris Oifigiúil” and at least one newspaper circulating in the State, as he may think fit, and shall enter in a book (which shall be known, and is in this Act referred to, as the register of foreign proof marks) kept by the Minister for that purpose a copy of every such mark so recognised, and the register of foreign proof marks shall be open for inspection by any person at such times as the Minister may appoint.

(6) The Minister may, if he thinks fit, limit the application of any order under this section to firearms intended for sale in any country or countries (including, in either case, the State) specified in the order.