Wildlife Act 1976

Restriction on use of certain firearms etc.

33

33.(1) It shall be an offence for a person to F87[hunt or injure in the course of hunting]

(a) with a repeating or automatic shotgun (other than a repeating or automatic shotgun which is adapted or modified so as to render it incapable of carrying more than three shotgun cartridges), with an airgun, air-rifle, gas-rifle, pistol or revolver, or with any firearm fitted with a silencer device, any wild bird,

(b) with a rifle, any protected wild bird.

(2) It shall be an offence for a person to F88[hunt] or injure any wild bird or wild F88[animal] with a spring gun, or with tracer shot or with F88[any explosive other than ammunition for, and used with, a firearm].

(3) It shall be an offence for a person to F89[hunt or injure in the course of hunting] with a shotgun a protected wild animal other than a hare F90[otherwise than under and in accordance with a licence granted in that behalf by the Minister.]

(4) Subject to the foregoing subsections of this section, the Minister may make regulations specifying the type and calibre of firearms and ammunition which may be used to hunt wild birds and wild F91[animals] and providing that firearms and ammunition of any other type and calibre shall not be used to hunt such birds or F91[animals].

(5) In this section “rifle” includes both a gas-rifle and an air-rifle.

Annotations

Amendments:

F87

Inserted (31.07.2001) by Wildlife (Amendment) Act 2000 (38/2000), s. 41(a), S.I. No. 371 of 2001.

F88

Substituted (31.07.2001) by Wildlife (Amendment) Act 2000 (38/2000) s. 41(b), S.I. No. 371 of 2001.

F89

Substituted (31.07.2001) by Wildlife (Amendment) Act 2000 (38/2000), s. 41(c), S.I. No. 371 of 2001.

F90

Inserted (31.07.2001) by Wildlife (Amendment) Act 2000 (38/2000), s. 41(c), S.I. No. 371 of 2001.

F91

Substituted (31.07.2001) by Wildlife (Amendment) Act 2000 (38/2000), s. 41(d), S.I. No. 371 of 2001.

Editorial Notes:

E206

Power pursuant to subs. (4) exercised (21.07.1977) by Wildlife Act, 1976 (Firearms and Ammunition) Regulations 1977 (S.I. No. 239 of 1977).