Irish Extra August 2022
I set off last week for the real capital of Ireland, and after a few hours arrived to a very warm county Cork where I had been invited to judge the Lurchers in a much-anticipated show organised and ran by the Irish Terrier Federation. The federation which has been in existence a long number of years has been the back bone of protecting, promoting and defending terrier work in Ireland, North and South of the border and has been successful in saving an attempt to ban terrier work in the republic of Ireland some years ago and did sterling work against a bill by John Blair from the Alliance party.
The case for terrier work simply cannot be ignored. It has been scientifically proven to be the most effective and humane not to mention natural method for fox control and plays a vital role in pest control and countryside management, a fact that was acknowledged by the then Minister for agriculture. The federation and its members work under a code of conduct which has the primary objective of terrier work which is humane, selective and efficient. The organisation since its inception has grown to become recognised, respected and with a very substantial membership in Ireland, they are a voice that continue to be listened to by important ears and are leading the way for the protection of country sports in Ireland.
By midday I was getting completely sun burned while casting my eye on what was a fantastic turn out of quality lurchers. Visiting different areas of the country often throws up different tastes or trends in dogs and it was a pleasure to see many more collie blooded lurchers than I would see in my own neck of the woods as well as deer hound and even Norfolk types, with the quality second to none. Many lurchers at lurcher shows are show lurchers – Try saying that fast! But its true, I don’t need to tell you that many dogs parading in rings have not saw the scut of a mouse never mind a rabbit, however what any man does with his dogs is not my business! If you keep lurchers to show them the decision is yours entirely & it is your business…If they are healthy and happy that is all that counts. I did however quickly realise that the “show ponies” in this part of the world were few and far between & it become clear that the vast majority of the lurchers I viewed were good old roustabout working dogs. Eventually I settled on a well-deserved champion and reserve, got my overly warm moleskin trousers changed to something lighter and retired to a good old Cork pub with plenty of Guinness and enjoyed the craic into the small hours.
June and July have been two very busy months and I have not had a moment – The arrival of new Teckel puppies, young ferrets and working 7 days a week has been hectic but enjoyable. I had a few very enjoyable nights recently when David and I were working on an annual rabbit contract. It’s a lovely place to work and the weather was pleasant. We shoot considerable numbers of rabbits here annually and this year was no different. As I had been juggling several jobs at once, David had to begin without me and did very well alone using thermal imaging over several nights. I have now made a move into thermal for some of my work as it really makes a difference for shooting, it was something I paid little heed to up until recently but now I wonder how we did without it.
Firearms expert Committee Concerns
The Firearms Users Representatives Group comprising of the National Association of Regional Game Councils, FACE Ireland (representing 14 fieldsports organisations), Irish Deer Society, Irish Deer Commission, Wild Deer Association of Ireland, Deer Alliance HCAP, Countryside Alliance (Ireland), Country Sports Ireland, Midlands National Shooting Centre of Ireland, Irish Firearms Dealers Association, Irish Clay Target Shooting Association, National Association of Sporting Rifle & Pistol Clubs, Irish Country Sports Association, Precision Rifles Ireland. Have come together to oppose the structure and make up of new Firearms Expert Committee announced by the Department of Justice on behalf of Minister James Brown TD.
The establishment of a five-person “Firearms Expert Committee” was announced by the Department of Justice on 24th June 2022 on behalf of James Browne TD, Minister of State at the Department of Justice. The establishment of such a body was first proposed in media interviews by Minister Browne in September 2021 and confirmed in the document, Justice Plan 2022, published in March 2022 (paragraph 35, page 15 of that document).
The terms of reference for the Committee were later stated as:
To carry out an assessment of all types of firearms which are currently licenced in the State
To determine their use under the existing licensing system.
To make recommendations based on this assessment on which types of firearms should be licensable in the State and for what purposes.
To consider whether firearms certificates should be conditioned to specify the locations where the firearm may be used.
To consider whether firearms certificates should be conditioned to limit the use of the firearm to the purpose for which the firearms certificate was sought.
To consider whether there should be a limit on the number and type of firearms a person may hold.
To make recommendation on other matters that might be examined in the future.
To provide a report or reports containing recommendations on these matters to the Minister.
To examine any other firearms licensing matter or carry out any other relevant task the Minister considers appropriate during the Committee’s term.
Expressions of Interest in appointment to the Committee were invited early in April 2022, with a closing date of 29th April 2022. Two places on the Committee were allocated in advance to representatives of An Garda Síochána and the Department of Justice respectively, with expressions of interests invited in respect of the position of Chairperson and two individual members. According to the Department of Justice, in total, fourteen applications were received for the position of Chairperson and thirty-four for the position of Ordinary Member.
Having regard for the make-up of the Committee as announced on 24th June, the Firearms Users Representative Group, on behalf of its participating member groups, are deeply concerned at the fact that the community of shooting and hunting enthusiasts which their participating members represent is largely unrepresented.
There is no doubt that firearms legislation in Ireland is overdue for review and consolidation. There are eleven Acts of the Oireachtas, thirty-one Statutory Instruments and three EU Directives governing the possession, user and carriage of firearms in Ireland. Firearms legislation in Ireland is widely regarded by many as the most restrictive in Europe and differs significantly from the procedures and protocols applicable in other Member States of the European Union. According to available sources, with an estimated 235000 legally-held firearms in use across an estimated 150000 to 175000 individual owners, while gun ownership in Ireland is less than one-third of the average level of ownership across the majority of EU Member States. Meanwhile, gun crime is largely restricted to a criminal underworld, which will remain unaffected by firearms legislation, current or proposed. Gun crime involving licensed firearms owners is limited to a very small number of isolated cases with specific surrounding circumstances. Criminals will always have access to firearms, with none of the restrictions applicable to the law-abiding sporting shooter.
Concerns
The deep concern felt by the Firearms Users Representative Group relates to the complete lack of representation of sporting shooters on the new Committee, and the fact that the wide-ranging terms of reference of the Committee are likely to have implications for owners of sporting firearms across a range of shooting disciplines. There is no provision for consultation with sporting shooters, no provision for access to Minutes of meetings of the Committee, or to review or comment on any recommendations of the Committee.
By his action in establishing the FEC in the form proposed and without open consultation with all stakeholders, the Minister has done something unique here, he has united all users of firearms into a cohesive grouping, which never has never happened to this level before. The Firearms Users Representative Group is a fully inclusive and a fully representative voice for firearms users across the widest range of shooting disciplines.
We now call on Minister of State James Browne TD to reconsider the make-up of the Committee, to enlarge its base and to ensure full and proper representation of sporting shooters across the range of shooting disciplines embodied by the Firearms Users Representative Group, or alternatively put a system in place where this Group is fully consulted at all stages of this process, and nothing is produced for implementation without consultation and agreement with the Firearms Users Representative Group.