Political Party Attitudes to Shooting?

civdef

Has anyone sounded out the various party lines on shooting sports and firearms legislation?

Fianna Fail on enquiry stated to me party policy was to support properly regulated shooting and hunting, but FF has been responsible for most of the various restrictions over the years.

Michael McDowell has made positive noises about target shooting in the past.

I'm not sure where other parties stand, anyone?

A look through www.oireachtas.ie for contributions to firearms related debates in recent years might be illuminating, if anyone has the time...

Sparks

From what I've seen from looking through the debates (I've been browsing them for a few years now), there's no real anti- or pro-gun people or parties involved. All have stood and defended target shooting, but are fuzzy on the delineation between target shooting and something like IPSC. Basicly, there aren't any target shooters in there, so they have to be briefed by us. The thing is though, that they cater to the majority (as they are bound to do by law) - so if five or six lads want to shoot IPSC with 9mm sidearms, and the majority of the population would rather that a game originally designed for self-defence training with firearms wasn't legal; well, guess which way that decision goes?

The *real* danger is that target shooting would get tied up in that debacle - after all, it's a lot easier to ban *all* pistols than to ban *some* pistols...

Irishglockfan

Dont know if this is revelant.But check out the Irish council against bloodsports website.Which is an anti shooting/gun crowd.They have a list of who supports them and who is against fieldsports in the dail.Usually these kind of people who are against hunting ar usually against guns of all types as well.

entropy

these guys tend to be very militant, they are forever writing into the papers giving out about hunting but i also saw them giving out about shooters in general. there was an article in the papers sometime last year about the introduction of a species of eagle which had been made extinct n ireland and the guys who were bringing it back in funny enough were a load of shooters. this prick of an eejit from the antti bloodsports came on and said a handbook should be sent out to every shooter in the country so they could recognise this eagle and not shoot it as we are a bunch of morons who couldnt tell the difference.

Sparks

The CaBS tend to get support in the dail for the same reason target shooting does - it's nice and friendly-looking to save bambi's mom, and it's nice and safe-looking to shoot in the Olympics. There's not actually any great deal of ideological committment in Dail Eireann from what I can tell.

As to the eagle, was this just after some foreign hunters had shot some protected species down in Kerry?

entropy

dont know about kerry but this was a species of eagle which hasnt been in ireland for a hundred yeard or more and a couple of guys brought it in but they were well connected and got good coverage for it. i will check when i get home if i have anthing about it, shift work is such a pain in the ass ....

entropy

just had a thought, has the icpsa or the ntsa ever thought of inviting the tds from the dail to a demo day where they could have a go at some shooting and meet some normal minded people, bring derek burnett and a few cute looking girls along and turn it into a pr thing, i think it would be great for the sport.

sorry if that last bit sounded a bit sexist but just look at any pr photo in the papers at the mo?

opps got to go, problems on the factory floor

Sparks

We do regularly invite the Minister of Sport to the National Championships entropy, as well as John Treacy and Pat Hickey; and we even had some attend the Air Rifle Nationals a few years ago; but mostly we're ignored. Doesn't mean we're going to stop inviting, of course...

Irishglockfan

Only one that I found Really anti gun is Dessie O Malley[QED].i and numerous shooters have tried to have it out with him over the years.No joy whatsoever.

Any others i have talked to are either naive or not very up on the issue at all.Like the average Joe and Jane Bloggs But were willing to listen and try to understand a different point of view.Those did do/did shoot [precious few] were happy at the Status Quo.But shooting wasnt their main hobby,or lifestyle.

Irishglockfan

Blast!forgot to add .The Eagle[Golden eagle] was a millenium project to re introduce them into Donegal.[Havent heard of any of them being shot.Which you could be sure would make the news].Which has been very sucessful. i Think it is getting confused with a story of two english hunters who shot a red deer hind and her calf in Co kerry in the national park in the early part of the year.