Press Clippings

Sparks

From TheJournal.ie yesterday:

Hunting lobby: Fine Gael broke election deal to lift hunt ban

Supporters of the Ward Union hunt protest in Waterford in 2010

A PRO-HUNT group has hit out at Fine Gael for breaking what it says was a pre-election pact to reverse the ban on stag hunting, in return for votes from field sports enthusiasts.

The National Association of Regional Game Councils (NARGC) said it made a deal with Fine Gael leaders ahead of the general election. It said the party pledged to reverse the 2010 Fianna Fáil/Green coalition’s ban on stag hunting, if the NARGC delivered votes from its followers.

A spokesperson for Taoiseach Enda Kenny today ruled out a reversal of the ban, saying there was “no commitment” to lift it in the Programme for Government, and adding: “The Taoiseach would not resile from what’s in the Programme.”

But Des Crofton, national director of the NARGC, told TheJournal.ie that this is “not in line with what we have been given commitments on.” He said senior Fine Gael figures had repeatedly told him they would lift the ban, “not only before the government went into office but since.”

TheJournal.ie has seen a copy of an email sent to Des Crofton from the Fine Gael Leader’s Office in January 2010, which states that the party proposes to “reverse any changes made by the present Government” in regard to stag hunting. The proposal was also contained in the party’s election manifesto.
‘A price to pay’

Prior to February’s general election, the Rise campaign against the hunt ban – which is affiliated with the NARGC – issued a statement urging followers to vote for Fine Gael due to their “consistent support for fieldsports”.

Crofton said today that the commitment to lift the ban “was in return for the hunting organisations delivering their votes for Fine Gael at the last election. We delivered, we even produced a general election manifesto. They’re now throwing this back in our face. There’s going to be a price to pay.”

He said the Rise campaign would become active “very quickly” if the government’s position did not change.

A spokesperson for Fine Gael said the proposal to reverse the ban was in the party’s pre-election manifesto, but did not make it into the Programme for Government struck between Fine Gael and Labour.

“I’m not aware of any deal that was struck with any group pre-election,” the spokesperson said.

The Campaign for the Abolition of Cruel Sports has expressed concern at the possibility that the ban could be lifted, calling stag hunting “a despicably cruel practice”.

However, Mr Crofton dismissed this criticism, saying that Department of Agriculture observers “reported nothing objectionable in the stag hunt vis-a-vis the state of the animal.” He said the debate on the sport’s cruelty or otherwise was “over”.

Sparks

From Broadsheet.ie today:

Look Who’s Stalking

Vegeta

From here

Deer slayings spark safety fears

By Donal Hickey
Thursday, December 22, 2011
GROWING concerns are being voiced about threats to public safety from the shooting and poaching of wild deer.
Trophy hunters have been blamed for the recent illegal shooting of five Red Deer stags in the general Killarney area.

Kerry county councillor John Joe Culloty urged the National Parks and Wildlife Service to re-deploy staff to help control the illegal shootings in which stags are being slaughtered and beheaded.

Mr Culloty said he supported a control of wild deer numbers, but he expressed serious concerns for the safety of residents because of the shootings.

He said a tagging system and proper controls would end the inhumane practice of deer poaching.

Due to the road traffic hazards posed by deer, and their trespassing on farmland and private property, there are increasing calls for a census and a cull of the deer population.

Independent councillor Danny Healy-Rae claimed people were "putting up with torment and torture" from deer which were causing major damage, especially in the Killarney and Kilgarvan areas.

Killarney National Park has about 1,400 red and sika deer, some of which stray up to 30kms outside the park’s boundaries.

Frank McMahon, district conservation officer of the wildlife service, said over 100 Sika deer were shot in Killarney National Park annually.

The authorities, he indicated, continued to cull deer to reduce the numbers of grazing animals and to create exclusion zones to allow for woodland regeneration.

However, he told the council it was extremely difficult to do a survey because of the shy nature of the animals and the fact a large amount of forestry provided cover for them.

the_syco

http://www.examiner.ie/breakingnews/ireland/gun-owners-challenge-gardais-refusal-of-licences-535471.html

A number of legal challenges brought by shooting enthusiasts against refusals by gardaí to issue the gun owners with certificates for restricted firearms, has commenced before the High Court.

In three cases before the court, the gun owners are seeking orders quashing the Gardaí's refusal to issue them with licences. They claim the Gardaí's refusal amounts to a breach of their constitutional rights and amounts to a fixed policy of not issuing licences for guns that can be legally held.

The Gardaí, who are opposing the action, deny that there is any fixed policy and have argued they are entitled to refuse to grant the licences sought.

The actions are seen as important test cases as there are almost 200 similar actions pending before the court. The actions are being supported by The National Association of Regional Game Councils.

The first of the cases has been brought by Dublin man Mr Michael Walls, who is seeking orders quashing refusals in October 2009 by Garda Chief superintendent Gerard Phillips, who is based in Ballymun garda station, to issue firearms certificates in respect of seven pistols owned by Mr Walls, which are considered as restricted firearms.

Today, Conleth Bradley SC for Mr Walls said his client has been actively involved in shooting clubs and competitions, both nationally and internationally, for many years. Mr Walls has the guns for sporting purposes.

Mr Walls, counsel said, is ranked number two in the world in the WA1500 shooting competition where the minimum calibre of firearm permitted is .35 or higher for pistols.

Counsel said Mr Walls held licences for the seven guns, which were custom-built as sports firearms. He applied to the Gardaí in 2009 to have those license renewed.

In October 2009 Chief Superintendent Phillips informed him by letter that after giving consideration to his application, he was not satisfied that Mr Walls had shown a good reason for requiring a restricted firearm where a non-restricted firearm would not fulfill the purpose for which the firearm was required.

Counsel said that his client sought a meeting with Chief Supt Phillips to demonstrate his good reasons for requiring the guns. His request was not granted. Counsel said his client was not provided with proper reasons for his decision, which Mr Walls believes "is unjust".

Counsel added that it was also Mr Walls case that the Superintendent has refused to issue a single renewal in respect of similar applications and had applied a fixed policy of not licensing such firearms.

In a replying affidavit Chief superintendent Phillips denied he was applying a fixed policy of refusing to issue licences for restricted weapons.

He said that in making the decision he had specific regard to factors including the guns' characteristics and the purpose for which Mr Walls used them. He said in October 2009 after considering Mr Walls application and having weighed all of the relevant considerations, he was not satisfied Mr Walls had a good reason for requiring the guns in question.

He also said that following his refusal he did not think that a meeting with Mr Walls was necessary.

The Chief Supt. added that he also took into account factors including the dangers that handguns can pose to the public.

In light of crime statistics and the dangers involving guns of the type Mr Walls sought licences for, the Chief Supt added that he approaches applications for firearms with caution.

The hearing before Mr Justice John Hedigan continues and is expected to last for several days.

Read more: http://www.examiner.ie/breakingnews/ireland/gun-owners-challenge-gardais-refusal-of-licences-535471.html#ixzz1jCUW9Jmn

I wonder what the outcome of this will be? It's" nice" that the person who is bringing the case forward is a sportsman, though... less wiggle room for the Gardai imo.

Sparks

From today's Independent:

Calls for probe after top garda altered gun licence forms
Tuesday January 24 2012

PRESSURE is mounting on the Government to launch an inquiry after one of the country's most senior gardai admitted altering application forms for firearms licences.

The alterations by Crumlin Chief Superintendent John Manley, described last week as "disturbing" by a High Court judge, took place after legal action was brought by almost 200 shooting enthusiasts who were refused firearms licences.

Another senior garda responsible for issuing gun licences has admitted, in a series of test cases brought by three sports enthusiasts, that he failed to complete mandatory sections on statutory application forms.

Chief Superintendent Gerard Phillips, of Ballymun garda station, explained to Mr Justice John Hedigan that the failure to fill in mandatory sections on the official forms and to accurately record the outcome of the applications was an oversight.

Chief Supt Phillips, who presides over policing in the Garda's Dublin Metropolitan North region, has been approved by Justice Minister Alan Shatter for promotion to the ranks of Assistant Commissioner.

The admissions by the two Dublin chief superintendents could have major implications for the operation, by gardai, of the national gun licensing system.

And the State may move to settle the legal action today after the case was dramatically adjourned to allow the authorities to decide whether it could stand over the current system.

Ireland's firearms laws were changed in 2009 to make it more difficult, on public safety and security grounds, to obtain a licence.

But shooting enthusiasts have complained that their applications have been refused on a blanket basis by gardai without adequate reasons.

The gardai have denied claims by the licence applicants that there is a fixed policy of refusing licences.

However, it has emerged that there are potential problems in up to 17 garda districts throughout the country where there are high refusal rates.

Last Friday, Mr Justice Hedigan invited the authorities to consider whether they would stand over the Garda Siochana's firearms licensing system after hearing evidence that a number of application forms were altered after the legal action began. The judge found that the evidence in two of the three test cases so far showed that the recording process had not been correctly followed.

The judge said that the licensing of powerful handguns and rifles was a matter of "the gravest nature" and noted that it had been admitted that a substantial number of application forms had been altered, after having been previously signed and finalised.

"The system which refuses restricted licences is the same system which grants them. If the system put in place is not being followed, then both the granting and refusing process is clearly flawed," he said.

Yesterday, almost 50 appeals against refusals by gardai to issue gun licences were adjourned at Dublin's District Court.

Under the current system, the Commissioner of An Garda Siochana is responsible for issuing gun licences.

This power, in turn, is delegated to chief superintendents who decide whether a gun license should be approved or revoked.

Some 200 cases are pending the outcome of the gun-licensing test cases, which are being supported by the National Association of Regional Game Councils.

- Dearbhail McDonald Legal Editor

Sparks

From today's Examiner:

Firearms licence forms altered by gardaí, High Court hears
By Vivion Kilfeather
Wednesday, January 25, 2012

A High Court challenge by shooting enthusiasts to a garda refusal to grant them firearms licences was adjourned yesterday to facilitate talks between lawyers over the altering by gardaí of application forms.

Last Friday, Mr Justice John Hedigan invited the authorities to consider whether they would stand over the licensing system after hearing evidence that a number of application forms were altered after the legal action began.

The judge found the evidence in two of the three test cases so far showed the recording process had not been correctly followed.

He adjourned the matter until yesterday for a week to facilitate further talks. He stressed he wanted to hear what the state had to say about the altering of the forms before continuing with the case.

Three test cases — which will affect the outcome of almost 200 similar cases brought by shooting enthusiasts and which is supported by the National Association of Game Councils — are being heard.

Mr Justice Hedigan said it had been admitted that a substantial number of forms had been altered, after having been previously been finalised.

Large sections of the mandatory forms, had not been filled in, leading to licences being refused.

The judge noted this was described as "inadvertence", or an error by the authorities. "If the system put in place is not being followed, both the granting and refusing process is clearly flawed," he said.

Ireland’s firearms laws were changed in 2009 to make it more difficult, on public safety and security grounds, to obtain a licence. Shooting enthusiasts complained that their applications were refused on a blanket basis without adequate reasons.

Gardaí have denied claims there is a fixed policy of refusing licences.

In the first test case, Dublin firearms dealer Michael Walls is seeking orders quashing refusals in October 2009 by Garda Chief Superintendent Gerard Phillips, based at Ballymun, to issue firearms certificates for seven pistols, which are considered as restricted firearms.

The court heard Mr Walls has been actively involved in shooting clubs and competitions.

He claims that he applied to renew the licences in 2009 but was refused.

Chief Supt Phillips told him, in a letter, that he was not satisfied Mr Walls had shown a good reason for requiring a restricted firearm where a non-restricted firearm would not fulfil his purpose.

Mr Walls asked for a meeting with the officer but was refused, and he was also not provided with reasons for the decision, it was claimed.

In a replying affidavit, Chief Supt Phillips said he was not satisfied Mr Walls had a good reason for requiring the guns. He did not think a meeting with Mr Walls was necessary.

The Chief Supt added he also took into account factors including the number of gun-related crimes in the division in which he is stationed, and the dangers that handguns can pose to the public.

Sparks

From the Emergency Medicine Journal:

Civilian firearm injury and death in England and Wales
M J Davies, C Wells, P A Squires, T J Hodgett, F E Lecky

Abstract
Introduction
There is currently concern in the UK that injuries and deaths caused by firearms are increasing. This is supported by small local studies but not by wider research to inform targeted prevention programmes.

Methods
A retrospective analysis was performed of firearm injuries from the Trauma Audit and Research Network (TARN) database (1998–2007), the largest national registry of serious injuries. Data were analysed to determine temporal trends in the prevalence of firearm injuries and demographic characteristics of firearm victims. The UK Office of National Statistics provided data on all deaths by firearms as TARN does not record prehospital deaths.

Results
Of 91 232 cases in the TARN database, 487 (0.53%) were due to firearm injury. There were 435 men and 52 women of median age 30 years. The median New Injury Severity Score in men was 18 with a mortality of 7.4%, compared with 15.5 and 3.8% for women. The highest rate of firearm injuries as a proportion of all injuries was submitted from London (1.4%), with the South East (0.23%) submitting the lowest rate. 90.5% resided in urban areas, 78% presented outside ‘normal’ hours and 90% were alleged assaults. As a proportion of all injuries submitted, a small upward trend in the prevalence of deaths due to firearms was demonstrated over the study period. An increase in homicides since 2000 was also noted with an increasingly younger population being involved. In contrast, data from the Office of National Statistics showed that the greatest number of deaths were self-inflicted rather than homicides (984 vs 527), with Wales having the highest number of such deaths and predominantly involving older men.

Conclusions
Deaths and serious injuries caused by firearms remain rare in the civilian population of England and Wales, although an upward trend can be described. Victims of assault and homicide are predominantly young men living in urban areas and the population involved is getting younger. However, of all deaths, self-inflicted wounds are nearly twice as common as assaults, affecting predominantly older men living in more rural areas.

Sparks

From today's Irish Independent:

Letters rejecting gun licences had same mistakes
By Dearbhail McDonald Legal Editor
Thursday January 26 2012

LETTERS sent by senior gardai to shooting enthusiasts turning down their gun-licence applications shared the same spelling and factual mistakes.

An analysis of refusal letters by 23 garda chief superintendents responsible for issuing firearm licences has concluded that 17 displayed evidence that they were not "independently produced".

Garda guidelines for restricted firearm certificates state that "each case ought to be judged on its own merits, being mindful of the need to apply the legislation in a fair and equitable manner to all applicants".

This, said a linguistics expert asked to analyse refusal letters penned by 23 chief superintendents, implied that each refusal letter should, in principle, be unique in terms of form and content.

But as the authorities move to quell a massive legal action involving up to 200 failed firearms applicants, it has emerged that refusal letters issued by many chief superintendents shared the same grammatical and factual mistakes.

A series of test cases were adjourned last week after one Dublin chief superintendent admitted altering application forms after the legal action began.

Another chief superintendent, who is in line to become an assistant commissioner, admitted that he had failed to complete mandatory sections on statutory application forms, leading to the refusal of many licence applications.

The gardai have denied claims that there is a fixed policy of refusing firearm licences.

And the Department of Justice has not confirmed if a review of the firearm licensing scheme will take place following last week's revelations.

An analysis provided by forensic linguist Michael Coulthard has found that 12 of the letter writers each used the word "shooters" in their letters instead of the word "shooting" in reference to the National Target Shooting Association.

Other similarities included mistaken repetitions of phrases and the typing mistake of "no" instead of the word "not".

Prof Coulthard was asked to examine firearm refusal letters by 23 different chief superintendents and found that the refusal letters of six chief superintendents appeared to have been based on one template, and 11 other chiefs' letters appeared to be based on a second template.

He found that the degree of similarity points "incontestably" to an underlying template letter on which all of the letters have been based.

"There is absolutely no way in which the amount of shared text could have been composed independently nor any possibility of the shared grammatical and factual mistakes being the result of individual superintendents just happening to make those same errors and no others," he said.

"The odds against are incalculably high," said the linguist, who has worked with the Metropolitan, Northern Ireland, Scottish, South Wales and British Military police.

Last Friday, Mr Justice John Hedigan invited the authorities to consider whether they would stand over the garda firearm-licensing system after hearing evidence that a number of application forms were altered after the legal action began. He found that the evidence in two of the three test cases so far showed that the recording process had not been correctly followed.

The test cases resume next Tuesday.

- Dearbhail McDonald Legal Editor

Sparks

From TheScore.ie:

On target: Irish shooters achieve success against all odds.

Ray Kane on his way to 6th place in the men's air-rifle

INTERSHOOT IS AN annual event in The Hague, ideal for Olympic preparation and Ireland’s shooting team came away with a success which belies their paltry resources.

The team claimed two new Irish records and five out of the six managed to better the minimum qualifying score for the Olympics.

One of those records was Ray Kane’s rifle score of 590 out of 600. It earned him a sixth place finish, but the five who led him were all full-time shooters, given full funding and resources to back them during their exploits.

The Irish are all part-timers, struggling to force together the means for needed to compete at an elite international level.

The group must take the time to travel across Europe for tournaments (never mind training and practice) out of their spare time and holiday allowances from their regular day-job.

Looking on longingly at the resources afforded to other national squads is Mark Dennehy. Dennehy arrived back from the Netherlands reporting of how the host nation owned their own dedicated transport for shooters and equipment. Or how the English team crossed the channel with the largest contingent, full time coaches and staff bulking up their entourage beyond Ireland’s wildest dreams.

Dennehy and his team, meanwhile, are left to simply let their pistols and rifles do the talking.

Their coach, Matt Fox, had to remain in Ireland due to travel costs. Indeed, only one non-shooter travelled with the team as staff to cover the mounds of paperwork and logistics duty associated with transporting firearms.

Irish mens air-rifle team celebrate bronze at Intershoot - Ray Kane on left, Paul O’Boyle on right, Mark Dennehy in back row)

Essential activities such as cooking duties are taken up by the competitors themselves, negating much needed rest time. To properly underline the added strain of this activity, Dennehy rhetorically asks:

“Do you know how much seven adults working 12-hour days in subzero temperatures at a rifle match can eat, and still lose weight?”

The answer is a lot, but despite the uphill struggle, Ireland still managed to get within a whisker of their heavily backed rivals. Dennehy amongst those coming away with a bronze medal in the men’s air-rifle competition. The Netherlands were only 20 points better off and, silver-medallists, England just 12.

That gap, Dennehy says, could be closed with just a minor boost in funding. Currently the income is a nominal fee from the Olympic Council of ireland – not enough to cover one, never mind seven competitors – and nothing from the Irish Sports Council. That state of affairs has left Dennehy with the peculiar emotional mix of anger and pride as his cohorts keep trudging on despite it all.

“There’s a part of me that wonders” Says Dennehy,” in only our free time outside of our full-time jobs, we’re close enough to full-time fully-funded Olympic teams. That gap could be closed with just money, and not that much money at that.”

“And that part of me is desperately proud of what us little Irish shooters can manage to do.”

Paying out of their own pocket to represent Ireland on an international stage inevitably leads to talk of this summer’s Olympic games.

There are plenty of hurdles to overcome before that becomes a prescient matter. Next week they travel to Finland for the European Championships and, in April, they will get to test their skills on the Olympic range at the World Cup in London, before hopefully returning for the big show in August.

As things currently stand, that is just a foolhardy dream. An aspiration that is making them haemorrhage money every time they do Ireland proud.

Yet they have no intention of doing anything else.

rowa

Garda representative authority (gra) have made a statement in todays papers saying government cuts could lead to a dunblane or norway massacre type incident, its a strange thing to say , after all there are plenty of other types of much more common crimes that are likely to increase due to cutbacks.
I wonder if its a sneaky swipe at shooters by the gra ?


http://www.herald.ie/news/cuts-leave-us-open-to-a-norwaystyle-massacre-gardai-3027198.html

I posted this here as i can't see the press clippings folder.

clivej

Burglar shooting could fall under new homeowners law

By Cormac O’Keeffe

Friday, February 24, 2012

A burglar was shot yesterday by a businessman in what could be one of the first incidents covered by the controversial new law protecting people who use reasonable force against intruders.

More here

http://www.irishexaminer.com/ireland/burglar-shooting-could-fall-under-new-homeowners-law-184998.html

Sparks

The Journal has done a piece on Derek today:

London 2012: Introducing… Derek Burnett

Worth the read...

Sparks

http://www.limerickleader.ie/news/local-news/legislation-governing-guns-has-not-bitten-the-bullet-says-limerick-judge-1-5374448

http://www.limerickleader.ie/news/local-news/limerick-marksmen-see-rifle-licence-refusal-lifted-1-5731677