Firearms Consultative Panel-SSAI Representation

FLAG

The Firearms Consultative Panel – “From the SSAI website”

On the 2nd October last the SSAI received a written invitation from Mr. Brian Lenihan T.D., Minister for Justice, Equality & Law Reform, requesting that the SSAI nominate a representative to participate and join the Firearms Consultative Panel. This consists of shooting interested groups, An Garda Siochana and relevant Government Departments.

The Panel will be chaired by the Dept. of Justice. Declan Cahill, Chairman of the SSAI is your representative on the Panel. Liam Crawford of the NTSA and John Paul Craven of Midlands (MNSCI) also form part of the Panel. Their reservoir of knowledge will demonstrate that we have a dynamic and energetic representation in this process. They will be supported by a knowledgeable and hardworking SSAI Review Group all through the lifetime of the process.

The process of the Firearms Consultative Panel will, it appears, take approximately, 18 months to 2 years to complete its terms of reference. The Panel held its first meeting at 10.30am on the 6th November last.

It is clear that there is a lot of work, e.g. research, submissions etc., to be done at regular intervals. In order to ensure that all issues which need to be put in place are actively addressed in a structured way, we ask that you take some time out and consider what “issues or concerns” you feel are most important to you as a “shooter”. I am sure that like us all you have experienced various difficulties throughout your career in our sport, and have identified problem areas that will need to be addressed.

Please e-mail your comments, with your club and contact information to shootingsportsireland@gmail.com, where they will be collated and researched by the SSAI Review Group for reference as the Panel goes forward through its various stages over the coming months.

Yours in Sport, Kieran Barry SSAI National Development Officer.

Firearms Consultative Panel:

I do not feel well represented in the least! Neither do the 196 individual people who took time to sign up to the ipetitions site in support of the maintenance of FLAG as SSAI representatives in line with the existing mandate:
http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/Declankeogh/signatures.html
Of course a counter petition was started and only received 15 respondents, a good number of the signatories to this petition were repeat, so it would be fair to say the number in support of the petition to disband FLAG in the region of 10.
http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/DisbandFlag/signatures.html
I am delighted that there is broader representation on the Consultative Panel with the inclusion of the NTSA and the MNSCI, NTSA representing Olympic Shooting sports and the MNSCI as a range operator.
Now the question needs to be asked who actually does the SSAI represent? Who made the decision to allow the committee of the SSAI discard the existing mandate and take a vote to elect an alternative representative? At a time so important to the future of the sport. This phase of the implementation of the current legislation will give that legislation the appropriate teeth and could have a profound effect on the future of our sport, no time for a newbie!
The following associations and clubs wrote to the SSAI seeking to reverse the committee decision, some called for an EGM, it is clear that the vast majority of Rifle and Pistol clubs in this country do not agree with the present representation of the SSAI at the Consultative Panel:

Long Range Rifle Association
National Silhouette Association
BRC Shooting Club
City of Dublin Rifle and Pistol Club
Eagle Gun Club
East Coast Rifle and Pistol Club
Kingdom, Riocht Rifle & Pistol Club
Harbour House Rifle and Pistol Club
Hilltop Rifle and Pistol Club
Kerry Rifle and Pistol Club
Leinster Rifle and Pistol Club
Lifford Rifle and Pistol Club
Roundwood Rifle and Pistol Club

Letters supporting the position of FLAG have been submitted to the committee of the SSAI.

The NASRC and the Fermoy Rifle club were in support of the SSAI Committee decision.

So what has happened, well it is clear that the SSAI has decided to ignore the will of the majority of clubs they purport to represent, they ignore the call for an EGM, they have not declared the date of the SSAI AGM, usually held in December, and they declare that we are well represented!
The NASRC have their AGM on the 25th November in the Abbeyleix Manor at 14:30, since the majority of clubs that from the NASRC are listed above, it will be interesting to see if the committee will listen to the constituent clubs and reverse their decision not to support FLAG, however it is interesting to note that the notification of the AGM of the NASRC should have allowed for the inclusion of “motions for discussion” they seem to have been.
The current situation is that the SSAI representative attended the first meeting of the Consultative Panel and the next meeting is scheduled for the 6th of December. Formal protests have been lodged with the SSAI, calls for an EGM have been made to the SSAI and all promptly ignored. It is apparent that the next opportunity to sort this out will be the SSAI AGM, but as yet no date has been advised.

Declan Keogh
FLAG (Firearms Legislation Advisory Group)
Chairman

jaycee

The manner in which the issues raised in the above post are presented are at best confusing, and the logic flawed. The supporting evidence for example in the form of poll results is so inaccurate as to render it both useless and misleading.
One one hand the post makes reference to a figure of 196 votes in support of the posters position,
Along with the claim that these are “196 individual people” this is obviously untrue.
A very cursory review of the voting in that section reveals the following..
Duplicate repeated Votes :
77,78,79
62,69
157,158.
176,178
This proves beyond doubt both that the final numbers are unreliable and that no system is in place
To prevent multiple votes by the same persons.
The alternative positions votes on the other hand, were criticized for containing repeat postings, and reduced accordingly is an odd piece of accounting .
The only point proven is the unreliability of polls of this type as a tool to determine anything.
Other points in the post may well be equally unfounded or inaccurate , with possible legal implications .
Since this is a very controversial subject, where at this point in time clarity and logic are essential, any
Further misinformation of this sort is likely to lead to personal attacks and the type of exchanges we have seen here in the past. For example, there are no newbie’s involved in the process..

I am therefore locking this thread and will view with disfavor attempts to resurrect the subject in renewed posts . There is a place for these discussions but in the best interests of the sport of shooting in Ireland …this isn’t it.