New member

johnny3

If you live and are from the area, are you entitled to be a member of your local Gunclub?

cookimonster

It used to be very much based on parish addresses, but has in some circumstances being relaxed. But remember its a private members club so there is no entitlement based on circumstances, you may need a nomination from other members and the club to be infact seeking new membership.

Snakezilla

If they are an NARGC affiliated club then yes if you are a member of the parish that the club is based then you have an automatic entitlement to join.

cookimonster

Snakezilla wrote: »

If they are an NARGC affiliated club then yes if you are a member of the parish that the club is based then you have an automatic entitlement to join.

Surely not an automatic entitlement? What about memberships limits, criteria for membership etc. If this was the case the clubs would be inundated with individuals demanding thier rights for membership?

fiestaman

We have our own set of rules and we are part of NARGC, i dont see what being with the NARGC has to do with it. We have a limit and thats it. There can be history with anybody and if the club wishes to refuse then thats final.

Snakezilla

cookimonster wrote: »

Surely not an automatic entitlement? What about memberships limits, criteria for membership etc. If this was the case the clubs would be inundated with individuals demanding thier rights for membership?

I was told this by a member of the County Board of the NARGC. I was trying to get a friend of mine into the local club but they wouldnt let him in and had no reason except that the club was "full" (with 43 members :rolleyes:) Long story short he got in because there is some agreement with the NARGC that a member of the parish has automatic entitlement to join the club and my friend actually got a letter from the board of the Meath Regional Game Council stating this.

cookimonster

That's interesting, there's being quite a few threads and posts about people trying to join thier local Game Club so this could be food for thought.

johnny3

Interesting stuff

Snakezilla

There are an awful lot of clubs that operate on the "I dont like yer man" rule or like to keep it for themselves and a lot of people just accept not being allowed to join and accept the excuses that are given.

All it takes is a bit of reading up and asking a few questions to the right people. Emails cost nothing lads

Dian Cecht

The clubs I'm in, and they are all NARGC in various parts of the country, if your living in the area you have a right to apply for membership without having to be nominated & seconded by existing members but you still have to be voted in by existing members.

Clubs affiliated to NARGC can & do make their own rules. The only exception is that all affiliated clubs members have to be Compensation Fund members.

I heard that NARGC hierarchy previously tried to set it up so that lads from Dublin where there was little/no shooting land would/could be given membership in rural clubs, which was shot down ( ) by rural clubs as they could make their own rules on membership etc independent of NARGC..

meathstevie

The rule in the NARGC boils down to the following, local clubs are open to local residents unless there are good reasons to refuse membership. And when I write good reasons it's reasons down the lines of the same sort of reasons why AGS will refuse someone a firearms licence of any kind for starters.

It's a fact of that individual clubs are exactly that but when you do affiliate yourself with the NARGC there are a few ground rules your club has to stick to, the compensation fund being mandatory would be one and local clubs open to local residents is another one.

Dian Cecht

Only ever seen 2 lads refused membership in 2 of the clubs I'm in.

First, was a lad from another area, who was in the club in his home area, who was continuously over a number of years shooting game just before the season started in our area (there were numerous independent witnesses who testified to this & he had relatives in the area on whose land he used as a base to operate from) and when the club erected signs where he was pre season shooting in an attempt to scare him off he applied to join the club and was subsequently refused.

Second, was a lad who when approached by a landowner about shooting on his land too near livestock the shooter "levelled the shotgun at him". There were no other witnesses so the landowner didn't go to the Gardaí as in his opinion it would be his word against the shooters. The landowner advised the local club thinking we could help him out but the shooter wasn't a member at the time. Subsequently, the lad applied to join the club and his application was refused. I since heard he doesn't own a firearm anymore.

I know there may be clubs out there that are closed. But a lot aren't. Clubs I'm in membership has more than halved over the last few years. Therefore, less funds and less lads to do the work. New members, in my clubs, would be welcomed with open arms, as they always have been.