Sunday Business Post Magazine today

smmember20

Reasonably good article in todays Business Post, at least our sport not demonised, did anyone see it?

Cass

Only seen the headline and first paragraph.

As soon as I see "gun culture" and the bastardised ( not to mention continuously debunked) firearm figures I lose interest and know its a hit piece, however subtle.

They are still running with the unproven and utterly bastardised firgure of over 150,000 illegal firearms then discuss legal firearm owners. The connection between us and criminality is made almost immediately and anything after that, no matter how "balanced" some feel it may be is irrelevant. The lie is told and further perpetuated.

Don't even get me started on the "clickbait" headline of Call to arms. That implies militia, armed force, basically "look at how many guns this lot have, be afraid".

smmember20

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118132552#Comment_118132552

Cass

Hard to know if I can agree with your initial impressions, please read the full article and then perhaps comment again.

Statistics for illegally held firearms are quoted from a source that is frequently used to estimate the potential number of illegal firearms in circulation, who knows how reliable it can be but it is simply making the point that there is potentially a considerable number of illegal firearms in circulation which is certainly known by all of us!! However he took time to consult with the largest recreational shooting association in the country and in my view was not a bad viewpoint based on the actual questions asked of the spokesperson, clearly there was little in the vein of competitions etc as this was a glaring omission.

In fairness how often have we seen a reasonably positive article about our sport, yes the down side is being tied into a proposition that there is an awful lot of shotguns out there and not there for farmyard vermin shooting, the balance at the end did emphasise that firearms are not licensed for self defense and anyone with one under the bed is breaking the conditions of the firearms certificate and or firearms legislation!!

I enjoyed the article for a change as so many times we are and have been aligned with criminals use of firearms clear blue sea this time!!!

smmember20

https://www.businesspost.ie/culture/a-call-to-arms-inside-irelands-evolving-firearms-culture-431e9c3d

Article published in the Business Post Magazine today.

Cass

smmember20 - Hard to know if I can agree with your initial impressions,

Thats ok, you don't need to.

smmember20 - please read the full article and then perhaps comment again.

Not being argumentative or purposefully beligerent, but no. Its nothing new and my reasons above outline why its, regardless of subtleness, another hit piece.

smmember20 - Statistics for illegally held firearms are quoted from a source that is frequently used to estimate the potential number of illegal firearms in circulation, who knows how reliable it can be

I do. Its from gunpolicy.org andt has been refuted, rubbished and dismissed as a work of utter fiction. So much so they [gunpolicy] even say its based on probabilites and comparisons with other countries using an algorithim which averages possible illegal gun rates within a country based solely on population and legal gun ownership rates. IOW a guess. They use the same process in Ireland as they do for America. You know the only country in the world with a 2nd amendment right to firearms, an estimated 400,000,000 firearms, etc.

Its also been dismissed many, many, many times by myself and others. Anyone claiming an article using those figures is fair have already ceded the "snuck" of the amount of illegal guns.

smmember20 - I enjoyed the article for a change as so many times we are and have been aligned with criminals use of firearms clear blue sea this time!!!

For the reasons I gave above, in my first post, I don't agree. We were immediately associated with illegal guns and hence criminality. Its right there in the opening paragraph.

Ask yourself this, when someone is interviewing a race car driver or writing a piece on Formula one do they start with the amount of uninsured cars, drivers with no licenses, nct, tax. Or do they simply ask about the sport? Imagine if an article was written about the GAA and the opening paragraph spoke of the violence/attacks on people with Hurls. That is what is being done here with us.

Its a slow news day when any reporter speaks on gun ownership and the subject is too boring to not include illegal guns, criminality, etc. so they lump it in with any actual relevant shooting sports discussion and you end up with the above.

Its not the first article, nor will it be the last and barring a gangland shooting we won't see any reporter, EVER, unless they have column inches to fill.

smmember20

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118133170#Comment_118133170

Sorry Cass I don't know how to cut out segments so I just quoted the whole lot, not that there is anything I will take issue with other than to say: yes another typical article written by a person with zero knowledge of the use of firearms for sporting use, he does however want to get his article passed by the editor so realistically it needs some of the typical garbage: such is the "freedom" of the press.

However how often does the target shooting community get opportunity to be highlighted in a National Sunday Paper, excellent picture of a line of individuals participating in Gallery Rifle Competition, NASRPC as a national shooting organisation getting quite the opportunity to make comment on points raised by the author, as with any interview I am sure there was probably a lot more asked and answered, but that is the risk you take when you contribute.

I am a person who takes the positives out of what I read, benefit of course that I know and participate in the sport, so when our sport is demonised and downtrodden so often by the media it is great to see some positive commentary and highlighting that there is another positive aspect to firearms use in Ireland, i'll take that any time.

judestynes

Our sport has long since been the victim of lazy journalism and so long as the readership remains lazy and unchallenged, I can't see that changing. I'm not a subscriber to that news paper so unfortunately I can't read the full article but as Cass has stated, there's nothing new there in the opening salvo.

smmember20

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118134870#Comment_118134870

Most newspaper shops make returns when copies are not sold, I am sure if you pop into any newsagent today they would give you the magazine free, then perhaps you can read the full article and make objective comment rather than depending on third hand commentary from someone who has not read the article fully!

I have read it fully and there is some positivity for our sport in it!

Cass

smmember20 -  so when our sport is demonised and downtrodden so often by the media it is great to see some positive commentary and highlighting that there is another positive aspect to firearms use in Ireland, i'll take that any time.

And more power to you for doing so, honestly. Perhaps my jaded nature based on every past article prevents me from seeing anything positive given the usual accusations/falsehoods that started this article (and are used in all others) and I'm simply expecting the "other shoe to fall"..

Well done to the lads for getting their side across and if it leads to something better then again, well done to all involved.

Grizzly 45

Hope the NASRPC got permission form everyone in that picture to be used in this article .As did the Sunday Biz pest?As that pic was on private property too?

smmember20

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118135770#Comment_118135770

The photo is from the NASRPC Facebook page (already in the public domain), it is in MNSCI and was at the World Cup I think it was 2017. If you have ever entered a NASRPC competition (as I have) you will have signed a photo release slip which offers an opt out related to publishing ones image in the media, In fairness to the Business Post it looks like they picked a picture that had faces obscured by either firearms, hats or glasses, with respect to the private property quip, taken during the World Cup which was open to the public during the course of the competition so where might you be coming from.............................

Grizzly 45

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118136305#Comment_118136305

Ive never seen such a document at ANY NASRPC competition regarding photographic permissions.

Also,I doubt the "general public" has access to a shooting range unless they are licensed shooters?

Cass

Grizzly 45 - Ive never seen such a document at ANY NASRPC competition regarding photographic permissions.

Doesn't mean it doesn't exist. Lets not drag the thread way off topic about this point. If the NASRPC, those pictured, or the Midlands for that matter had issue with the picture its up to them to deal with it. Not us.

Grizly 45 - Also,I doubt the "general public" has access to a shooting range unless they are licensed shooters?

Being licensd is not a prerequisite for being able to go into/onto a range.