Easons move hunting magazines to over-18s top shelf section

Grizzly 45 · 13-08-2015 10:55PM

Was in Easons Limerick today.Still at mid level and bottom shelf.

yubabill1 · 14-08-2015 04:56AM

1jay1 wrote: »

I went in to my local Easons today armed with a list of questions / statements only to find the shooting / hunting mags in the exact same bottom shelf they are always on. Has anyone actually seen them make it to the top shelves yet?

Grizzly 45 wrote: »

Was in Easons Limerick today.Still at mid level and bottom shelf.

There's always a lag between the policy decision and its implementation - usually a memo goes round to the shop managers and he has a bit of time to act.
That's the way it worked in the '80's, anyway, when I was manager in a multiple of similar size to Eason's.

German pointer · 14-08-2015 07:57AM

This is the copy of my email to Easons

I write to you to express my disappointment at your recent decision to place all hunting publications to the top shelf and to introduce a policy of asking for ID to prove buyers are over 18.This policy has been implemented after you were petitioned by ICABS.

ICABS are a small but vocal animal rights group who have several members with convictions for trespass,assault,threatening behaviour /intimidation and vandalism. ICABS members are regulaly monitored by An Garda Siochana because of their extremist views and sometimes unlawful actions of their members

This in contrast to the many tens of thousands of licenced firearms owners in Ireland who if were convicted of any one of the above offences would lose their firearms and who are the most vetted and law abiding people in the country.

In addition to the thousands or so firearms owners you also have thousands more who are interested in this subject ,for example their children.Currently a person of 14 years of age may attain and hold a firearms licence but Eason's have decided that they may not buy a hunting magazine as you have imposed an unfair censorship on them.

This censorship I feel is unjust as you have bowed to pressure from an extremist group and have denied some of your customers the chance to lawfully purchase magazines about their chosen pastimes. I regularly hunt as do my children who are under 18 and they fully participate in the activities. I feel that Eason's are denying them access to literature that will help them to become better sports people and more responsible hunters by denying them their right to read up on and research their chosen sport.

The images that ICABS claim are offensive and graphic are in fact carefully chosen by these publications so as to be exactly the opposite,they will however show animals who have been shot and killed as this is the end result of hunting.Young people growing up in the country,on farms or in homes where countryside life or hunting exists will have an interest in these sports .Sports which promote good values such as being law abiding ,being protective of ,aware and respectful of our countryside and natural surroundings and animals.These publications are a wealth of instructive knowledge to young people interested in the subject.

I am a regular shopper to your Limerick store and I have 4 school going children and would buy magazines ,books, back to school items such as books, stationery and many other items there. I will no longer be shopping in any of your stores until you reverse your unfair censorship policy and I will urge all my friends, family and co-workers to do the same. As you have denied my children their right to buy magazines relating to their chosen pastime, a pastime I fully encourage them to participate in I will now be shopping in O'Mahony's which is about two hundred yards up the street from your Limerick store. This happened a few years ago in England with WH Smith and they reversed theit dicission within a week I hope that Eason's will now do the same

Your policy has outraged the shooting, hunting and the majority of the countryside community and is currently being discussed on many forums on-line. As a member of several social media forums dedicated to hunting and shooting I will be bringing your policy to the attention of them and the other shooting organisations that I and my children are members of so that other shooters and hunters will learn of this.

I will also be contacting the editors of the publications in question to inform them of how your policy will affect both the ability of their readers to access their publications and how this will also affect their sales. I wonder will ICABS next ask you to put farming and or publications relating to dogs etc. out of reach of your customers.

cookimonster · 14-08-2015 10:01AM

Just received the 2nd 'response' passing my query onto the team etc.....

hiddenmongoose · 14-08-2015 12:51PM

cookimonster wrote: »

Just received the 2nd 'response' passing my query onto the team etc.....

Im the same.

I also contacted the WDAI as there is alot of stalking articals and Irish hunts in those magazines.Deer hunting as a result is now on over 18s shelves.As of yet no reply.

tac foley · 14-08-2015 01:46PM

Ever get the impression that you are being fobbed off?

Sure looks like that to me.

tac

garrettod · 16-08-2015 06:59PM

tac foley wrote: »

Ever get the impression that you are being fobbed off? ....

While it wasn't quite the language that came to my own mind, in principal yes I do feel like we're being fobbed off.

What Cass has done, is a good move and imho we should follow his lead... next stop, contact all interested publications and see if we can get them to help apply pressure, help cover the story etc.

tac foley · 16-08-2015 07:17PM

Agreed. Contacting the UK-base 'Gunmart' and 'Shooting Sports' is a good idea. They represent the common interests of shooting sports shared by ALL of us in these islands, and can be relied upon to stir up the carp where necessary. It do look like it it might be necessary here to remind Easons that those folks who buy hunting/shooting magazines also buy many other products from their many nationawide stores, much of which can be obtained elsewhere.

tac

Cass · 16-08-2015 08:26PM

tac foley wrote: »

Contacting the UK-base 'Gunmart' and 'Shooting Sports' is a good idea.

No it's not, ideal at least, but seeing as how the only mag we have here hat sells in any volume is the ISD our hands are forced to reach out to a our neighbours.

I don't know if they will act on the info i've sent, but surely with stores in all 32 counties the number of mags from the various publications cannot be small. IOW something they can afford to ignore.

tac foley · 16-08-2015 08:49PM

My comment is based on precisely the point that you make, that Ireland has 32 counties, and that six of those counties in the North are buyers of the two magazines I mentioned, and many others as well. There are an awful lot of shooters in the north, too, that are affected by this PC-gone-madness. Many shooters in the north are also members of BASC, an organisation with a huge membership in UK. Writing them as well is an option that, IMO, you should not overlook. The British Deer Society is not confined to the big island, either.

tac.

deeksofdoom · 16-08-2015 08:57PM

I was at Easons in Mahon Point in Cork today, the magazines were in thier usual spot down on the bottom rack. Don't know if they were asking for ID though.

.243 · 17-08-2015 01:33PM

Didnt this happen in the uk not too long ago with whs stores backing down on the anti's demands after the uk shooting community rallied around ???

tac foley · 17-08-2015 01:35PM

Yes, please read my post #21 on the subject.

tac

useurowname · 18-08-2015 12:54PM

Picked up my copy of Shooting Times yesterday from the usual shelf in Easons Athlone, then picked up a copy of Penthouse from it's usual spot on the top of the far shelf. Personally I can see an upside, when the missus spots me hovering around the old damp hanky rail in Easons I can assure her that I was only browsing for the latest exciting issue of The Irish Shooters Digest...every cloud!!

cookimonster · 18-08-2015 02:09PM

Was in Easons Blanchestown this morning and the shooting and field sports mags are in the normal shelves.
I doubt that you will see any reversal of policy publicized by Easons, on the other hand the Antis may bitch and moan about it.

Grizzly 45 · 18-08-2015 04:18PM

Reading ISD....In public.....Fair man,I'd be hiding that behind a copy of Gay Times these days myself.:D But anyways,was in Easons Limerick.Mags are still on the middle shelf above the Hoss and Hound and The Field .Am wondering is this Easons way of dealing with the antis too?A sort of " yeah,yeah we'll do that too no bother..Now please fk off as well ,Ya bunch of crackpots..!" Asked one of the floor staff,she hadnt heard anything about it or any age check either,bar for the sale of the cancer sticks.Wonder is this some precived "victory" in ICABS collective tiny mind at this stage?

Found their petition on line.
https://www.change.org/p/easons-act-against-graphic-hunting-magazines. 1096 signitures..From such Irish places as Alabama,Canada ,Rotterdam,Paris ,Poland,Yorkshire," Norn Iron"Swaziland,Germany etc,etc,etc. After going thru the moronic comments on the petition [Read them for the laugh they are utter howls on how ignorant some people actually are on this subject..One genius from Ireland wants animals banned!Make some posters on the journal ie look like intellectual giants] I count EIGHT actual comments from people in the Republic!
Go do the math on the proability of how many actually signed it from the 32 counties..No wonder politicans and whatever dont take petitions seriously from online sources .
ICABS is now truely an utter joke.Proably 50 old dears and fustrated people scribbling letters or pounding their keyboards on any animal rights topics,and 49 years later have achived exactly.....muzzling greyhounds at coursing meets..... Thats about it really... Bunch of saddos.

Cass · 18-08-2015 04:40PM

Could well be a case of them (Easons) saying to them (ICABS) yeah we'll do it, then not actually doing and then ICABS suing the e-mail confirmation as a victory without it ever taking place.

However if they don't move the mags over the next month or two it's a closed matter. If they start to move them then we step up the writing campaign.

hiddenmongoose · 18-08-2015 09:10PM

A petition has been started to reverse Easons decision here is the link lads

https://www.change.org/p/those-who-hunt-and-shoot-for-a-living-and-pleasure-reverse-the-top-shelf-restriction-by-easons-on-hunting-shooting-magazines?recruiter=43491351&utm_source=share_petition&utm_medium=facebook&utm_campaign=share_for_starters_page&utm_term=des-lg-no_src-no_msg&fb_ref=Default

electrichunter · 18-08-2015 09:20PM

was watching the shooting show on u tube last night and its news sections first topic was the eason debate and a link to email them so the other side of the water will surely respond , i know the shooting show is owned by blaze publishing which stocks in ireland so there is an interest on their part also.
on a lighter note my own local newsagent asked me one day do i do much shooting as i sure do read a lot about it,we had a good laugh .

Grizzly 45 · 18-08-2015 09:58PM

hiddenmongoose wrote: »

A petition has been started to reverse Easons decision here is the link lads

Already more Irish people have signed and commented on this than the entire affected Irish contingent of ICABS supporters.:P

electrichunter · 18-08-2015 11:08PM

Grizzly 45 wrote: »

Already more Irish people have signed and commented on this than the entire affected Irish contingent of ICABS supporters.:P

done

clivej · 19-08-2015 07:17AM

Well it will leave more room on the lower shelves for the Soft Porn mags now.

The way my Auld back is I can't reach up to the top shelves like I used too.

LIFFY FISHING · 20-08-2015 06:47PM

My local Easons have all the hunting /fishing publications in the usual place, must just be the stores where some wierdos shop

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Easons move hunting magazines to over-18s top shelf section

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