Home on the firing range

Guns are usually associated with criminality or insurgence in Ireland, but they're also used for sport by thousands of shooters. What's the attraction? Former Army officer Tom Clonanputs the Midlands Shooting Range to the test

SPORTS SHOOTING is described by enthusiasts as the Cinderella of Irish sport - under-funded and under-appreciated. But their determination to overcome these problems showed in the standard and professionalism of marksmanship at the Midlands Shooting Range, near Tullamore, Co Offaly this week.

As a retired Army officer - and qualified weapons instructor - when I visited the range, billed "the shooting heart of Ireland", alongside scenic bogland, I was struck by the high standard of this civilian range. Constructed to the highest of international standards - in many respects exceeding the safety standards of international military ranges - the Midlands range caters for short-range precision-pistol shooting and long-range F-class rifle and target rifle sharp-shooting.

Large, reinforced earthen berms act as back-stops or butts behind the various targets to ensure that stray bullets do not exit the range area. The grass firing points are immaculately maintained and command excellent views over small targets with classic concentric rings and bull's eyes, which are arranged in neat rows at intervals of 50 metres out to 1,000 metres. At the furthest distances, accuracy is only possible with the aid of the telescopic sights mounted on the F-class 7mm rifles.

Throughout my Army service, I always had a preference for firing automatic pistols - a choice more informed by a childhood of watching US cop shows rather than any military rationale. After some familiarisation and training at the range, I was allowed to fire a classic Les Baer .45 semi-automatic precision pistol at a range of 15 metres. With some of Ireland's leading sharpshooters as curious onlookers, I was nervous, to say the least. However, my military training began to kick in automatically - concentrating on stance, breathing, grip, heartbeat and trigger pressure.

At first attempt, I managed to place at least three rounds on to the bull's eye. I was tempted to congratulate myself until I was informed that Irish amateur competitors regularly hit the bull's eye 100 per cent of the time at ranges out to 50 metres - at which distance, the target resembles a match head. Despite this high standard, Irish sports shooting gets very little attention.

SHOOTING AS A sport in Ireland has a long and colourful history stretching back to the mid-19th century. The oldest written records of shooting competitions in Ireland relate to 1841, almost a decade before the English, Welsh and Scottish formed their national rifle associations. In the world of sports shooting, the Irish, along with the Germans, have traditionally been regarded as natural crack-shots.

By the end of the 19th century, shooting had become a popular sport in Ireland, particularly among the landed gentry and Anglo-Irish ascendancy and shooting ranges were established throughout Ireland. Such was the popularity of the sport that in 1907, The Irish Timesand New York Timesdevoted pages of coverage to Ireland's victory in the international Home Countries shooting competition held in Britain. Ireland's claim to fame was to have beaten England on their home turf. On return to Ireland, the Home Countries trophy was carried in procession through the streets of Dublin to a civic reception.

As a consequence of the Easter Rising, War of Independence and Civil War, there was a decline in sports shooting in Ireland during the following decades. While shotgun ownership for small-game hunting and pest control remained a constant feature of rural life, the target shooting sports declined somewhat with university gun clubs, particularly those at Trinity College and Queen's University, retaining a small core group of enthusiasts.

Now, 100 years after Ireland's victory at the Home Countries international shooting competitions, the university gun clubs, and gun clubs throughout the State, are thriving once more.

But, despite the recent resurgence of target shooting and its proud sporting history, it is generally misunderstood in Ireland. The reasons for this are complex. Among them is an active public debate on a growing "gun culture" within Ireland's criminal underworld.

A legitimate public discourse on guns and firearms contends for our understanding of those who seek to compete for Ireland in target-shooting sports with legally held sporting firearms. In the public domain, in the media and Dáil debates on gun control, the distinction between law-abiding sportsmen and women and criminals who possess illegally held weapons has from time to time become somewhat blurred.

Another reason for inherently negative public perceptions of gun ownership here is a legacy of the recent Troubles. Until recently, the holding of firearms by private individuals was deemed a threat to public safety at a time of paramilitary activity and sectarian violence. This led to the introduction in 1974 of the Temporary Custody Order, which severely restricted the ability of Irish citizens to acquire firearms for sporting or game purposes. Initially intended to last for a month, the Temporary Custody Act was effectively overturned 30 years later in 2004, in a landmark High Court decision which allowed sports-shooting enthusiasts to once more legitimately acquire rifles and pistols for competitive and recreational purposes.

CURRENTLY, THERE ARE more than 230,000 legally held firearms registered in the Republic. Of these, approximately 1,787 are pistols or handguns, 49,000 are rifles and the remainder - roughly 179,000 - are shotguns. Arising from these figures, which represent a significant increase in gun ownership, the Government enacted the 2006 Criminal Justice Act in order to update our gun-licensing regime in line with international best practice. The Act includes a stringent set of definitions of legitimate firearms for sporting or game usage and regularises a set of fair and rigorous criteria, including comprehensive criminal and medical vetting, for the licensing of guns.

Previously, the local Garda superintendent had the sole power to grant a firearm licence. Following inconsistencies in the granting of licences and subsequent legal challenges, the Government is regularising the situation with the 2006 legislation and the Firearms Miscellaneous Bill.

In implementing these measures, the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform has consulted widely with shooting enthusiasts and their representative organisations. All sides seem happy that a balance is being struck between the legitimate aspirations of sports shooters and concerns about public safety. One senior garda says that the sport of shooting "is the only sport in Ireland that is governed by statute legislation and whose members are all vetted by gardaí". He adds, "In shooting, you know that everyone on the firing point has been checked out for character and criminal record. In fact, you've a much greater chance of being injured on a football pitch than on a shooting range."

THE SECRETARY OF the Shooting Sports Association of Ireland (SSAI), Declan Cahill, describes the sports-shooting community as "diverse". "We get members from all walks of life: doctors, members of the judiciary, teachers, farmers, gardaí, and increasingly we're seeing more women attracted to the sport. It requires strong mental discipline, logic and problem-solving skills along with a very high level of safety awareness."

One of the attractions of the sport, Cahill says, is that it is incredibly de-stressing. "You're out in the fresh air. It's just you and the wind and the target and your every effort in getting your personal best score. The world stands still when you are on the range. While the sport is physical and demands discipline, it can be mastered and enjoyed by any age group, with shooters able to compete at senior levels until they are well into their 80s or 90s."

According to Cahill, despite the relatively low participation rates in sports shooting here - Ireland has almost the lowest level of gun ownership in Europe, second only to Liechtenstein - Irish shooting teams have been performing well in international competitions in recent years. "We've had a big increase in the numbers of gold medals that Ireland has been winning, especially since 2006. At the moment, four Irish amateurs will compete in the world international precision-pistol championships at Budweis in the Czech Republic in July. This is quite an achievement in Europe, where the competitors are traditionally full-time professional athletes." Cahill also highlights Ireland's success at the Phoenix International Gallery Rifle Competitions in England this year, where the Irish team beat Germany to secure silver.

Cahill believes Ireland's best chances for medals in the Olympics in Beijing and London probably lie with our shooting teams. "Shooters are poised to become the next medal-getters for Ireland." He is especially optimistic about the 2012 Olympics. "We've got a great shooting squad, most of whom are young women in preparation for the London Olympics, where we stand a good chance of bringing home medals."

MICHAEL WALLS (32), from Balbriggan, Co Dublin, who is practising at the Midlands Firing Range, is currently ranked fifth in the world precision-pistol rankings. He won gold at the Deutschland Pokal International Precision Pistol Competition in Germany earlier this year.

Walls emphasises the safety culture that is embedded in Irish gun clubs. "Firearms must be kept disassembled at all times and can only be 'unveiled' - or put together - on the firing point of a registered club for training or competitive purposes. Even at home, the constituent parts of each weapon must be stored separately in concealed, secured safes that are inspected by the gardaí."

Consistent with the new legislation, the emphasis on firearms safety was evident at all times at the Midlands range. Unlike on military ranges, the firearms observed by The Irish Timeswere broken down and tagged as "safe" or unloaded with bright yellow markers attached to the firing mechanism until each firer was given clearance to fire. The range is fully accessible to disabled firers, including wheelchair-users. Walls says, "Shooting is one of the few sports that disabled competitors can compete with fully able-bodied peers in fully integrated competitions at national and international levels."

The firearms on display included specialised .45 and .22 target pistols and revolvers, along with .22 and 7mm F-class bolt action rifles designed for precision shooting from 50m out to 1,000m.

The SSAI is optimistic about the future of sports shooting in Ireland. Declan Cahill points out it is a relatively inexpensive sport, with firearms for beginners less expensive than a set of golf clubs. He adds that anyone who wants to get started can get details of gun clubs and their vetting procedures from their websites.

"Sports shooters in Ireland are not a gun-lobby group, like those that exist in the US," says Cahill. "We don't believe that we have a right to bear arms. We recognise that it is a privilege to carry a firearm and a privilege to represent our country in this long-established and well-recognised sporting field."

Dr Tom Clonan is The Irish Times Security Analyst. He lectures in the school of media, DIT. tclonan@irish-times.ie

Shooting Sports Association of Ireland:

www.shootingsportsireland.com

National Target Shooting Association: www.targetshootingireland.org

National Association of Sporting Rifle and Pistol Clubs: www.nasrc.ie

National Association of Regional Game Councils: www.nargc.ie