Representatives of FURG and NIFRG meeting in Dundalk on 10th September 2024
In a groundbreaking move, the main shooting and country sports organisations from
Ireland (RoI) have linked up with their counterparts in Northern Ireland
to share expertise and experience on firearms-related issues.
Firearms Users Representative Group (FURG, RoI), recently met with
their counterpart in the North, the Northern Ireland Firearms Users Representative Group (NIFRG), during which both organisations committed to an ongoing process of cooperation and engagement.
The two organisations have agreed to meet face to face annually, and hold online meetings at least twice a year, or more frequently if issues crop up that require a co-ordinated response.
The Firearms Users Representative Group (FURG, RoI) consists of fifteen organisations,
and was formed in July 2022, to coordinate the shooting communities’ response to
draconian proposals emanating from the Irish government’s Firearms Expert
Committee (FEC). The group is chaired by the National Association of Regional
Game Councils (NARGC) with the secretariat provided by the Deer Alliance (DA).
NIFRG, comprising ten shooting and countryside organisations, was formed in
May 2021 in response to deep-rooted concerns regarding the Police Service of
Northern Ireland’s Firearms and Explosive’s Branch (PSNI FEB). The group is
chaired by the British Association for Shooting and Conservation (BASC) with the
Secretariat provided by Country Sports Ireland (CSI).
Some organisations operate on an all-Ireland basis and are therefore members of
both the NIFRG and the FURG, bringing the total number of organisations
represented to twenty-three.
Speaking after the meeting, a FURG spokesperson said: “We welcome the opportunity to host the NIFRG and we regard this meeting as a major first step, in developing a strong mutually
beneficial partnership, that will allow us to harness the power of our collective
membership bases, to robustly meet the many challenges that lie ahead in both
jurisdictions.”
A NIFRG spokesperson said: “We welcome and appreciate the opportunity to meet with FURG in the Republic, to share our considerable expertise and experience. We have witnessed firsthand the benefits of multiple organisations coming and working closely together under the NIFRG
umbrella, to help drive policy change and successfully oppose unnecessary
restrictions that were not evidence based.”
FURG consists of 15 shooting and countryside organisations:
Country Sports Ireland
Countryside Alliance Ireland
Deer Alliance HCAP
FACE Ireland
Irish Clay Target Shooting Association
Irish Country Sports Association
Irish Deer Commission
Irish Deer Society
Irish Firearms Dealers Association
Irish Natura Hill Farmers Association
Midlands National Shooting Centre of Ireland
National Association of Regional Game Councils,
National Association of Sporting Rifle Pistol Clubs
Precision Rifles Ireland
Wild Deer Association of Ireland
NIFRG is an umbrella body which consists of ten national and local
representative shooting and countryside membership organisations:
Country Sports Ireland (CSI)
Countryside Alliance Ireland (CAI)
British Association for Shooting and Conservation (BASC)
British Deer Society (BDS NI)
NI Firearms Dealers’ Association (NIFDA)
NI Practical Shooting Confederation (NIPSC)
NI Small-bore Shooting Association (NISSA).
Scottish Association for Country Sports (SACs)
The Ulster Clay Pigeon Shooting Association (UCPSA)
The Ulster Rifle Association (URA)
