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\begin{letter}{Betty Walsh,\\Firearms Section,\\Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform,\\72/76 St. Stephens Green,\\Dublin 2}

\telefax{+353-1-6772204}
\telephone{+353-1-6081281}
\email{Mark.Dennehy@cs.tcd.ie}
\name{Mark Dennehy,\\{\itshape DURC Match Secretary}}

\subject{Pistol License Review}
\opening{A Chara,}
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I am writing on behalf of the Dublin University Rifle Club. We are a 
college club, established in 1964 with a yearly membership of 
between three and five hundred. Past members have included Derval Tubirdy, 
Raymond Reilly, Janet Chua, Simon Kennedy, Conor Tighe and others who have 
been national champions or have represented Ireland at international 
events, indeed Derval Tubirdy won the first gold medal for Ireland 
internationally. In total we represent the interests of several thousand 
students over thirty-six years of activity. 

I am writing to express our whole-hearted support for the re-introduction of 
pistol firearms licenses. Currently it is possible for Irish athletes 
to train for every Olympic sport \textbf{\textit{except}} those involving 
pistols. Given the safety record associated with the sport of target 
shooting, this is a very anomalous situation, which we would be most 
enthusiastic about rectifying. Pistol shooting is among the most technically 
difficult and demanding sports in the Olympics, yet it requires less 
equipment than equivalent rifle events, making it ideal for student 
athletes. 


\textbf{D.U.R.C.} held a firearms license for pistols up to 1972, 
and pistol shooting was very popular among the members due to its unique 
combination of relatively simple equipment requirements and high technical 
difficulty. \textbf{D.U.R.C.} has an outstanding safety record 
for it's past thirty-six years of active competitive shooting at national 
and international levels, which reflects the safety record enjoyed by
the Irish target shooting community in general, and which in fact makes
target shooting one of, if not the safest sport in Ireland today. We are
very excited at the prospect of being able
to train and compete in the various pistol events in which we currently are 
unable to participate. We sincerely hope that the policy to not issue 
licenses for target pistols will be rescinded as a result of this review, 
and that we may then proceed to represent Ireland at international levels 
in this most demanding of Olympic sports.  

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