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Re: Is it worth Joining the NRA?

Posted: Tue Jul 21, 2015 4:57 pm
by dromia
tackb wrote:I will join again when they truly support ALL shooting , remember I was a member who was sold up the river during the s/a rifle ban and then again the pistol ban !

They won't get another chance to shaft me !
I suspect that they will shaft you/us again if situations like the previous bans arise whether you are a member or not.

Especially when you have people with views like n francis being involved with the NRA.

Re: Is it worth Joining the NRA?

Posted: Tue Jul 21, 2015 5:09 pm
by FredB
Actually, I agree with you Dromia. BUT, all the indicators say that they are trying to improve and they therefore deserve some support. We have all been let down in the past---what matters is the future.
Fred

Re: Is it worth Joining the NRA?

Posted: Tue Jul 21, 2015 8:27 pm
by Dougan
Airbrush wrote:
Exactly! lol

Re: Is it worth Joining the NRA?

Posted: Tue Jul 21, 2015 8:38 pm
by Dougan
christel wrote:
techguy wrote:
I'd be interested to know what the complaints actually are, and if those issues were addressed to anyone that can do anything about them at the NRA, and if anything was done by the NRA. Would be also interested to know the demographics too.. i.e what discipline type have the majority of the complaints. I.e are the NRA ignoring a certain type of shooter over another, and if there is a running theme to the complaints.
Yes, I agree, it would be interesting.
As the points you are raising have been addressed in the past to no avail there are only two things for us non NRA shooters to do (IMO).

Wait until someone comes on board the NRA with the purpose of making the NRA into a national organisation that is shooter/trader friendly. A place where we as shooters will look forward to attending the various meetings. Where staff is treated nicely. Don't forget that the NRA is a registered national charity, not a London based bank where the leadership has razorsharp elbows.

Alternative is of course to just leave things the way they are and one day given enough time people will have forgotten or be dead.

BTW, I am writing this as Christel, not as a business in case anyone felt the need to threaten the SHED again for addressing the situation at the NRA.
There is a common 'theme' in that it's the traders on the forum who have been most vocal in their complaints - As I can see both sides in that issue I'd rather stay out of it...

...but as a 'shooter', I have seen tangible positive improvements at Bisley in the last year or so...

...and you can't have it both ways...you say the NRA 'is not a London bank', but it was a lack of professionalism and business acumen that led to the NRA going so far down-hill in the first place...'professional' management was needed.

Re: Is it worth Joining the NRA?

Posted: Tue Jul 21, 2015 8:53 pm
by Dougan
dromia wrote:
techguy wrote:
I'd be interested to know what the complaints actually are, and if those issues were addressed to anyone that can do anything about them at the NRA, and if anything was done by the NRA.

Surely the biggest complaint is that the NRA purports to be a national organisation but nearly all of its resources go into running a Surrey shooting ground, its national footprint and effect on shooting beyond Bisley is negligible.

My second complaint is that it will not champion gun ownership and hides behind its constitution when challenged on this.
On the first point I do totally agree - But I don't know what is to be done about it, as it's massive task that will need a lot of funding, hard work and cooperation...it would make me very happy to see the NRA be truly 'national' in our lifetime.

On your second point - I've said a dozen times that not all NRA members (including myself) want the NRA to be political...their constitution is based on 'target shooting'...it's a vital part of shooting in the UK, so why not let the NRA have their remit and leave the politics to someone else? - I actually agree with your 'gun ownership' philosophy and don't think that Target and/or competitive shooting is the 'be all and end all of shooting'...but why continually burden the NRA with criticism that doesn't belong to them, which only hampers them from being a positive part of our shooting community?

Re: Is it worth Joining the NRA?

Posted: Tue Jul 21, 2015 8:57 pm
by RDC
So what does the NRA actually plan to do outside of Bisley? There are several now who have said this will be a key focus of the NRA, but does anyone actually know what it will involve?

Re: Is it worth Joining the NRA?

Posted: Tue Jul 21, 2015 9:03 pm
by Dougan
The Gun Pimp wrote:Can you see 'benchrest' mentioned anywhere on the NRA website?
That surprises me; I though benchrest was a well recognised discipline.

I know a gentleman who, over the last three years, pretty much single handed invented and ran LRRF (Long Range Rim-Fire) competitions - It's a new discipline, but the NRA have now adopted it and run a meeting in the Spring to compliment our club meeting in the autumn...

...why not make it your mission to put benchrest on the NRA calendar?

Re: Is it worth Joining the NRA?

Posted: Tue Jul 21, 2015 10:00 pm
by The Gun Pimp
Dougan wrote:
The Gun Pimp wrote:Can you see 'benchrest' mentioned anywhere on the NRA website?
That surprises me; I though benchrest was a well recognised discipline.

I know a gentleman who, over the last three years, pretty much single handed invented and ran LRRF (Long Range Rim-Fire) competitions - It's a new discipline, but the NRA have now adopted it and run a meeting in the Spring to compliment our club meeting in the autumn...

...why not make it your mission to put benchrest on the NRA calendar?
I did - but gave up!

Re: Is it worth Joining the NRA?

Posted: Wed Jul 22, 2015 9:29 am
by alexham
Dougan wrote:
The Gun Pimp wrote:Can you see 'benchrest' mentioned anywhere on the NRA website?
That surprises me; I though benchrest was a well recognised discipline.

I know a gentleman who, over the last three years, pretty much single handed invented and ran LRRF (Long Range Rim-Fire) competitions - It's a new discipline, but the NRA have now adopted it and run a meeting in the Spring to compliment our club meeting in the autumn...

...why not make it your mission to put benchrest on the NRA calendar?
NRA is not the national shooting body for Benchrest, but there are benches made specially for benchrest shooting. NRA will "adopt" any new discipline if it sees an opportunity for profit, but it is not very good in "inventing" anything. By the way, its function is to promote target shooting, which is not the same as gun ownership. I don't think we can have a body that promotes just gun ownership, because you have to have "good reason for owning" and ownership on its own is not enough.

Re: Is it worth Joining the NRA?

Posted: Wed Jul 22, 2015 10:13 am
by dromia
Gunownership is about the issue of owning guns within the law and the current legislation.

Shooters ability to own firearms in pursuit of lawful shooting and gunownership (e.g. collecting) activities is fundamental to undertaking those activities..

The ability to own firearms is the foundation of all shooting and/or gun owning activity in this country, we are surrounded by mass and institutional hostility to owning guns which we as a community seem to avoid until our backs are to the wall and then sell each other down the river based on divisive use of "disciplines".

Unless we have a strong single body that champions the owning of firearms within the laws of the land, works to demystify firearms and their actual "threat", challenging the anti gun lobby and engaging meaningfully with the Home Office, ACPO and its new name organisation to further our cause then we are all shooting on borrowed time.

We do have mechanisms in place which our "bodies" support for engagement with the legislators but they are totally ineffectual, just look at the fees debacle in which we were once again shafted, look at the airgun legislation being introduced in Scotland. Also when ever something is agreed then there is all the individual clamour from the shooting organisations to claim the credit, bairns in a playground "my gang is better than your gang", sickeningly immature and playing right into the antis hands.

If you ignore the fact that we need intelligent and forceful capacity at a national level leading on maintaining our ability to own firearms for lawful pursuits then we are indeed doomed.

If our "national" bodies choose to ignore this or avoid it, as the NRA do, then their heads are up their rectums and do us all a disservice, you cannot separate gun ownership from shooting in this country as they are one and the same, no gun ownership no shooting, no disciplines and no "national" bodies to feed their vested interests. Unless this issue is tackled robustly and soon we are turkeys voting for christmas.

I cannot for the life of me understand how so many people on here cannot or refuse to see this simple and fundamental truth about their activity.

Still we are in a post modern world now where perception seems to be the new reality and truth for most people rather what they actually see and know. So indeed shooting in the UK is truly doomed.