Wearing a MTP Camouflage Jacket while shooting on a range

[Chapuis]

My home club doesn't have any rules about wearing camouflage gear though I think there would be some concerns if suddenly everyone started wearing such dress and we started to look like a militia movement. The club is after all keen to continue to project the right image in the community if we are to continue to be accepted as a proper sports club engaged with the local community and youth groups.

We have a very high percentage of stalkers amongst the membership and they will sometimes turn up on the range wearing their stalking jackets which are usually some shade of green rather than cammo. The only two guys who turn up dressed head to toe in cammo are an old guy who shot target air rifles (but never game) until he saw the light, and a novice member who is into course fishing. The other club members find it mildly amusing that these chaps find it necessary to dress as such especially as we shoot on an indoor range.

[Christel]

Never heard of a HO regulation on clothing on ranges.

I think it is NRA Rule 201 states a firer whose equipment (including firearms) or dress are thought inappropriate or likely to bring the Association into disrepute may be challenged by the RO or other member of NRA staff and may be required to withdraw. IIRC it doesn't mention camo clothing specifically.

So basically it is down to the individual RO's interpretation of what is right and what is wrong. Dangerous ground.

Especially since we have seen many times on this forum (and I am sure it happens in many other places) that unless xyz you are not one of us.
Somebody once posted that unless you shoot competitions you have no reason to own a gun

As Individual pointed out we as shooters have enough problems as it is. Don't need this prejudice.

[Blackstuff]

Certainly the NRA rules are that unless you are serving military you shouldn't be wearing Camo on the range.

It's about the image of Gung Ho Rambo wannabes that having armed guys in Paramilitary wear displays about shooters to the wider public.


Sent from my boing using "An application"

Gawd, I did not realise that wearing my jacket was against NRA rules. Will burn it immediately. Unless you have mis-quoted the NRA rules?

I can be seen in the current NRA Journal shooting whilst wearing a milsurp desert camo jacket, so much for no camo rules. What the rules state is no wearing of "uniform" unless a serving member of HM Forces. To misquote a proverb, one camo jacket doesn't a uniform make.


However members of one shooting discipline believe that wearing bright coloured sporty shirts and shorts while running around blasting at things with high capacity shotguns makes them look less threatening to the general public.

Nice(!)

Doing the same thing in full camo/black overalls and I'm pretty confident the average member of the public (as opposed to a hoplophobe), would have a different reaction/ask if the person was in the military as opposed to being a clearly identifiable sportsmen/women.

I don't necessarily agree with the IPSC ban on camo/all black for people not in the services, and I think the fact the ban extends to the gun (you aren't allowed to use a civvie camo'ed gun FGS ) is ridiculous but it just makes it too easy for anti's and sleazy journalists if you combine the two, IMO.

[joe]

This shows how fractured the gun owning community is

[dromia]

Typical meaningless British rule making that punishes the vast majority who do no wrong for the vagaries and excesses of the odd few.

It is about how people behave not about how they look.

[lapua338]

Typical meaningless British rule making that punishes the vast majority who do no wrong for the vagaries and excesses of the odd few.

It is about how people behave not about how they look.

Agree!

[Rockhopper]

If the weather is bad I need a full set of water proofs - I have my Army DPM Gortex set that cost about £40 (well free actually as i kept them when i left..) which are superb or do I go and buy a civvy set which will cost many times that amount? Army surplus is cheap and usually good which is why people use it, not to look like some kind of rambo clone (mostly!!).

[nfarmer]

Just to clarify at 72 and a little overweight I dont think I would normally be considered as a 'Rambo' clone but if thats what people see me as BRING IT ON

[channel12]

I can be seen in the current NRA Journal shooting whilst wearing a milsurp desert camo jacket, so much for no camo rules.

Would that be you nearest the camera, thats a smokey AR you have Sir......

I think the smoke is from the ejection port from gun on my left.

[FredB]

People have long memories, especially the politically correct types. If you go back 30 years or so, the military Skill at Arms meeting used to take place at Bisley and it overlapped other meetings. The military asked that civilian shooters should not wear DPM, so that there was no misunderstanding about which of the many people on site were theirs. I don't believe that this was ever formalized as a rule : reading all the hot air on the subject, i am puzzled as to why it was raised here: surely it would have been much simpler to ask the NRA?
In the old pistol Anno Domini meeting, we were asked not to wear red, as the range officers wore red, I still have a couple of range officers issued pullovers, one of which is grey and the other blue.
In 1980, one of my friends was approached by an officious gentleman wearing an NSRA badge who asked what right he had to wear the union jack badge that was sown on to his coat---was he a National Squad Member? He replied that it was his flag, he was born in this country and the NSRA guy should go and do something impossible to himself.
Fred