Ideas needed ASAP

[John MH]

Team up with HFH (just an example) and organise a charity event?

A charitable HFH event to make a profit for the NRA, does not sound quite right. I organised and ran a successful event at Bisely but had no offer or sought any discount from the NRA on the range hire as I suspect given the NRA's current financial situation the answer would have been no.

[Michael Sproul]

If a "younger" chap's opinion is worth anything.

The NRA is very intimidating and seems very "closed". Ok, I'm sure once you get going and you've been there a few times and become a "face" you're fine, but for a newbie to Bisley we are completely lost. I personally have found no "open door" policy and you're kinda on your own and expect to either work it out for yourselves or join a group of "faces" that know what they're doing.

I'm 25, there's about three people in my club that are younger then me - discounting kids that are 8 and are brought by their dad etc, the avarage age of the clube is something like 52. Our sport WILL die if new blood is not brought in.

It is time to face facts that things need to change if shooting is still going to be here in 20 years time.

My age is your ideal target age. We're not too young that we cannot learn and gasp the concepts of safety and firearm control and we have friends that we can encourage too.

I suggest a more "open door" policy, "want to shoot? come and meet our staff who will teach you all you need to know and teach you about firearm control" etc. Make these things fun. Falling targets, reactive targets - organise a volley fire and a bayonet charge, something.

Quoted as it's such a good post. You could also change NRA for my local club, very friendly but I still feel out of place. How many other clubs are like this, probably quite a few.

[Ginger]

How about a programme of working with the Scout Association at HQ level to introduce shooting to the Scouts.

A Scout weekend at Bisley?

How about identifying and engaging with the heads of sport in every Education Authority and ultimately in every school?

Scouts already have a shooting badge, if my boys group are anything to go by they don't have a clue where to start or skills to teach them. Maybe the NRA / NSRA should sponser an outreach by offering air rifles at cost and a simple competion, and to bring the cost down to the scout unit let them use a NRA target that they can print out (yes I know you will not get any copyright money on it, but spend to invest and the spend on the target would be small).

Because they can only do the shooting badge when they are in the scouts I just had to get my boys hobby badge in the cubs with target shooting my .22lr

Introduce it as education working with the police, so the police can do there gun / weapon talk and then the shooting side is about handling guns correctly to enforce to the young people that they are not toys.

http://www.scouts.org.uk/supportresourc ... 26,359,508
Has the NRA thought of giving this training FoC (nasty phrase the the NRA I know), to members of gun clubs who sign up to assigning scouting units?

http://www.scouts.org.uk/supportresourc ... cat=26,415

Maybe help and guidence offered to the local units via local clubs with the backing of the NRA

http://www.scouts.org.uk/supportresourc ... 7-shooting

I'm a scout leader up in East Lancs and I'm 'on the case' as it were. I'll shortly be approaching the NRA to aks what they can do to help me.

Good for you Watcher, I hope the NRA / NSRA can match your pro active approach.

[Watcher]

Out of interest I've set up a poll to survey the age span of forum members. It might be instructive!

[IainWR]

I'm a scout leader up in East Lancs and I'm 'on the case' as it were. I'll shortly be approaching the NRA to aks what they can do to help me.

PM or call me. Shooting Committee is anxious to help Cadets with developing their marksmanship. I see no reason (other than resources of kit, manpower and willpower) why we shouldn't extend that to Scouts if there is a demand.

As a 20 yo Scout Leader I took my troop to the local .22 club for an evening. It was the best, most civilised behaviour I ever saw from the little hooligans. The club were helpul and the Scouts were awestruck.

Iain

[Watcher]

Iain,

PM sent.

W

[Blackstuff]

UKPSA are a bunch of control freaks, they won't let the NRA 'Control' their discipline.

John

And with respect, why should they? It is not an NRA party, *NRA have no view either way on the discipline*, NRA do not claim to run GB teams in their discipline.

If UKPSA wish to subordinate themselves to NRA I am delighted to discuss the process. But I (and by extension the NRA) make no claim to have the right to control their discipline. We have a disparate and fractured sport. The NRA is in the process of writing a procedure that will identify who sits where. But we make no claim to compel anyone to join us. Our classification of organisations will be published in April. Any organisation who thinks they have national status and wishes to be included can email me with a statement of their position. I have already included every NRA affiliated organisation and everyone else I personally knew of at time of writing.

Iain

Thank you, almost bit my tongue off there Not quite sure i'd agree with * * but i don't want to get into that.

Other than PSG i'd like to see more open days too, with 'have a go' of several different disciplines

[dodgyrog]

I just got back from two days away and read the request.
I think that the changes needed are those at the reins of the NRA who have consistently shown lack of vision and leadership.
As usual, those who suffer are their 'servants' whose livelihood is now at risk and the members who expect much more from their representatives.
Closing ranks when individuals come forward with differing ideas to theirs is a tactic doomed to fail.
You cannot tell me there aren't individuals amongst the shooting fraternity who couldn't do a better job than those leading the NRA at the moment.
My sympathies to those employees of the NRA whose jobs are at risk.

[Christel]

If a "younger" chap's opinion is worth anything.

The NRA is very intimidating and seems very "closed". Ok, I'm sure once you get going and you've been there a few times and become a "face" you're fine, but for a newbie to Bisley we are completely lost. I personally have found no "open door" policy and you're kinda on your own and expect to either work it out for yourselves or join a group of "faces" that know what they're doing.

I'm 25, there's about three people in my club that are younger then me - discounting kids that are 8 and are brought by their dad etc, the avarage age of the clube is something like 52. Our sport WILL die if new blood is not brought in.

It is time to face facts that things need to change if shooting is still going to be here in 20 years time.

My age is your ideal target age. We're not too young that we cannot learn and gasp the concepts of safety and firearm control and we have friends that we can encourage too.

I suggest a more "open door" policy, "want to shoot? come and meet our staff who will teach you all you need to know and teach you about firearm control" etc. Make these things fun. Falling targets, reactive targets - organise a volley fire and a bayonet charge, something.

Quoted as it's such a good post. You could also change NRA for my local club, very friendly but I still feel out of place. How many other clubs are like this, probably quite a few.

Good post Tower.75.

I felt that way as well when Ovenpaa and I started out as shooters, who to ask, where to go?
That was part of why I thought it was a good idea to set up and run this forum, it is I hope a place where people can ask all those questions and hopefully get a reply :)

[Tower75]

Thanks

But unfortunately, it's true. Ask me how you go about shooting at Bisley.

Answer: I dunno. Haven't a clue. I have no idea how to start, who to talk to, how much it'll cost what disciplines are shot, nothing. Plus, I live about 4 hours away so it's not like I can just walk down the road to the office and enquire.

I find the NRA website just a mash of text, there's a "how to book targets" section, but I'm still none that wiser.

Seems all very "fraternity" and "gentleman's club" to me with no real effort to actually encourage "outsiders".

Sorry, but that's just my experince.