A discussion on the role of the NRA and it’s future.

[karen]

The first useful move for them would be to change their name to the Bisley Rifle Association and stop pretending it represents the majority of British shooters.
Either that, or divorce themselves from the running of Bisley and do the National remit properly based away from the South of England, preferably.
They are not big enough or financed well enough to do both.
Just my fourpenn'orth.

Yep give us the money and we'll have NRA ranges everywhere sign85

Are any of you secret multi-millionaires who will leave mega-millions to me and I promise you I will personally build range complexes all over the country? PM me if so

Bisley is a great asset and it is unfortunate that it is where it is but the people who made the decision to put it here are not around to blame anymore. Doesnt seem to stop people blaming us for being here though

Love

Karen

[karen]

I'm just listening to the 6.00 o'clock news as I type this "Britain's largest shooting organisation, BASC, made the following statement........" (about the latest shooting incident)

If anyone from the NRA heard that, I'd like to know what they thought.

If the BBC go to BASC.............

Well they would as BASC are leading on the media side of things again.

Plenty of media came our way today but I believe they were pointed to BSSC and BASC

Whats the problem?

Love

karen

[Sandgroper]

I'm just listening to the 6.00 o'clock news as I type this "Britain's largest shooting organisation, BASC, made the following statement........" (about the latest shooting incident)

If anyone from the NRA heard that, I'd like to know what they thought.

If the BBC go to BASC.............

Well they would as BASC are leading on the media side of things again.

Plenty of media came our way today but I believe they were pointed to BSSC and BASC

Whats the problem?

Love

karen

The problem is it looks like the NRA aren't doing anything.

As I said in my original post

BASC may be releasing statments on behalf of all shooting bodies, but that isn't how it appears. Because the NRA appears to be silent, BASC is getting the publicity and to it's members, it's doing it's job - this is why I feel the NRA comes in for so much stick. BASC is winning the publicity game and in the end that will cost the NRA dearly.

As to the range question - if all the NRA affiliated clubs were somehow able to share membership and ranges through a single NRA membership wouldn't that help spread things around?

[artiglio]

With great respect;

I expect an organisation ,that represents me as a member and wishes to grow, to have its own statement on such an event, by all means make other bodies aware in advance of the statement and agree wording if necessary, but to call yourself the National Rifle Association and direct the media to another organisation it seems as though the NRA is without a voice and happy to play second fiddle. Which to me shows lack of selfconfidence both in its present form and future direction.

regards phil

p.s. living in the south of england i am fortunate to have access to bisley, which is why i joined the NRA and NRASC, I have been able to use the range as often as i have wished and found the staff both amiable and helpful. But if I did not want to shoot at bisley there would be very little point in joining the NRA, hopefully overtime the NRA will be able to attract additional members and move forward or combine with the BASC.

[karen]

Personally, I just wish we had an NRA more like the American one.

I would have to disagree with you on that one for many reasons (but I expect I will get shot down in flames for saying that!)

Bring down the cost of membership, ($30 in the US) get everyone joined-up and build ourselves an organisation that truly represents ALL shooters

.
We did - we got more members so it worked but where were all the thousands of members who we wanted to attract? Not there so unfortunately membership rates are creeping up again. If you had all joined then membership rates would have decreased year on year - the Membership Committee had a five year plan to reduce rates to £50 from £83 and we nearly made it. Unfortunately we only got to £55 and then had to start raising it again.

A study was carried out a few years ago proposing that the major shooting bodies amalgamate - everyone seemed to think it was a good idea but it all came to nothing.

Don't start me on NATSS - there was a LOT of problems with the concept which was being pushed forward by those with ulterior motives. Some of it made sense and hopefully can be utilised in the future but there were a lot of serious problems with the whole concept. I seriously do not believe that it was being done for the good of the individual shooters or clubs and we would have all been worse off if it had gone ahead.

I would love to be an NRA member but what's the point? The NRA doesn't even recognise my discipline - benchrest - even though 29 other governing bodies worldwide do so!

Why doesn't the NRA recognise benchrest? If you want the NRA to recognise benchrest then let us know and we can see what we can do. We have just established Target Shotgun as a new discipline - it has taken a year or two to get it done but it has now happened.

The daftest thing for me is the NSRA/NRA thing - two national shooting organisations on the same site but worlds apart. Guys - you're doing exactly the same thing!!!!

No we're not doing the same thing - the NSRA broke away from the NRA in the early 1900s but I am sure we would welcome them back if they ever needed or wanted us to.

However, the NRA should not be involved in the day to day running of Bisley. If Bisley loses money it shouldn't bounce back on NRA members who never go near the place.

That was the whole point of NSC / NRA but noone seemed to understand it. NSC ran Bisley and NRA was a countrywide organisation. The finances were kept separate in an accounting manner for that very reason. The concept had its good points and its bad points - it has now been dispensed with.mHowever as the NRA own Bisley and it is our major asset we do need to be involved in running it.

Love

Karen

[karen]

BASC may be releasing statments on behalf of all shooting bodies, but that isn't how it appears. Because the NRA appears to be silent, BASC is getting the publicity and to it's members, it's doing it's job - this is why I feel the NRA comes in for so much stick. BASC is winning the publicity game and in the end that will cost the NRA dearly.

But its not a competition to see which organisation can express the most sympathy or make the most promises to its members or gain the most publicity - people have died and we need to respect that!

[dodgyrog]

Karen
I do have the greatest respect for you but I am confused as to whether you speak for the NRA or more from the heart?
It would a huge step forward for the NRA to have an authorised mouthpiece on this (and other) forum.
I see David BASC speaks for BASC on the Stalking Directory, maybe there is a similar person in the NRA?

ps I disagree about your view on the American NRA. I would love to see a British body representing shooters that Politicians would be careful to listen to.

[karen]

With great respect;

I expect an organisation ,that represents me as a member and wishes to grow, to have its own statement on such an event, by all means make other bodies aware in advance of the statement and agree wording if necessary, but to call yourself the National Rifle Association and direct the media to another organisation it seems as though the NRA is without a voice and happy to play second fiddle. Which to me shows lack of selfconfidence both in its present form and future direction.

I could write that statement now and put it on the website

We are very sorry this has happened and we send sympathy to the bereaved (fairly obvious)
He wasnt an NRA member (selfish)
He wasn't a member of an affiliated club (again selfish)
We request that there are no kneejerk reactions (again selfish)
We'll protect our members interests and fight any kneejerk reactions (probably what you want to hear but again selfish)

That all sounds fairly hollow to me

I can put the BASC statement on our website if you like and say that we support their view and that they are speaking for us? Would that make it better?

It is extremely difficult to "do the right thing" when people have died especially when not all the facts are known - we don't even know what the Section 1 firearms are and why he had them

Karen

[dromia]

Dromia, (without trying to sound like a cheeky bugger) you sound like a wise old fella and your arguments that I've read in the past have always been well constructed and sound, I'd also be interested in reading your views (and others on this forum) as I lack the experience to make a comment myself. If your views are taken as bashing I'd say this was a slight on them rather than yourself.

Thank you for that Michael, I certainly agree with the old bit. Unfortunately as a moderator I don't have the same freedom of expression as a member.

[karen]

Karen
I do have the greatest respect for you but I am confused as to whether you speak for the NRA or more from the heart?
It would a huge step forward for the NRA to have an authorised mouthpiece on this (and other) forum.
I see David BASC speaks for BASC on the Stalking Directory, maybe there is a similar person in the NRA?

From the heart - none of this is an NRA viewpoint as I am not authorised to speak on their behalf

An authorised mouthpiece would be good - now that is constructive criticism I can pass onto others for consideration

Leave that one with me

Thanks for the idea

Love

Karen