The UK's Finest Independent Forum for Shooters and Gun Owners. Est 2010.

Sandgroper wrote:
In the big scheme - who cares who does what as long as it gets done?

I'd guess the members who are paying and expect support and proactive protection of our sport, not just jumping one someone else's bandwagon and claiming a win, if that's what happened.

Demonic69 wrote:

Sandgroper wrote:
In the big scheme - who cares who does what as long as it gets done?

I'd guess the members who are paying and expect support and proactive protection of our sport, not just jumping one someone else's bandwagon and claiming a win, if that's what happened.

As a BASC member, it really doesn't matter to me who was the lead in this issue because nobody has covered themselves in glory -

The HO, ACPO and FELWG, well they started it,

The CA appears to have jumped in to further their own agenda,

BASC's much vaunted PR machine appears to have been caught on the back foot and is playing catch up or damage control (re the original CA letter) depending on you point of view,

From the BSSC, NRA and the SAGBNI there appears to be nothing but silence or following either BASC or the CA,

and we the shooters can't seem to help fighting amongst ourselves over who did or said what...

United we stand - no chance.

I think we have all agreed that our "national" organisations are just not up to snuff.

Sandgroper wrote:From the BSSC, NRA and the SAGBNI there appears to be nothing but silence

That's what really gets my goat - I thought the BSSC was explicitly set up to make this sort of bunfighting go away! Instead we've had nowt but silence from them, SAGBNI, and the other explicitly political organisations (except for BASC and the CA).

When even our own lobbying folk can't, don't or won't tell us what good works they're doing behind the scenes, no wonder everyone assumes they're sat on their backsides doing nothing. It's also a shame that Firearms UK have seemingly laid down and died, that had real promise.

I'm also a member of BASC (and WAGBI before the name change) and have always recognised that its role as a national association is essentially twofold. Firstly, to give immediate and focused advice and support to a member on demand. Secondly, to lobby in support of it's wider menbership Central and Regional Government and their various agencies. By definition lobbying may need to take place 'behind closed doors' to affect a suitable outcome, otherwise some parties may feel pressure to dig in/walk away if they sense their negotiating position being broadcast. None of us know who or what caused the change - it's all a guessing game and has the potential of being fuelled by some bitter rivalries between some of the associations (many here will remember how some of the small-bore rifle and shotgun associations kept their heads down post Hungerford and Dunblane) and many of us lost our guns, partly due to a lack of joint effort. Of course, BASC does other stuff like promotions, deals, general advice, and so on, but I reckon it main functions are those above.

I do think the biggest offender in all of these matters is ACPO - a unaccountable private company with an anti-libertarian agenda ... their fingerprints always appear on most anti-democratic initiatives we see. If I'm lifted by the Peelers via the 4 o'clock knock and never heard of again or my 'shooters' get taken, you'll all know why.