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

nfrancis,

However - this is politics, not shooting. Please try not to mix the two up....

You don't agree that these days the two are invariably linked? After all it's our political masters who have the last say on what firearms sportsmen/women are allowed to have.

Blu

And neither these Pardinis...

http://www.targetshooting.ca/graphics/e ... _uk_fp.jpg

http://www.pardini.it/weapon/fpe_fpm_long_arm.asp

They look fine, they even come with somewhere to hang your coat

Blu

There were only 60000 pistol shooters at the time of the ban in 97. We have had all manner of "pistols " being offered since that time. Muzzle loading, nitro conversion, long barrelled and even a self ejecting lever release concept and heritage, keeping them somewhere else. None of them have proved popular and this is because they are not. "proper pistols" to a lot of minds. Suggesting that the offerings should be satisfactory is just Diet Coke.

Sendit wrote: http://firearmsuk.org/unity/ and this too, we have even prepared template letters for you so you can copy and paste http://firearmsuk.org/the-2014-european ... elections/

However - this is politics, not shooting. Please try not to mix the two up....[/quote]

Politics and Shooting Sports are inexorably linked and whether anyone likes it, or accepts it is an irrelevance because the political classes and mainstream media clearly do.

You are mistaken in the assertion that I seek to politicise shooting, I cannot, simply because I am too late for the reason stated above.

What I do advocate is that we, if we support shooting as you state you do, let our allegedly democratically elected representative know you support shooting sports and that if they as politicians do not it may affect the way a vote is cast, in doing so I seek to influence political opinion in favour of the sport I enjoy and thus combat the negativity, rhetoric and misinformation fed to the population in general, the link posted provide an opportunity should anyone wish to utilise it.

Sendit wrote:Politics and Shooting Sports are inexorably linked and whether anyone likes it, or accepts it is an irrelevance because the political classes and mainstream media clearly do.

But does that mean that all and every shooting organisation has to be political?

I'm pleased to see someone trying to start a new 'representation', and am happy to support you general aims at the moment; and I think arguing in all ways possible for the practicing of an Olympic sport being made legal is a no-brainer...

...but I also agree that simply getting more people involved in shooting, especially competitive shooting, could be more effective right now than repeated petitions that are unlikely to get to 100,000 signatures...

Dougan wrote: ...but I also agree that simply getting more people involved in shooting, especially competitive shooting, could be more effective right now than repeated petitions that are unlikely to get to 100,000 signatures...

Why though? There are plenty of people shooting and zero notice is taken of them currently. No notice was taken of the 60,000 pistol shooters in '97 either.
Politicians understand one thing, politics. If we can't fight them in their arena we may as well not bother at all IMO.
Luckily though some shooters do want to take the fight to them and I wish us all the best of luck.

I don't read my own signature!

Dougan,

But does that mean that all and every shooting organisation has to be political?

While I agree with you that shooting should be about getting new blood involved unfortunately these days it also has to some degree become political as well. My reasoning for that is nearly all decisions regarding what you can shoot, where you can shoot, licensing, well just about everything is made at a political level. You say that getting folks into the sport could be more effective than petitions that are unlikely to reach 100,000, fair enough but at the same time petitions also let your political masters know that there are rumblings within the shooting community and that you're not happy about something.

These days if you want any changes made with regards to firearms law then you have to be prepared to get involved politically because that's who you are going to be dealing with to get things done. As for the petition itself, well unless you are prepared to peacefully protest en mass (which I can't see happening) that petition is better than doing nothing, well that is unless you are happy with the way things are. Just remember though mate, the more you let them get away with stuff, the more it becomes easier to impose more stuff on you.

Blu

nfrancis wrote:

Sendit wrote:
Please, just support shooting for the sake of it!

I do... I guess many others do as well

Sendit wrote: http://firearmsuk.org/unity/ and this too, we have even prepared template letters for you so you can copy and paste http://firearmsuk.org/the-2014-european ... elections/

However - this is politics, not shooting. Please try not to mix the two up....

I disagree with your views on pistol ownership completely start a new thread and we can all argue on there.

I'd love to be more positive, but when you really look at the reality of reversing the ban on all pistols and SLRs unfortunately we're really up against it...

...there's the fact that we won't be supported by the vast majority of the public...

...and the fact that no politician will ever stick their neck out for a (relatively) very small minority.

I think I'd be more likely to fight if there were further restrictions...but at the moment (maybe because I'm becoming one of those apathetic old farts) I'd rather avoid politics and get on with enjoying my shooting.

Dougan,

I'd love to be more positive, but when you really look at the reality of reversing the ban on all pistols and SLRs unfortunately we're really up against it...

Reality is what you make it Dougan, reality is making it happen and it's also about reminding the politicians who works for who here.

.but at the moment (maybe because I'm becoming one of those apathetic old farts) I'd rather avoid politics and get on with enjoying my shooting.

Fine old friend, enjoy it while you can, but just remember that with such attitudes it may no longer be around in the future for that new blood we discussed earlier on in the thread to enjoy. While some folks who shoot are apathetic about it the folks who believe civilians shouldn't have firearms are far from being apathetic.

Blu