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

I have just added the figures for Scotland onto the numbers for FAC and SGC and it is closer to 800,000. We believe that there are around 4,000,000 airgun owners in England and Wales and potentially up to 500,000 airgun owners in Scotland. If we include collectors, airsoft enthusiasts and those just with an interest in shooting we are definitely around the 5,000,000 mark of people with an overall interest. Not including those in NI, CI etc.

If this significant number of people can successfully unite and support each other then there is real potential for positive change for the shooting community.

Alpha1-Regarding your question as to why we do not have more signatures. I believe it is several issues. Apathy being a major one, selfishness another "why should I sign it has nothing to do with me". Awareness is another key factor, everyone must spread the word of this petition and encourage their friends and family to sign. We have just printed posters for people to put up in their club houses to raise awareness.

Someone mentioned older shooters not having access to computers, this I believe is fairly common, citing my own experiences out of the 10 people I rough shoot with perhaps 3 of us have computers. This is where we must all assist them to add their names to the petition.

If we do not try to protect our sporting rights then it is easy to take them away. Looking at the history of firearms law in the UK it is clear that the strategy is not an instant catch all ban but a slow step by step progress. A little restriction here and there that slowly builds up. We are not at the thin end of the wedge we are halfway up it.

We believe the best way to get our sports back is to reverse the process which is why we have chosen the name unity. Today we ask for .22 RF pistols back tomorrow it may be your chosen discipline that we are trying to protect/promote.


Dave
Publicity Manager
Firearms UK.

DaveFirearmsUK wrote:I have just added the figures for Scotland onto the numbers for FAC and SGC and it is closer to 800,000.
Dave
Publicity Manager
Firearms UK.

Can any press notices etc be adjusted to reflect the correct figure for FAC/SGC holders as nothing undermines an argument more than when over-inflated figures are discovered

I got the same response from Mr Mercer that Dromia did - so why do the organisers of this petition think that they are not being supported by the NRA?

Paul

Not true!

Will be posted on to our website soon – my staff are just working through the major launch of new Membership database so website updates somewhat in arrears.

Regards
Andrew

Sent: 16 April 2014 11:21
To: Andrew Mercer
Subject: Website contact
From the NRA of Great Britain
Web Communication

From: Paul Thomson
Message:
Dear Mr Mercer, I have recently been advised that NRA (UK) are NOT(?!) willing to support the recent online petition asking for a change to firearms legislation to allow ownership of .22LR pistols for competetive shooting. Whilst other organisations such as BASC and the Countryside Alliance give their full backing to this proposal the NRA appear unwilling or unable to do so? I would simply like to ask if this is true and if it is the reasons behind such a decision being made. Although not a pistol shooter myself I will willingly and whole heartedly support any piece of proposed legislation that strengthens shooting sports as a whole in this country. I am sure that the NRA are eager to do the same, even if pistol shooting is not something that it primarily focuses on. I look forward to your comments and for clarification of the NRA's position regarding this subject.
Regards Paul Thomson

Dromia and Tomo. As Secretary of Firearms UK I had an exploratory conversation with Mr Mercer on 24th March and whilst NRA had placed a link to Firearms UK on their web site at our request and under the 'Other Organisations' heading they were not prepared to either support officially or publicise to their membership the Unity campaign or petition. The reason cited was it clashed with initiatives of their own and the timing was inappropriate. If NRA have changed their stance and now declare support for Unity in any way at all it is news to me, welcome news, but news non the less. Since that original conversation I have had no contact or further discussion with anyone at NRA.

If indeed NRA are now supportive I am grateful to them and will enter into dialogue at any time should they wish to do so but to date no further request, or approach for dialogue by either party has been made.

Charles Marston
Secretary
Firearms UK.

Sendit wrote:Dromia and Tomo. As Secretary of Firearms UK I had an exploratory conversation with Mr Mercer on 24th March and whilst NRA had placed a link to Firearms UK on their web site at our request and under the 'Other Organisations' heading they were not prepared to either support officially or publicise to their membership the Unity campaign or petition. The reason cited was it clashed with initiatives of their own and the timing was inappropriate. If NRA have changed their stance and now declare support for Unity in any way at all it is news to me, welcome news, but news non the less. Since that original conversation I have had no contact or further discussion with anyone at NRA.

If indeed NRA are now supportive I am grateful to them and will enter into dialogue at any time should they wish to do so but to date no further request, or approach for dialogue by either party has been made.

Charles Marston
Secretary
Firearms UK.

Interesting. I have emailed Mr Mercer again for comment.

I suppose the test will be when we see the nature of the NRA support Mr Mercer is referring to.

Sendit wrote: The reason cited was it clashed with initiatives of their own and the timing was inappropriate.

Charles Marston
Secretary
Firearms UK.

I would be interested to know what the initiatives are the NRA are undertaking to champion gun ownership in the UK and also what was inappropriate about the timing.

dromia wrote:Perhaps the NRA reconsidered their position?

Yeah and if they did I wonder when they reconsidered their position.

Blu

They????

Blackstuff wrote:

DaveFirearmsUK wrote:I have just added the figures for Scotland onto the numbers for FAC and SGC and it is closer to 800,000.
Dave
Publicity Manager
Firearms UK.

Can any press notices etc be adjusted to reflect the correct figure for FAC/SGC holders as nothing undermines an argument more than when over-inflated figures are discovered

Hi Blackstuff,

We will make any necessary corrections. It appears there may have been a miscalculation using the number of Firearms instead of certificate holders.

According to the website gunpolicy.org the number of licensed gun owners in the United Kingdom is reported to be 842,665

Thank you.

Dave