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NRA (lack of )support for non Bisley target shooting

Posted: Mon Aug 18, 2014 9:50 pm
by Cj10
Over a year ago I first raised the issue of Landmarc imposed minimum age limits within our licence for a number of MOD ranges. This was subsequently compounded by local Landmarc interpretation of a DSEA policy note, which had an adverse impact on my club. The NRA failed to take forward either of these issues on our behalf.

As a result we wrote directly to Andrew Mercer. The letter is shown below (apologies for the overlap in the images)
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Below is the response we received directly from Mr Mercer.

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Mr Mercer subsequently attended a club committee meeting in February of this year, where he reinforced how he had driven through changes within the NRA to refocus resource on better supporting regional,target shooting activity, and increasing the advocacy given to dealing with the MOD over regional issues. He agreed to feed back the high level outcomes from a subsequent meeting he was having two days later with the MOD, whee our club's issues were to be discussed. I was very impressed both by his understanding of our concerns and the manner in which he planned to address them with the MOD. This is where it appeared to end though.

Despite several reminders, including email and phone messages he has failed to communicate any further with us. In fact, we were almost unable to renew our MOD range licences this year as the NRA was overdue in supplying our club NRA affiliation card for 14/15. (You must produce this to Landmarc in order for your range licence to be renewed.) This was despite us actually raising this directly with him weeks before it was actually due.

If Mr Mercer was ever to communicate with us again, which is highly unlikely, I would ask what happened to the resource you promised to dealing with Regional concerns, and ensuring ongoing access to MOD ranges., as well as counsel him on the damage he has done to the NRA brand within East Anglia.

Please feel free to share the images of the above letters with others. It is only when Mr Mercer actually starts to see or hear people discussing these sorts of occurrences that he will actually do something to address the issues at hand, rather than simply believe simple PR will work for anything other than a sort period of time.

Ceri

Re: NRA (lack of )support for non Bisley target shooting

Posted: Mon Aug 18, 2014 9:59 pm
by Swamp Donkey
Is this the same Mr Mercer who still hasn't sorted out any kind of SARTS training so as to allow civvies to use it ?

Pete

Re: NRA (lack of )support for non Bisley target shooting

Posted: Mon Aug 18, 2014 10:35 pm
by Alpha1
Is this the same Mr Mercer who still hasn't sorted out any kind of SARTS training so as to allow civvies to use it ?

Pete
Yes and he still has not sorted it out.

Re: NRA (lack of )support for non Bisley target shooting

Posted: Tue Aug 19, 2014 6:27 am
by ovenpaa
Ceri, have these letters been forwarded to John Webster and the Trustees?

Re: NRA (lack of )support for non Bisley target shooting

Posted: Tue Aug 19, 2014 6:49 am
by David TS
Ceri

Firstly, thank you for your and the club's efforts on this.

As a Grove club member, having found out in the last few days that our club access to STANTA is blocked for the forseeable future, I have made the decision to join the NRA as an individual member so I can start a polite harassment campaign with messrs Mercer and Robertson, and I urge any other Grove and KLSM members to do the same.

It is ludicrous that our NGB for target shooting is not out there working on our behalf (or, if it is, it doesn't do a better job of communicating with us). If only it were as pro-active as its counterpart across the pond :cry: .

Re: NRA (lack of )support for non Bisley target shooting

Posted: Tue Aug 19, 2014 7:49 am
by David TS
Ceri

Also, one other question - Landmarc say the issue that we are bumped off STANTA is because the RCO's are not qualified to operate on a range that has the moving targets. What exactly are the 'moving targets', as I have never seen any there?

Re: NRA (lack of )support for non Bisley target shooting

Posted: Tue Aug 19, 2014 8:17 am
by the running man
An unnamed club and chairman at a large shooting club in our area has been trying to get these very questions answered....I guess mercer is too busy bollocking folk for parking in his spot than answering any of the real people's concerns...

Re: NRA (lack of )support for non Bisley target shooting

Posted: Tue Aug 19, 2014 8:47 am
by Cad Monkey
David TS wrote:Ceri

Firstly, thank you for your and the club's efforts on this.

As a Grove club member, having found out in the last few days that our club access to STANTA is blocked for the forseeable future, I have made the decision to join the NRA as an individual member so I can start a polite harassment campaign with messrs Mercer and Robertson, and I urge any other Grove and KLSM members to do the same.

It is ludicrous that our NGB for target shooting is not out there working on our behalf (or, if it is, it doesn't do a better job of communicating with us). If only it were as pro-active as its counterpart across the pond :cry: .
David, just to clarify we (Grove & KLSM) still have access to the non 'field firing ranges' on Stanta, the next schedules shoot in this Thursday (21st Aug) on Archers which is not classified as a FFR.

Re: NRA (lack of )support for non Bisley target shooting

Posted: Tue Aug 19, 2014 9:53 am
by User702
David TS, they may be talking about the MMTT range targets or other targetry that is designed to pop-up/pop-down. Without looking at it, I could not say for sure.

I have to ask though, would a military RCO working as an RCO for a civilian club be allowed to use the ranges that an NRA/civilian RCO is not?

Re: NRA (lack of )support for non Bisley target shooting

Posted: Tue Aug 19, 2014 10:02 am
by Swamp Donkey
User702 wrote:David TS, they may be talking about the MMTT range targets or other targetry that is designed to pop-up/pop-down. Without looking at it, I could not say for sure.

I have to ask though, would a military RCO working as an RCO for a civilian club be allowed to use the ranges that an NRA/civilian RCO is not?
In theory, no. And going by my experience, no. Although when HQSPTA said civvy clubs couldn't fire without a military presence due to not being MATT3 medic qualified, they did back down as several members of most of the local clubs are serving and qual'd.