The Times article on Practicle Shooting

[Pippin89]

Unfortunately (well fortunately most of the time) I don't have a subscription so I can't read the full article. Does anyone have one and wouldn't mind copying and pasting it for the rest of us??

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/edition/news ... -fzssgntwf

[froggy]

It looks this is the 3rd article that "reporter" Sean O’Neill is pushing agst the UKPSA, ie: a kinda of private vendeta/crusade by a gun-hater or a cheap way to make a name for himself ?
I'd also welkom reading the content ...

[TattooedGun]

I got an email from the Chairman of the UKPSA alerting me to this article coming.

It annoys the crap out of me they can't see the parallels between having a certain controversial youtuber as part of the media team, sending them out to film and represent the country at international events, and having them make films about training in Northern Ireland, which was promptly shut down as a result.

What possible good can come of having this person involved in the media side of the organisation, when they have proven themselves as being unable to consider consequences of their actions before taking them?

It's more than obvious the reaosn that the times are interested now in what the UKPSA are doing, because of the company they keep.

The mind boggles as to why he's still in his current position.

[Blackstuff]

Full article: A shooting organisation is facing questions over its charitable status after exploiting loopholes in firearms laws to obtain live-firing handguns of the type banned after the Dunblane massacre.

The UK Practical Shooting Association (UKPSA) announced the “awesome news” that it had “acquired” five 9mm handguns, which members can shoot at a gun club in Northern Ireland.

Handgun ownership was banned in England, Scotland and Wales after the 1996 massacre in which Thomas Hamilton, 43, who learnt to shoot at a gun club, murdered 16 children and a teacher before killing himself. The weapons are still legal to own and use in target shooting in Northern Ireland.

The charity refused to say who bought the weapons or whether charitable funds were used in the purchase. One member of the UKPSA told The Times last night that he was concerned the acquisition of the handguns was “bringing our sport into disrepute”.

The Charity Commission, which is already considering whether the UKPSA should be a registered charity, said that it would examine the handguns issue. It said: “Charitable status means something. Organisations that enjoy this privilege should be single-minded in the pursuit of their charitable purpose and must act within the rules.”

The weapons are available for use by enthusiasts who do not have a firearms licence. Callum Long-Collins, 28, a gun rights activist who was stripped of his firearms and shotgun licences because of police concerns about hardline views on his social media channel, said online that firing the handguns in Northern Ireland was an “absolute blast”. He added: “If you’ve been itching to try handguns . . . the UKPSA want to make this as easy as possible for any member.”

The UKPSA regulates the discipline of “practical shooting”, in which competitors run a course firing at targets. It has been a registered charity since 1982 and as such is exempt from paying tax.

Chrissie Hall of the Gun Control Network said: “I am shocked to discover that the charitable work of this registered charity involves acquiring handguns . . . and keeping them [in Northern Ireland] for members to use.”

The UKPSA said that it was “acting within the law, within the spirit of the law and in the best interests of our members”.

The government says that Britain has some of the world’s toughest gun laws. The situation highlights loopholes in the patchwork of 35 pieces of legislation governing firearms possession and use.


Calling this a 'loophole' is like saying its a loophole that UK drivers go to Germany to drive on the autobahns at more than 70mph

I don't know who the 'Uncle Tom' UKPSA member is (if there actually is one), but I wouldn't want to be them if they get found out!

[froggy]

I'd welkom Sean O’Neill the author to the above enlighted piece of journalism to share his views on the training of the National Olympic team ...

As a result, British shooters who compete in the rapid fire, 50m pistol men and 25m pistol women Olympic events can only train in Northern Ireland, the Channel Islands or Isle of Man.
Team members currently spend about 20 to 30 days a year training in Switzerland, and receive no funding because their events are illegal in the UK.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/other_s ... 162498.stm

[Les]

UKPSA - alias 'United Kingdom Practical Shooting Association'

Wtf does this idiot think they normally shoot - water pistols?

If handguns were illegal there, then it would be a different matter, but they're not. Joe Public once again gets fed a diet of anti-gun BS to stoke the paranoia.

[Dark Skies]

I doubt Chrissie Hall of the Gun Control Network has had a day in her adult life when she wasn't "shocked" about some perfectly legal activity that somebody else enjoys.
The media trundle her out at every opportunity for a sound-bite or quote.
She should be careful what she wishes for because if the UK does eventually do away with legal firearm ownership the phone calls and interviews for her opinions will cease and she'll go back to being a nobody again.
https://www.bristolpost.co.uk/news/bris ... et-3209436

Or perhaps she'll reinvent herself and start becoming "shocked" over people that enjoy archery, after all, longbows are oft quoted as being the 'machine gun of the middle ages in skilled hands'. And they are silent killers. Something for her to meddle in some time hence.

[Dark Skies]

https://www.bristolpost.co.uk/news/bris ... et-3209436
""While the UK’s gun laws are excellent, there is still room for improvement, particularly in regards to dealing with male violence.
"At the moment, if a person wants to get a gun licence their partner is not consulted - so a man can have a gun in their home without his wife’s consent, even though it puts his family at risk of everything from accidents and suicides to domestic incidents.
"That’s something we’re looking to have changed - when firearms licencing officers do their investigations, we want partners, ex-partners and family members to be discreetly consulted."

Good idea! Whilst I skulk about being as discrete as possible in being a firearm owner (only fellow shooters and my very immediate family know I possess them) Chrissie Hall wants a plethora of people with loose lips to know I have them. Because that's what this country needs - more targeted burglaries of firearm owning households.

[Pippin89]

https://www.bristolpost.co.uk/news/bris ... et-3209436
""While the UK’s gun laws are excellent, there is still room for improvement, particularly in regards to dealing with male violence.
"At the moment, if a person wants to get a gun licence their partner is not consulted - so a man can have a gun in their home without his wife’s consent, even though it puts his family at risk of everything from accidents and suicides to domestic incidents.
"That’s something we’re looking to have changed - when firearms licencing officers do their investigations, we want partners, ex-partners and family members to be discreetly consulted."

Good idea! Whilst I skulk about being as discrete as possible in being a firearm owner (only fellow shooters and my very immediate family know I possess them) Chrissie Hall wants a plethora of people with loose lips to know I have them. Because that's what this country needs - more targeted burglaries of firearm owning households.

Very well said! The police make a point of saying you should be careful who you tell that you keep firearms. And come on, "ex's" ffs.... Yes lets inform someone who might have a vendetta against you that you could be a target for criminals! It is also a very sexist view point. No doubt written someone with feministic tendencies! Even so I think the misses would notice you bolting a bloody gun safe to a wall in your house!

[Dark Skies]

It is also a very sexist view point. No doubt written someone with feminist tendencies! Even so I think the misses would notice you bolting a bloody gun safe to a wall in your house!

Quite!
One wonders, given her apparent hatred of males, if she's not really bothered by firearms but the fact that their owners often possess a penis.