Ovenpaa sent me...

[Robin128]

Just a thought...

[Dougan]

TR!

Far better that it withers on the vine to allow the breadth and diversity of shooting disciplines to blossom.

Too long have the representatives of this minority discipline, in the guise of a "national" rifle association, strangled and belittled the majority of enthusiasts of the gun and shooting. Let it die and shooting flourish, it can then be resurrected as an Historic discipline in the fullness of time to take its rightfull place in past history.

Lord Elcho is no doubt turning in his grave at what his children have become.

I can't believe you said this :shock: . The members of my TR club are some of the nicest people you could ever meet (so I don't know who you've been talking to). They also shoot other disciplines, and as some are getting older, the club is going to let people shoot scopes and bypods (for fun) alongside comp shooters.

When I'm lining up my apertures - do you know what I think when I look down 'century' and see all the scopes and bipods...I think 'Thank Fcuk for that' ...as TR will not keep Bisley running by it's self. I also don't mind waiting to take my shot, while the smoke from 'the coal burners' clears too...love watching them hit the bull at 600

I hear plenty of grumbles about the NRA in both my clubs, but don't take it out on 'all' TR shooters....if it wasn't for TR, Bisley wouldn't exist.

[rox]

TR!

Far better that it withers on the vine to allow the breadth and diversity of shooting disciplines to blossom.

Too long have the representatives of this minority discipline, in the guise of a "national" rifle association, strangled and belittled the majority of enthusiasts of the gun and shooting. Let it die and shooting flourish, it can then be resurrected as an Historic discipline in the fullness of time to take its rightfull place in past history.

Lord Elcho is no doubt turning in his grave at what his children have become.

What has TR ever done to you?

You keep calling TR a 'minority' discipline – are you suggesting that there is a 'majority' discipline? (even if there were, so what)? You clearly don't think that there should be unity and understanding between shooting disciplines. You want one discipline to die so that there can be diversity. What a contradiction.

TR does manage to get up to 1500 competitors together for nearly two weeks of shooting, every year, and with representative teams and individuals from dozens of countries. I don't know of any other discipline that does that in the UK. It's also part of the Commonwealth Games, and is one of the most popular sports in the games by number of participating countries. But ok, it should wither and die because it's a 'minority' discipline. I suppose the Olympic disciplines should die too. And 300 meters. And the NSRA.

I thought I'd find interesting cross-discipline discussions here. Sadly not. Just people who want my discipline to die.

[TattooedGun]

I don't want it to die Rox :)

[Christel]

Rox, I think you will find loads of people on here in favour of all disciplines being kept alive, including TR.

In fact, is that not what we ought to do, stand united?
There are not that many of us so supporting eachothers disciplines is a must!

[dromia]

I don't want it to die either.

However guns and shooting of all disciplines is a very fragile thing in the UK, who knows when it will be another political football and all of us will loose that which we enjoy and is so big a part of our lives.

To help combat this threat we need a single, NATIONAL organisation that all shooters can come behind that supports the legal ownership and use of guns, not specific interest sports.

I have been a member of the NRA for years as it seemed to be the nearest thing we had to support us since the pistol ban, during that time the NRA has failed to develop into a meaningful national organisation for shooters.

I firmly believe that one of the main causes for this inertia is its relationship to Bisley and TR. Bisley is indeed a wonderful shooting resource for the nation steeped in history and tradition and is the historic home of TR and Match rifle. I have spent many happy hours shooting many disciplines including TR at Bisley and see it as one of our national assets.

The NRA as an aspiring national organisation needs to remove itself from Bisley and its predominant association with TR so that it will be seen as truly representative nation body that supports it members, rifle ownership and shooting. Its relationship with Bisley means that most of its financial and staffing resource goes into TR, just look at the content of the Journal.

The likelyhood of the NRA giving up its grip on Bisley is unlikely though, therfore in order to free up its resources for the greater good the demise of TR could be a price worth paying or at least strike a more equitable balance of resources across the country and other disciplines.

I am postulating this not from a desire to see TR die but from a strong belief that shooting needs to get its act together for the benefit of all of us, the status quo seems to be the blockage to change, just look at the NATSS disgrace, so in order for progress to be made something will have to give.

I know it might appear negative but if you have better proposals or a more positive analysis of the national scene then lets have it.

However if Bisley isn't your local range then things are getting hard for shooters whatever their discipline. Ponteland was canceled again at short notice last weekend, the opportunities for shooting are diminishing and if people can't shoot and money is tight then the step to giving up, especially in this recession, is a small one.

When times are hard financially or otherwise we need good leadership and a clear rallying call. Shooting has neither in the UK and unless we have it we will all suffer. Out of every threat there is opportunity especially during change and radical change is what the NRA needs but cannot seem to effect by itself therefore if external pressures force the change then we should get grip of it.

Status quo is not an option.

[Christel]

You say we need a single national organisation....

As far as I see it we do have one, the NRA.

When was the last time you saw a post from BASC on this forum?

At least the NRA is here, trying and always willing to help.

[dromia]

Bits of it are Christel, no doubt about that and we a fortunate to have them contribute here.

However the organisations national presence in tangible delivery is nonexistant and mainly spin.

In the NE we tried to have regional meeting of NRA affiliated clubs, no one wanted to attend so we get told by the NRA that it is because everyone is happy with the way things are, not true, the real reason hardly any secretaries or chairmen turned up was because the NRA is an irrelevance to them.

Clubs are only members because they have to be to book MoD ranges, just look at the individual membership numbers as you move away from Bisley.

Membership of the NRA is only worthwhile if you shoot at Bisley, that is not the signature of a "national" organisation. A national organisation should have good national membership spread but there is no reason for non Bisley shooters to join.

I can get good insurance and good legal advice from the Sportsmans Association for example at half the membership fee of the NRA, the other £30 or so into the NRA goes to support its infrastructure which is unashamedly Bisley focussed and supporting national TR teams to shoot abroad. That is not what the vast majority of UK shooters want from a national organisation and they vote with their feet.

Posting on this forum does not make the NRA a national organisation I'm afraid.

[rox]

To help combat this threat we need a single, NATIONAL organisation that all shooters can come behind that supports the legal ownership and use of guns, not specific interest sports.

I couldn't agree more. But this organisation isn't the NRA, as you seem to want and expect it to be (then criticizing it for not being what it isn't). As for destroying what it is and what it has so it can become something else...???? Ludicrous. Why not make the NSRA your national body of choice, then have them kill off smallbore and air, to give more priority to *your* minority disciplines.

..

[Christel]

The problem is the distance.

It is a little bit like the Jutlanders arguing with the Germans about the shooting centre in Copenhagen being the national shooting body or not.

I do agree that shooting at Bisley is the main reason for being a member of the NRA, insurance and legal advice one can get elsewhere. The historical aspect I shall omit from this. That may or may not appeal to one and may or may not be one of the reasons why one is a member.

Distance is a problem for people when we are talking about a national body that should represent everybody.

The fact the nobody turns up at the regional meetings, it sends out a bad signal and does nobody no favours.

However at the end of the day it is the distance that is the culprit.

"Posting on this forum does not make the NRA a national organisation I'm afraid."

You are right there however it sure does help.