Government responds to 2023 firearms licensing consultation
- Thread starter Conor O'Gorman
- Start date
I spoke to a keeper at the Game Fair once and mentioned Guy Roxburghe. He told me that he had been on a grouse moor when Guy's father and David(SAS) Stirling were in butts next to each other. 12 grouse came between them and not one went out the back. They both got out of their butts, walked to each other, shook hands and resumed their positions.
And here I was expecting to kill them in the air.. What a fool I've been.
The antis will love latching onto the increased number of wounded birds.
SD dont put words into my mouth or miscue my words - i never said we were wounding more - quite the opposite ! Which i have stated before
If you have an issue with steel - no problem - I dont and neither do the 30 odd lads i shoot with on a regular basis
Leave it at that mate ?
We are securing the future of shooting -we are the grassroots - most weeks we have 3/4 lads of 14/15 in the line
Smellydog
Well-Known Member
Is that a question or command?
Do you want to silence me?
You encouraged me to moan remember, so I moaned...
Dont be a silly dog mate - i quite like the smelly one
It was a question - hence the ?
I have no interest in silencing anyone but i dont twist/ alter what you say - so please dont do that with what i say
Have a good day - out later for my hopefully - so fingers crossed for number 1 of the year !
Two more for me last night. First 178m off the sticks was a vixen. Second about 80m off sticks was a big dog carrying a rotting sheets head, it must of found an old carcass in one of the reedy bogs. Not a kick out of either of them, the 204 just flattens them. Really clear night with a cold wind, home by 11.
Rifle club shooting has an incredibly expensive initial cost investment:
Membership just to shoot at the range (in the 100s easily)
More costs for any safety courses or training required by the club
Rental and ammunition costs
Convincing a load of 18-25 year olds, getting paid peanuts and often on minimum wage to go through all that just to shoot a .22 in most cases is a tough task, luckily for me I must have a pretty convincing face since Ive put around 25 people through the rigmarole that is shooting in the UK, and had five apply for their own FACs (Unfortunately two had to give up due to the costs) .
Im not even mentioning the fact that some rifle clubs are so money hungry and backwards, that finding one thats ideal is difficult as well.
I thought you were referring specifically to taster days, which are pretty straightforward for approved clubs.
I would also argue that rifle shooting is pretty accessible, based on my own personal experience and the 2 clubs I’m involved with. But that’s just my experience
I've been shooting all my life, the only clubs I've ever been actively involved in have been a couple of small clay shoots run out the local pub. I fail to see how being a member of a club alters risk to the public? Haven't some of the mass shooters been club members?
Conor O'Gorman
Well-Known Member
The following interview may be of interest - some political insights on the issues from BASC's Christopher Graffius.
Most clubs I have approached have always been a bit cagey about taster days with large groups of new people unfortunately, part of me does see the inherent risk in all fairness. I also seem to recall only a certain amount of days being allowed for non-member shooting a year (Maybe 28 or 30?) since one club I approached in November time had used up all their days, so couldn't legally offer me one (at least I was told).
For me the accessibility has a lot to do with affordability and the clubs culture.
If I add up the club membership and range fees I paid just to be a full member I am over £1000, which is not an affordable amount for many.
Many clubs, again in my experience, have been very cliquey and often don't offer the type of atmosphere that's opening to those wanting modern disciplines.
You only have to look at how many posts on here, other forums, and UK shooting subreddits there are about the difficulty of finding a club/range to see how hard it is for many to access, but I do get how in theory they should be pretty accessible if (like all things) they were ran efficiently and in line with HO rules.
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Again, affordability (in my experience) shouldn’t be an issue, one club is £35/year with monthly range fees being £20-40. The other is £140 a year but fortnightly range fees are £2 per firearm used.
Both clubs are for rimfire and centre fire.
If we can do it, others can.
My primary club meets one a month, every meet is a guest day other than when we shoot Mcqueens a couple of times a year. Large bookings will not work because of the need for 1:1 supervision but they aren’t really necessary.
Again, affordability (in my experience) shouldn’t be an issue, one club is £35/year with monthly range fees being £20-40. The other is £140 a year but fortnightly range fees are £2 per firearm used.
Both clubs are for rimfire and centre fire.
If we can do it, others can.
timbrayford
Well-Known Member
er...Thomas Hamilton...refused membership of at least two clubs, who unlike the FLD realised that he was not fit to be entrusted. I do wonder if those opposed to socialising with their fellow shooters haven't got something to hide? Otherwise what is there to be afraid of?
I think the point is, if someone doesn’t have genuine good reason to possess a firearm, they want one just to have one, at the very least it needs a little more interrogation.
As posted above, being a member of a club isn’t the only way to show good reason. Plenty of quarry shooters never go near a club in their lives, but they still get out and shoot regularly, so they have good reason for the guns not just because they want them.
Stalkers are notoriously unsociable. That's one of the things that attracted me to the sport. The "groupy" mentality that seems to go with driven game, clays and other shooting disciplines is most off-putting, I find.
Perhaps I'm hiding something
8x57
Distinguished Member
It's actually up to 12 guest days a year for a Home Office approved club.
Pete_Cambs
Well-Known Member
Just circling back on the Kent shooting as an example of the police’s passive degradation of the public’s view of gun ownership.
We now know the name of the victim, that she had kids (thoughts with them), her age, the name of her her husband / partner who killed her and we we know he called a friend and confessed to him before presumably jumping into the Thames…. We now also have a statement from Kent police that they do indeed believe he went into the Thames and died…… not once in the major news outlets or even in a Kent police statement has there been mention of the firearm used and it’s legal status….. if it was legally owned I’m 99% sure that would of been publicised by the police in short order but here instead of saying it was illegally owned “insert type here” gun it’s been left and I honestly believe that is done deliberately as it just adds to anti legally owned gun sentiment in joe publics mind.
We now know the name of the victim, that she had kids (thoughts with them), her age, the name of her her husband / partner who killed her and we we know he called a friend and confessed to him before presumably jumping into the Thames…. We now also have a statement from Kent police that they do indeed believe he went into the Thames and died…… not once in the major news outlets or even in a Kent police statement has there been mention of the firearm used and it’s legal status….. if it was legally owned I’m 99% sure that would of been publicised by the police in short order but here instead of saying it was illegally owned “insert type here” gun it’s been left and I honestly believe that is done deliberately as it just adds to anti legally owned gun sentiment in joe publics mind.
Answer appears to be here:
news.sky.com
Police say a handgun was used.
Edvard Smith, suspect in Valentine's Day shooting outside Kent pub, believed to be dead, police say
Lisa Smith, 43, from Slough, was pronounced dead outside The Three Horseshoes pub in Knockholt on Friday evening. The suspect is believed to have died after falling into the River Thames, Kent Police have said.
Police say a handgun was used.
Pete_Cambs
Well-Known Member
I stand corrected, that must be a petty new update as wasn’t there last night when I checked. Pretty sure BBC still have not reported that.Answer appears to be here:
Edvard Smith, suspect in Valentine's Day shooting outside Kent pub, believed to be dead, police say
Lisa Smith, 43, from Slough, was pronounced dead outside The Three Horseshoes pub in Knockholt on Friday evening. The suspect is believed to have died after falling into the River Thames, Kent Police have said.
Police say a handgun was used.
Whilst we all know hand guns are illegal it would be nice if the media made that crystal clear.
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