Invite your MP to see the value of shooting

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jall55 said:
How sad
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You can snuggle up and kiss the back sides of the politicians if you wish won’t get you anywhere!

I said five years ago that shooting had 20 years and I still stand by that next gamekeeper I was talking to you on Friday who also now works with me he’s of their opinion that his old man will see the end, we might go to the next generation I think they’re buggered
 
Nickb said:
What a complete waste of time that would be. Only interested in getting their snouts in the trough , lying and out for themselves.
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I've contacted my MP who is a member of the cabinet three times in the last 9 months each time I have asked him the same question and each time I have eventually got an acknowledgement and a reply of sorts. However he still hasn't answered the question asked just giving a waffled answer totally unrelated to the question.
A barrister by profession he is evasive, elusive and a complete waste of time as far as I am concerned.
 
Norfolk Deer Search said:
You can snuggle up and kiss the back sides of the politicians if you wish won’t get you anywhere!

I said five years ago that shooting had 20 years and I still stand by that next gamekeeper I was talking to you on Friday who also now works with me he’s of their opinion that his old man will see the end, we might go to the next generation I think they’re buggered
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As i say again - How very very sad
Why not use your mouth , time and experience in a positive way
 
jall55 said:
As i say again - How very very sad
Why not use your mouth , time and experience in a positive way
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I have no interest too, no matter how much bum snuggles you want to give your MP what you forget is they could BAN public gun and firearm ownership and ban game shooting with a click of their fingers best you remember that.
 
Hi Conor. You raise a good point re inviting MPs to gun shops/clubs etc. I don't own a gun shop but in the past have arrange with shop owners to be there after hours and let a couple of us with an MP in for a 'show, touch and tell' evening. The shooters in our small party...never more than 4 but 3 is better... and all "experts" in their respective field of activity. Gun shops are happy to accommodate us in this because it is in the gun shops best interest to do what they can to help us fight for the cause.

Being upfront here to say I am not about telling anyone here what to do/not do . I amjust offering a different perspective.

I can understand the reluctance/skepticism of some shooters in visiting their MP or having them visit/attend shoots but...there's always a but somewhere isn't there...hehe....but perhaps consider the following.

We should reconsider prejudging an MPs negative response and writing them off as being "anti" us. Regardless of an MPs attitude he/she is still a politician dealing with us...voters. We are not only 'a' voter but perhaps subtly remind the MP that all shooters have family/friends who support us in our shooting activities so very quickly 'a' voter becomes 'multiple' voters. For several reasons some MPs may be reticent/negative about guns/hunting etc not from a moral position but from losing "face". Their ego doesn't allow them to be found wanting so when confronted by the scary unknown shooting world that we live in it falls to us to bring them to the fold. Being stubbornly 'anti us' in their minds reduces their self perceived vulnerability made worse by the thought of being alone in a gun shop/club activity so ask them if they'd like to bring a friend....another MP would be a bonus.

When promoting ourselves there is a caution. There is a danger in pushing the "we shoot predatory vermin to protect native species" position. This may be acceptable to a wavering MP who will support us in this but shut the door on all other shooting activities. Promoting one shooting activity runs the risk of creating division and alienation between the various shooting disciplines. Always adopt a multi-pronged approach.

A negative with the shooting sports is that we are a large but hidden part of society. We quietly go about our business without fanfare, no media attention, no fan clubs, no merchandise, no public display of our skills in butchering and cooking with game meat. We are over the horizon and do not exist. A free venison sausage sizzle for the local community outside a shopping centre car park is a good start for promotion and for breaking down barriers. Invite local media as well. Free hot food... we'll be their new best friends. For us the benefit is that they will talk positively about us to friends/family when home etc.


The bottom line is we can't just give up. If we do this then we will lose.

I'll leave with this final thought. The best way to defeat an enemy is to avoid combat in the first place by having him join you.
 
so, a few years ago i went to the trouble of contacting all my local party's MP's and asked them their stance on firearms etc , they all replied with vague platitudes actually saying nothing , the only proper response was labour and he said he does not support firearms ownership or field sports , fair enough i respect him more than the others for actually answering and stating his views and position - i won't ever vote labour anyway but he has my respect for not giving a vague nonsense answer!

my local MP used to be matt handsy handcock ! i asked to meet with him re brexit not getting done properly and a few firearms related questions , initially he simply ignored me , so i blew up his social media and suddenly he was able to meet ! anyway , that man should be nowhere near any position of power in any shape or form ever ! he is everything bad we all think about MP's rolled into one smarmy lying package!

reform will get my vote simply because they have not had a chance to lie to us yet whereas the other unipartys have all proved beyond doubt they are liars and charlatans !
 
As BASC suggested at the time, I contacted every candidate that I could for the post of Police and Crime Commissioner in my area for the last election (2 years ago?) to elicit their views on firearms ownership and firearms administration. Some candidates from the main political parties I even attempted to contact twice.
I cannot remember receiving a single reply from any of the candidates, and I may be wrong but I don't think BASC received replies from them either, or at least I don't recall them publishing their responses on the website.
 
I have tried to contact my MP on a couple of occasions asking about their view on shooting themes. No response at all which is appalling but alas why do we expect responses from self serving idiots (Steve Witherden, Labour, Montgomeryshire) just in case anyone was wondering :)
 
jall55 said:
scout leaders - school parties etc etc
Normalise our way of life - and show it for the good it does
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This ^^^ is way more important than trying to influence MPs.
No matter what an MP says to your face, they'll vote the way the majority of their constituents want them to. So it's the constituents that we need to influence.
So yes, scout groups, school kids, etc - they'll tell their parents how great it is. And any other groups in the community that you can invite for a taster day. Let them then be the ones to influence the MP.
 
VSS said:
This ^^^ is way more important than trying to influence MPs.
No matter what an MP says to your face, they'll vote the way the majority of their constituents want them to. So it's the constituents that we need to influence.
So yes, scout groups, school kids, etc - they'll tell their parents how great it is. And any other groups in the community that you can invite for a taster day. Let them then be the ones to influence the MP.
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Absolutely

I work with SEN kids every day of the week here on our range

Best job I’ve ever had !

Shooting is a device for teaching responsibility, attention to detail, reliability, team work and a sense of self worth

Who here would be what they are today without it?
 
jall55 said:
I think what Conor is saying though chaps - is try and get your MP or whatever actually out in to the field to see the work we do

Not just MPs but scout leaders - school parties etc etc
Normalise our way of life - and show it for the good it does
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I did a talk on deer management for a local cub-scouts group earlier in the year. I was very pleasantly surprised how enthused they all were, including the leaders and parents. As it was a winters evening, they found my thermal imager absolutely fascinating..... although my bum cheeks did tense a bit as they were running around outside taking turns with it in a game of nocturnal hide and seek.
 
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