Shooters are giving up

[Benelli m2]

Shooters are already giving up my local has people bringing in guns every week can't be dealing with the hassle and shotguns going on section 1 the shop has more or less stopped buying in cartridges I think he can see what lies ahead

 

[enfieldspares]

I think, yes, we are a slowly reducing cohort. And that will only continue. The Home Office rules on "approved" rifle and pistol clubs enacted under the Tory Government had the effect of strangling these clubs being able to welcome interested casual visitors that could turn up and try on an open basis. Clay shooting will survive but the use of rifled arms on s1 is in terminal decline. Especially .22LR when nowadays there are so many accurate PCP sir rifles that (in England and Wales) do not require an FAC to acquire, possess or use. But for how long will that continue?

 

[Stimo444]

I know four people that are packing up and handing it there guns. So many problems now that it will continue

 

[Smellydog]

It's been a well known fact for decades that government loathes private ownership of firearms and have slowly been strangling our sports for years. Any excuses all they need for another knot to strangle us with. It matters not which party either.

 

[shakey jake]

Should be some good guns going cheap then

 

[Nickb]

I know four people that are packing up and handing it there guns. So many problems now that it will continue

Why ?

It will never be the case with me except for poor health.

 

[cooksey]

People should do the opposite the government wants us to give up

 

[Nickb]

Clay shooting will survive

Will it ? Speaking to my mate who was in the England team , he has just given up as he says the lead ban will destroy it.

 

[kenbro]

I think, yes, we are a slowly reducing cohort. And that will only continue. The Home Office rules on "approved" rifle and pistol clubs enacted under the Tory Government had the effect of strangling these clubs being able to welcome interested casual visitors that could turn up and try on an open basis. Clay shooting will survive but the use of rifled arms on s1 is in terminal decline. Especially .22LR when nowadays there are so many accurate PCP sir rifles that (in England and Wales) do not require an FAC to acquire, possess or use. But for how long will that continue?

enfieldspares,
I assume you know but many others won’t. A shooting club does not have to be Home Office Approved. Nor do clubs have to be affiliated to the UK NRA.
Seems to me there is a lot of money spent unnecessarily on these things.
I’m not sure but I think an approved club member can own a firearm on the clubs certificate if they don’t have their own cert.
Ken.

 

[Greenmist]

Why ?

It will never be the case with me except for poor health.

I know of three people who have packed in because of medical checks, nothing wrong with them, they just can't be bothered with the extra hassle, two I know are giving up due to the increased costs of not only renewing but also increase in the price of ammunition and club fees etc going up

 

[shakey jake]

Pest control will continue. Released pheasants are done. Wildfowl iffy. Deer need culling. Clay shooting and clubs i would think will fizzle out.
Have fun while you can, might lamp some hares for the freezer on thursday

 

[cooksey]

I know of three people who have packed in because of medical checks, nothing wrong with them, they just can't be bothered with the extra hassle, two I know are giving up due to the increased costs of not only renewing but also increase in the price of ammunition and club fees etc going up

I never get this it's getting expensive. Shooting is still cheaper than other hobbies like fishing or Motorsports!
The costs are relatively cheap when you spread them over the 5 years your ticket lasts!

 

[SimpleSimon]

Perhaps it would help if the shooting magazines and the likes of Fieldsports Britain, etc, would lose all the doom mongering, rampant speculation, and tabloid-style attention grabby headlines when it comes to even the smallest whiff of anything that negatively affects shooting.

 

[M@tt]

I think, yes, we are a slowly reducing cohort. And that will only continue. The Home Office rules on "approved" rifle and pistol clubs enacted under the Tory Government had the effect of strangling these clubs being able to welcome interested casual visitors that could turn up and try on an open basis. Clay shooting will survive but the use of rifled arms on s1 is in terminal decline. Especially .22LR when nowadays there are so many accurate PCP sir rifles that (in England and Wales) do not require an FAC to acquire, possess or use. But for how long will that continue?

@kenbro says, NRA or NSRA affiliation isn't mandatory for clubs, and neither is HO Approval.

But clubs (HO approved or not) could still allow casual visitors right up until last May, but the government, and what's worse, many shooters, campaigned for the S11(4) to be tightened up. This was the biggest nail in the coffin of new shooters getting in to the sport.

I do wonder however, if the hassle of getting or keeping the FAC is too much, then shooting is not for you anymore. if you're dedicated or passionate enough then you'll work it.
It shouldn't be this way but that's the way it is now.

 

[enfieldspares]

@kenbro says, NRA or NSRA affiliation isn't mandatory for clubs, and neither is HO Approval.

But clubs (HO approved or not) could still allow casual visitors right up until last May, but the government, and what's worse, many shooters, campaigned for the S11(4) to be tightened up. This was the biggest nail in the coffin of new shooters getting in to the sport.

I think there's a misunderstanding. Yes casual visitors were allowed on organised and notified pre-booked "guest" range days. But the days of an individual turning up on a whim and "having a go" without any formality were long past some three decades ago.

 

[M@tt]

I think there's a misunderstanding. yes casual visitors were allowed on organised range days. But the days of an individual turning up on a whim and "having a go" without any formality were long past some three decades ago.

Maybe with full-bore firearms but with rimfires it is still possible, I do it for a living. The S11 changes only came into effect in May '25, and although they didn't stop it, they made it harder for no safety gain.

 

[Dave_45]

A chap that introduced me to shooting and I respect his opinion greatly to said to me that he had seen the best of the shooting (11 years old start he’s 63 now)

He said the likelihood of “us” being the current crop of shooting sports / workers assistants keeping our guns as long as he did is growing less and less likely.

He’s generally on the crabbit /dour side of life but he’s generally in the ball park with most things shooting related.

He hopes to be proven wrong as I hope he is.

 

[enfieldspares]

Maybe with full-bore firearms but with rimfires it is still possible, I do it for a living. The S11 changes only came into effect in May '25, and although they didn't stop it, they made it harder for no safety gain.

The "gallery range" exemption I'd assume? Yes you are correct. My local shooting centre also operated on certain days under that set of rules for .22 rimfire only.

 

[Malxwal]

Perhaps it would help if the shooting magazines and the likes of Fieldsports Britain, etc, would lose all the doom mongering, rampant speculation, and tabloid-style attention grabby headlines when it comes to even the smallest whiff of anything that negatively affects shooting.

Tabloid mentality

 

[cooksey]

Tabloid mentality

They need to be showing all the new people getting into shooting instead