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Starting a sporting gun club in Shetland


Helitemp
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It has been brought up to me by a number of shooters in the isles that there might be enough interest to form a Sporting gun club which would cater to the various types of rifle and other firearms which presently have no range to use in Shetland. 

 

I would like to assess the level of interest and possible organise a meeting of interested parties should there be a viable number express an interest in formation of a club.

 

 

Helitemp.

 

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The Air Weapon Certificate that the SNP has brought in requires you either have written permission to shoot on suitable land or be a member of a government certified shooting club to the best of my knowledge no such club exists in Shetland which puts Shetland shooters at a great disadvantage in acquiring a AWC ..Some airgun owners i have spoken to who presently use air guns for pest control say they will now be applying for a FAC or a SGC as the requirements are virtually the same as for a AWC in fact the requirements for a SGC [shotgun Certificate ] are less than for a AWC [No good reason required and no requirement for variations for each and every place you shoot as long as landowners permission given ]  The crazy thing now  is that it is now easier to get a Shotgun Certificate for a 12g pump action shotgun than one for a .177 gat air pistol shooting with a power of 2ft/lb .. 

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A good post on a subject which is a perfect example of the challenges faced by Shetland shooters on compliance with a piece of legislation which does not address the criminal use of air weapons and a burden on the law abiding shooter.

The issue of "Good reason" for having a Shotgun has the police focus on you being in their opinion a "Suitable person".Another issue on the AWC is that there has been no certification of Approved clubs as yet so the good reason for AWC does,nt exist at present until the process of club approval is carried out.

 

All of the afore mentioned is a good reason for shooters in Shetland to look to protection of their ability to continue to shoot in the future .

 

Helitemp

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The big problem of setting up a firearms club in Shetland would be getting a suitable range etc . Given the current hysteria surrounding guns in the UK it is notoriously difficult to set up such clubs and officialdom will use any pretext to avoid granting the permissions required as they see these clubs as a conjugate to more members of the public getting access to firearms . We know the SNP government is very anti shooting and has vowed to reduce gun ownership in Scotland to the very lowest possible . The AWC is just the first step in achieving this aim . Having said all that the TA have a range perhaps that could be shared by any new club that was successfully constituted .  

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Good points on the difficulties etc but certainly not impossible especially if you know the rules and regulations as such in setting up a club. Depending on what types of shooting you cater for the difficulties in setting up a range vary considerably.

As a matter of interest what range do the TA have in Shetland these days?. I was under the impression that all TA and cadet live fire was carried out at Fort George or other mainland ranges these days.  

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The TA did have range down at the south end the Quendale area i believe i assumed it was still operational but perhaps not .The cadets did have a small bore range situated next to the Garrison theatre but that definitely is no longer in use . In fact there was also smallbore rifle club which also used this range years ago .

Edited by rainbed
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Currently neither the Cadets or Army Reserve have access to a range in Shetland. The Army Cadet Management Team in Shetland have highlighted this up the chain of command and have been campaigning relentlessly for a range built in Shetland. As with everything at the moment, there are a lack of funds in the Defence Budget and many of the ranges on the mainland are being closed including Fort George, so it is difficult to justify. However, if we can demonstrate that there is a local interest in starting a Shooting Club, then as a facility that would be mutually beneficial to the Army Reserve, Army Cadet Force and the local community, there is a possibility that we could attract additional finance options that are available to support such schemes.

 

Landmar operate the majority of the Ranges in the UK for the MOD and due to budget cuts the range in Orkney was earmarked for closure but the RFCA took over the management of the range on behalf of the Reserve and Cadet Forces but also because it is supported and used by the local Shooting Club so a precedence has been set. 

 

The formation of a shooting club in Shetland would definitely help in putting the case across for a new range. 

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There used to be a range which was used during WW2 round the back of the Sandy Loch  reservoir which was why there is a road there . This could be a possible site for a new range shooting west would be straight into high rising peaty hill . The old road might need improvement in a few places and of course the landowner or grazing committee would need to give permission an annual payment would also need to be factored in . The big problem with all such clubs is many people would like to see them set up but are unwilling to put any time into running it themselves and it ends up with a few stalwarts doing all the hard work for little thanks .

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The present situation where HM forces have no live fire facilities in Shetland is clearly unbelievable . Is this unachievable  in low population Shetland ?. Do our armed forces really have to travel hundreds of miles to carry out basic shooting drills ?. A decent range in Shetland could in fact attract HM forces to send people up here to carry out shooting drills . I understand fort George is to close soon with its its range also lost . Where are they to practice shooting England ? 

Edited by Redrobbie99
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