Yearly Archives: 2019
AntiSocial media
Can we once again make a plea to any member who posts on social media? PLEASE – DO NOT POST ANYTHING RELATING TO YOUR SHOOTING ACTIVITIES WITH THE CLUB. If you bring a guest along – please acquaint them with this.
It’s not that people who post such stuff act maliciously, it’s just that the police, criminals and those opposed to our sport can use your information in ways that wasn’t intended by the poster.
Light-hearted comments meant as a joke are often seen differently from the original intent: Just try telling an airport security officer that you have bombs in both shoes and that you’re employed by Al-Qaeda. You may not see the funny side when the rubber gloves are being pulled on…..
The Police DO monitor Facebook, Whatsapp, Youtube etc, and use that information when looking at the grant, renewal or variation of YOUR firearm and/or shotgun certificates.
AND….. it’s not just what you post: a BASC member had his certificates revoked because of “criminal associates.” These turned out to be Facebook “friends” – of whom he had hundreds, and he had no idea that among them were criminals. (BASC got his certs back later)
Think about that a moment.
Your Facebook pages, for example:
Showing you shooting
Showing you drinking in different pubs and clubs
Showing you out of the country on holiday
Showing your latest car/motorbike
Showing you outside your home
Hearing that you are depressed about your football team’s performance
Seeing you tagged with others who you don’t know
….. and that’s just criminals looking. The Police can see this as well, and have greater powers and technology to dig even deeper. They can – and do – use such posts as supporting evidence for prosecutions and certificate revocations.
At Phoenix we keep rules and regulations to the absolute minimum – enough to cover the law, safety , sportsmanship and good manners.
It is coming to the point where we may have to say in the future that NO photographs can be taken at our shoots.
PLEASE – THINK about the above before you post anything on social media.
Clubs “Good Practice Guide.”
This document was put together by the Metropolitan Police Firearms Enquiry Team together with representatives from the British Shooting Sports Council.
You may recognise one or two of the photos in the guide, so you can guess where the main input from the BSSC came from.
I’d particularly like to bring to your attention a statement in the foreword-
“We must do whatever we can reasonably do to support the continued lawful practice of target shooting, whilst protecting public safety.”
Rob Atkin MBE (T. Commander, Met police Armed Policing)
The whole document rests on honest and clear co-operation between the police and the clubs, and if all police forces and clubs were to adopt this guide, we’d be in a much better place than we are at present.
Met Police Clubs Good Practice Guide.
This document is worth reading as it explains a lot about the relationship between clubs and firearms licensing departments, and while the Home Office have started to charge for things which weren’t chargeable before, the main thrust of the guide remains good.
CLUB CLOSED DOWN BECAUSE…..
We are aware that a very large, well-run and well-known target shooting club in the North-West has been closed down by having it’s Home Office Approval removed following a “raid” by the police.
One of the “issues” that caused the club to lose its approval – and thus close – was that the records of those who had attended and shot was incomplete.
HAVE YOU completed a “gunuse” form for each time you have shot your rifle with us? We have been banging on about this on our website and at meetings for years.
If you haven’t, then please contact us to get a list of your dates so that we can help. It’s YOUR certificate which is at risk if you can’t show that you have been using your guns, and it’s the club which is at risk if our records are not complete.
This applies only to guns on your FIREARM certificate which have been used at Sealand or the Sheepshed range; it doesn’t apply to normal shotguns or air rifles.
More tax (attacks?) on Target Shooting Clubs
The Home Office have just published their response to the consultation of various fees for Firearms related businesses, clubs and schools.
They are –
Club first time approval grant £444
Club renewal £372
There are also other fees for such things a changing the secretary, club name, etc, varying between £300 & £36.
These are far less than the original proposals but still a very considerable hike from £84 for both grant and renewal, and NO fee for variations. to quote the Home Office – “The review led to fees that are approximately 58% lower than those proposed in the consultation.”
We have always tried had to keep costs to a bare minimum to Phoenix members, but these extras will have to be factored into our subscriptions or range fees over the coming years. but basically it means that our costs will rise by £60 a year, although paid out in a lump sum every six years – 2020 being our next renewal.
That’s £60 a year we will not be able to use for the benefit of the club or the sport.