Starting a New Air Weapons Target Club

[zooma]

With so many air weapons clubs disappearing over the years I hope more brave individuals will consider starting new clubs (no matter how small or large) on a long-term basis so we can keep this wonderful target shooting sport alive for future generations.

I have set up and run several air weapons clubs since the early 1970's and it really is quite a simple process so I offer this following advice to help and encourage those that are tempted to have a go and to invite others to share their current experiences of running a shooting club to do the same as this is most definitely not intended to be anything other than a basic guide of encouragement.

First you need to find somewhere suitable to shoot so be careful when selecting a premises that is owned and/or run by another organisation as these are often run by committee whose membership can change from month to month or by directors who can change their opinions or policies about allowing air weapons to be shot on their property.

Get a good written lease agreement that specifically states that you will be shooting air weapons on the premises so there can be no doubt about the actual use of the building as this can provide you with more security if challenged by some new committee, board of directors or property ownership in the future.

The first club I organised in Exmouth needed a few changes of venue before we found a secure location that we could regard as "home" even though they all seemed "safe enough" at the time so expect some disappointments along the way but determination and "true grit" will get the job done.

Once you have found a stable place to shoot that is safe and secure then joining the NSRA is the way to go to get essential (but basic) insurance but you could also check other aspects of insurance and/or legal requirement too.

You also need to check your responsibilities if you intend to include anyone that is under 18 years of age to use your club.

Safety has to be your first priority at all times, and once that is secure and you have written a good set or rules then good common sense and a responsible membership should give you a smooth ride in the future - or at least as smooth a ride as can be realistically expected when gatherings of individuals are made on a regular basis !

Taking part in the NSRA Range Safety Officer training is a good idea and the qualification can help you understand your responsibilities.

Clubs with no probationary membership period can have future problems removing any undesirable person or persons that chooses to pay and join the club. Three months is a good time period in which to discover disruptive, unsafe, or undesirable long term members and most well established clubs have a 3 month probationary period included in their rules. This is important for the future safety and well being of your good club members that you will want to keep as happy as possible.

Check your financial situation to make sure you can pay the rent - even if some of your members do not turn up to support you as often as you would hope as the rent will still need paying if the club is full or empty and it could be your name on the lease!

An annual membership fee can help to smooth-out the variable income and keep the range fees as low as your rent will allow, but anyone that thinks they can make a profit from running a shooting club probably lives in "cloud cuckoo land" and so it is wise to put some cash away to cover for unexpected problems and periods of low income so the club can survive as the membership attendance changes.

Over the years I have seen almost everything that you can could imagine to happen in small clubs - and a lot more as well - so not much surprises me any more and it is always good to discuss problems with others that have genuine and current experience of running a shooting club as there is seldom anything new that has not been seen or experienced many times before so this can save you a lot of worry.

Please feel free to contact me by email or PM if you need any advice or help or if you think my experience can be of any help to you to set up a new indoor target shooting club.

[RobinC]

A great post Bob, it should be a sticky at the top of the page.

And I add my 40 years of experience of target shooting for any one wishing help, email or PM

Good Shooting
Robin

[Garvin]

An excellent post, Bob. I don't think any of us should be using the word "weapons" in relation to airguns though... they are not weapons by any stretch of the imagination, unless criminally misused.

[harvey_s]

An excellent post, Bob. I don't think any of us should be using the word "weapons" in relation to airguns though... they are not weapons by any stretch of the imagination, unless criminally misused.

I would disagree with this as in the public eye 'weapon' covers everything from a cricket bat to a nuclear bomb...'gun' however (even when prefixed with 'air') tends to be associated with 'shooting' and all the negative baggage that carries particularly as a lot of the more genteel members of the great British public connect 'shooting' with such high profile random acts of violence....that's my opinion away.

[zooma]

An excellent post, Bob. I don't think any of us should be using the word "weapons" in relation to airguns though... they are not weapons by any stretch of the imagination, unless criminally misused.

How about if I changed the title to read:

"Starting a New Air Pistol and Air Rifle Target Shooting Club"

It is a bit lengthy but it does describe the target shooting activity with air pistols and air rifles without using the word "weapons".

[I. J.]

How about if I changed the title to read:

"Starting a New Air Pistol and Air Rifle Target Shooting Club"

It is a bit lengthy but it does describe the target shooting activity with air pistols and air rifles without using the word "weapons".

Thats a bit more p.c. (not that I do p.c. ).

Have you thought of 'airgun'?

[mikec4]

Have you thought of 'airgun'?

Works for me.......

[humperdingle]

AirweaponBBS... Catchy

[zooma]

Thats a bit more p.c. (not that I do p.c. ).

Have you thought of 'airgun'?

Its got that nasty "gun" word in it

That must be worse that the "w" word .

[zooma]

How about avoiding all of the nasty "gun", "weapons" and "shooting" words altogether so we cause no offence to anyone. The following suggestions may be more "acceptable":-


Starting a New Air Powered Target Acquiring Club.

or

Starting a New Accurate Target Punching Club.

or

....lets see what we can come up with that avoids the "w". "g" or "s" words that may cause offence

[mikec4]

Can I suggest

"Venue to acquire Precision Paper Punching Skills using projectiles powered by compressed air"


To quote Graham Chapman from Monty Python


"This sketch (thread) is all getting a bit silly now........"

[rogb]

How about if I changed the title to read:

"Starting a New Air Pistol and Air Rifle Target Shooting Club"

It is a bit lengthy but it does describe the target shooting activity with air pistols and air rifles without using the word "weapons".

Excellent and describes what goes on there much better than "weapons" which only describes a negative use of a sporting gun.

The law might be written like that for convenience but it don't mean we have to follow suit.

[RobinC]

Excellent and describes what goes on there much better than "weapons" which only describes a negative use of a sporting gun.

The law might be written like that for convenience but it don't mean we have to follow suit.

Hear, hear, we may all detest political correctness, but we do take part in a sport that suffers serious predjudice, any path we can take to alleviate it should be followed, so we must do all we can to protect our sport for the future.

Best regards
Robin ( a founder member 40 years ago and the one who devised the club name, Norwich City Target Club)

[zooma]

When I started the Rossendale club it was in the cellars of a Methodist church hall and it was ( and is) run by a committee.

Some members of this fairly large committee were very unhappy about having "guns" on their premises, even though the vicar has no problems at all with it as he admits to enjoying shooting an air rifle as a lad and also vividly remembers being shot by one too!

Given this situation the name of the club became a very sensitive issue and it actually became a "deal breaker".

The church halls have been rented by my family model shop for years for model car racing and r/c helicopter flying etc so the name we came up with satisfied all concerned and our almost 3 years with our air pistol and rifle club in residence has caused this same committee no reason to feel any more concern.

The name that saved the day was:- Rossendale Models Target Club.

Note there is no mention of "weapons", "guns", "pistols" or "rifles".

Needs must - as they say!