NRA Journal - Spring 2007 - National Rifle Association

NOTES FROM THEREGIONAL MANAGERbyChrisWebbSolid Shot and Military RangesYou may be aware that the NRA is vigorously pursuingthe Defence Training Estates (DTE) to allow clubs touse solid shot on DTE Gallery and Barrack ranges.They have agreed to hold a trial, which will be held onBulford ranges in the near future. Further informationwill appear in due course.London 2012During a recent meeting at Warminster, there was anappeal by the MoD External Affairs to Defence Estates,requesting support for our Olympic Pistol ShootingTeam. They are looking at four venues countrywidewith acceptable facilities such as ranges, armouries,accommodation etc. The NRA has put forward its ownapplication for consideration as a suitable trainingvenue, as it already has every facility required bypotential Olympic athletes.DTE and Wardens Charges 2007/08DTE’s Range Hire and Wardens charges have beenpublished and a copy is on the NRA website. You willsee that the range hire has NOT been increased thisyear, which is due to pressure from both the NRA andLandmarc! However, Landmarc have increased theircharges by 2.3 per cent, which is the national averageand considerably less than previous years. Clubs andassociations will be receiving renewal paperwork fromDTE anytime now.I have received queries from a number of clubs aboutwarden’s charges and why should clubs have to payfor a warden when he is there anyway, doing hisnormal job. The reason given is that they are Landmarcemployees and not just wardens; they can be taskedto do other unrelated jobs anywhere on the DE estatein their region. Therefore, if they are taken off one jobto do another, such as range warden duties, someonehas to pay! I know that on large range complexes thewardens are wardens and nothing else, but they couldbe put on other jobs if required.NRA and Defence Training EstatesEssentially the military will not agree to a blanketacceptance that our RCOs can replace Range Wardensat weekends. However, they do accept that someranges, reviewed on an individual basis, couldpotentially be signed over to RCOs, on a weekendbasis. I am currently working with DTE to identify theranges that fall within these criteria to help developprotocols between the DTE Regional Managementand interested clubs.Otmoor RangeIn October 2006, the Oxford Rifle Association informedthe NRA that Otmoor Ranges had been closed tocivilian and police clubs, unless there was a militaryuser present. Earlier there had been an incursion by‘civilians’ into the Range Danger Area whilst a civilianclub was shooting. This was expertly dealt with bythe club involved. However, Otmoor Range operatesunder Military Byelaws; there is a section of themilitary publication dealing with civilian and policeclubs use which says that civilians cannot use militarybyelaws to stop unauthorised entry to the danger area.The military authority at Otmoor therefore suspendedcivilian use until the matter was resolved.Over the intervening months the NRA made numerouscalls to Defence Estates requesting information onbehalf of its members. Defence Estates respondedpromptly and with as much information as they wereable to give.We have now almost achieved our aim to get civilianshooting back on Otmoor. On 4 April, the Defence LandRanges Safety Committee will convene to endorse theproposal for a revised policy to enable licensed civilianshooting clubs to use the facility regardless of the needfor military users to be present.Membership CommitteeAs from January 2007, I will be a co-opted memberof the Membership Committee representing theinterests of the regions. If you have any regional issuesconcerning any aspect of membership let me knowand I will ensure that, if necessary, it is brought to theattention of the committee. You should still contactMembership for routine enquiries in the usual way.Altcar Open DayThe second North West Open Day will be held onAltcar Ranges on Saturday 7 April 2007 and will berun on similar lines to the Bisley Open Days. DavidYoung, NRA Representative for the North West, andhis committee has already done an immense amountof work. Please support this event by advertisingit any way you can within your region. If you arethinking of coming along, you can register onlineby visiting the NRA website or sign up on the dayat Altcar. The route will be signposted and there isample parking at Altcar.20