NRA Journal - Spring 2011 - National Rifle Association

Notes from the NRAFirearms Liaison Officerby Geoff DoeBy the time you read this article I will have worked forthe Association for nearly nine months. During thattime there have been a number of recurring questionswhich I will briefly touch upon.Most clubs affiliated to the NRA are Home OfficeApproved. This places upon them the responsibilityof conforming to a number of criteria. The two thatI find are often not followed are notifying the policewhen a person applies for membership and keepingshooting records.Criterion number 9 states ‘the club will inform thepolice of any application for membership, giving theapplicant’s name and address, and the outcome of anyapplication’. This includes those persons who onlyintend to shoot with airguns.Many clubs read into this that they only have toinform the police after a person has completed theirprobationary membership period and become a fullmember. Not so, you need to ensure that you do nothave an undesirable in your midst from the beginning.It is easier to refuse membership than to expel.Criterion number 6 requires ‘the club will maintaina register of attendance of all members with detailsfor each visit of the firearms which they used and thecompetition, if any, in which they took part’. It wouldappear that this is not happening in all instances.It is the responsibility of the shooter to ensure thisinformation is available to the police should theyrequire it. When your certificate comes up for renewalyou will have to show ‘good reason’ for all of thefirearms listed. If you do not have a shooting recordthen you may lose your guns. Many of you nominatethe NRA as your primary club and should be keepingdetails of your visits to Bisley on our computer. Donot forget to go to the Range Office and register youractivity.The point I have made about ‘use it or lose it’ alsoapplies to ammunition. I know that it is common inclubs that ammunition issued on the range and usedimmediately tends not to be noted in the shootersFirearms Certificate. This is perfectly legal. It doesmean however that when the police come to reviewthe ammunition holdings they will try and reducethe figures allowed, again because you have notdemonstrated ‘need’. My advice is to ensure you haveammunition entries in your certificate.During the war there was the phrase “careless talkcosts lives”. In today’s hype, following the Cumbriatragedy, that could be reworded to say “careless talkcosts firearms certificates”. There have been at leasttwo cases recently where a person expressed theirfrustration by uttering the words “I will shoot theb*****” or similar and has had their certificate revoked.I think we have all been in a situation where we havemade throw away comments that are an expressionof anger rather than ever intending to follow throughthe threat. If you have not got a firearm then it isdifficult to complete the task. However, if you are acertificate holder and colleagues know this then theycould believe your threat to be real and report theirconcerns to the police. This is what has happened inthese cases.You could, of course, appeal the revocation but this canbe stressful and expensive. You will not have access toyour firearms pending the case and you may not winyour appeal and therefore lose your sport.AylingFor all your travel solutions from Heathrow/Gatwick/Stansted/London & Woking stationto Bisley & surrounding areas.• Executive Saloons •Cars• 7 Seater People Carriers •24 Hour Service by Appointment.Offices in Bisley and GuildfordTel: 01483 797272 Fax: 01483 797379E-mail: aylings@aol.comWebsite: www.aylingcars.co.ukPrivate Hire & Chauffeur Driven Carsfor all occasions.18