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Not wishing to resurrect a previous thread ("Phoenix gun fair") but I see that the NRA are at it again. In their wisdom they have decided to take over Bisley Shooting Ground and the ranges leased to the British Sporting Rifle Club. I don't know about the BSRC but I read that Bisley Shooting has started legal action to prevent this.
What a bunch of shysters the NRA are. In both cases the clubs have taken derelict/semi-derelict or non existing facilities and developed them at great expense over a number of years with huge investment into excellent successful facilities. Only for the NRA to come along and take them over / not renew their leases under the pretext of charitable status.

Nice one NRA, I hope that Bisley Shooting are successful in their action and if not at least delay the NRA for as long as possible at greatest expense and inconvenience possible. NRA working for the benefit of target shooting, you must be joking. I'm done with them.

Looking at it from a different perspective - and I don't know the full details.
If the NRA are the land owners and the clubs have renewable leases and the NRA choose not to renew them I cant see the problem.
I don't know on what basis a legal challenge could be made.
Isnt it possible the two clubs would continue to function as they are now but managed by the NRA?
Just my observation.

I read of an alleged off hand comment from a very senior NRA (UK) officer recently during an interview/discussion where he said the primary interest was to make the organisation profitable and in that respect shooting would always come second. I thought about it and went back to read the article again and it was gone with my browser history saying page not found so it was obviously redacted pretty smartish.

This is probably the right attitude as well as without profit the organisation will cease to function and all shooting will cease, at least until alternative ownership was found and that is assuming the land was not snapped up by a developer.

It's what capitalism is all about.............greed is good.

Pete

Quite apart from any financial aspects, by taking back the Cottesloe Heath ground, which is in the Danger Area for Century range and the 1200yd element of Stickledown range, the NRA gain much greater control of when 1200yd, the left-hand 36 targets on Century and the 300 metre range on the left side of Century may be used. Also the opportunities to use Cottesloe Heath for target shotgun rather than sporting clays. Given the ever-increasing demand for range space at Bisley, this might be thought to be in the best interests of shooting generally.

IainWR wrote:Quite apart from any financial aspects, by taking back the Cottesloe Heath ground, which is in the Danger Area for Century range and the 1200yd element of Stickledown range, the NRA gain much greater control of when 1200yd, the left-hand 36 targets on Century and the 300 metre range on the left side of Century may be used. Also the opportunities to use Cottesloe Heath for target shotgun rather than sporting clays. Given the ever-increasing demand for range space at Bisley, this might be thought to be in the best interests of shooting generally.

100% agree with this

To run the compex layout of ranges for all disciplines at Bisley it all needs to be centrally controlled. The "rapacious NRA" is us, the membership. If the lease has expired, I can see no reason to renew it.
Fred

If its just about profit - imagine what that much land would be worth to a property developer !!

I believe the “land” is actually government land on a 999 year lease, of a peppercorn rent. So even if the NRA wanted to, they couldn’t do anything with it apart from provide and manage shooting ranges.

Perhaps the main issue of is, that since the current management took over, everything is about making a pound. Shooters outside of the Home Counties feel marginalised and those that use the facilities feel that they are actually a hindrance to the “master plan” and also feel marginalised....

Personally, I haven’t been to Bisley for years. Politically I feel they are too guarded to be any good and given the cost of just a days shooting, on top travelling for hours given the state of the road network in the South East, it’s just no longer worth it. In a number of senses.