NRA Life Membership makes no sense...

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TJC
Posts: 378
Joined: Wed Aug 22, 2012 12:27 pm
Home club or Range: Bisley
Location: London

Re: NRA Life Membership makes no sense...

#41 Post by TJC »

Gaz wrote:
Gun Pimp wrote:The NRA have a new 'Head of Membership' and a new Chief Exec. Neither have shooting backgrounds so hopefully they will have a fresh look at things.
Am I alone in not being particularly impressed by this? Surely we want people who actually understand what it is we do, rather than bringing in a corporate one-size-fits-all mindset?
I'm guessing you haven't talked to either ? I bothered to write them a letter and they bothered to reply. We have been discussing improvements & changes and I've found them to be intelligent, quick to respond and enthusiastic to make progress.

The NRA is only one body. It doesn't prevent anyone setting up a rival club if they think they can do better...or even putting themselves forward for positions when the become open. If you can't be bothered to do either but want to be constructive then start a thread asking for input into a collective letter to the new team giving them suggestions and feedback. Better still, go and meet them !
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dromia
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Re: NRA Life Membership makes no sense...

#42 Post by dromia »

From Newcastle?
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Come on Bambi get some

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Fecking stones

Real farmers don't need subsidies

Cow's farts matter!

For fine firearms and requisites visit

http://www.pukkabundhooks.com/
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TJC
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Home club or Range: Bisley
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Re: NRA Life Membership makes no sense...

#43 Post by TJC »

dromia wrote:From Newcastle?
I travel all over for my sport / hobby. If you are unable to then at least write them a letter, an email, pick up the phone. It really isn't difficult. As I say, I was dubious...engage with them and then judge.
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dromia
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Re: NRA Life Membership makes no sense...

#44 Post by dromia »

Well I haven't made any judgement on the individuals yet.

I've been feeding in via my regional rep which I understood was the "proper" channel, now that is see that they are responding to individual letters I shall certainly write to them and encourage all my other NRA colleagues to do the same.

I shall still look forward to a regional visit soon after the Chief Exec takes up his post, such visits early on will be the best way for him to get feel for the membership and their views.
Image

Come on Bambi get some

Imperial Good Metric Bad
Analogue Good Digital Bad

Fecking stones

Real farmers don't need subsidies

Cow's farts matter!

For fine firearms and requisites visit

http://www.pukkabundhooks.com/
alexham
Posts: 82
Joined: Mon Dec 26, 2011 9:14 pm
Location: Berkshire

Re: NRA Life Membership makes no sense...

#45 Post by alexham »

I don't know anyone called Karen, so claiming that you witnessed anything that I did is an impossibility. That is the problem with pseudonyms, but it does not really matter. You have completely missed the point of my message - every point.

New CEO was selected by the same people that engaged Jeremy and others. They may not be the same individuals, but they are drawn from the same (useless) pool.

Glad to hear that your door is always open. What exactly does that mean? You are accessible? So is everyone else! What is so special about that? I am not looking for sympathetic hearing nor feeble excuses, but for action. My message was that you should go out not stay behind a door open or shut. Besides, what can you do and what would be the point in talking to you?

You say the staff are shooters themselves and so they know how to run Bisley. Well! All the council members are shooters too and look where that got us!! They know as much about running a natioal shooting body as the man who spent 25 years torquing cylinder heads in Dagenham about running Ford Motor Company worldwide! sign85

In the eyes of the public and especially the local residents, everything that happens at Bisley is the responsibility of the NRA - Pakistani Weddings, Hog Rallies , the lot. NRA has assets that can generate income if rented out, but the NRA must retain the responsibility for the behaviour of its tennants and control the use to which these assets are put!

Yes, I have seen the last Hog Rally. They look like vagabonds; they speak like vagabonds and they behave like vagabonds. Bare obesity covered in tatoos! The polution was terrible. Practically inhaling pure exhaust fumes. You say they have more money than "us" without explaining who are "US"! I would worry where and how they got that money. Only last week WHSmith declared that gun magazines will not be sold to under 14s, so clearly we are at the bottom of the social scale. In addition, we are reduced to begging and beggars cannot be choosers, or so they say. Yet, we have to be much more selective in who we associate with and who we allow into the camp.

I know that the Open Day initiative is not new, but when it started the NRA was fit to receive visitors. It is not now! Getting too many people to join direct, without going through the shooting clubs, creates its own problems. It is too complicated and I do not have time to explain.

You saw me "slagging off" the staff that were trying to help me? Indeed! You cannot tell the difference between being helpful and being apologetic! I have criticized the volunteers on two occasions when I found the reception "closed for lunch" during a major meeting. I was due to shoot in the first detail after lunch and I could not get my match cards. The place is swarming with ex.police and ex.military and no one has heard of "stagered lunches"! There was a queue of about 12 people banging on the door, but the ladies would not budge, whilst our salaried senior managers hid in their offices putting on weight! The problem was solved after the second incident - I gave up entering that meeting!

I have never been able to get targets with faces delivered as ordered. Either the target was not there at all when I signed up for the range, or it was there but badly shot up. Apparently, targets are left under the mantel on Wednesdays for me to "find" on arrival on Sunday afternoon. I could not convince anyone that their obligation is not discharged until I get my mitts on the target. The target shed staff were "helpful"! It was not their fault that someone shot up my target. They are not responsible for anything! They are just going through the motions and they do not care what happens. They would rather not be approached by members! Anyway, I solved that problem too. I gave up ordering special targets!

There are some very good staff but they are frustrated and totally demotivated. They have no respect for their bosses; regard them as useless and take delight in seeing them sacked! On the other hand, no business or complex undertaking has ever succeeded by being run by a democratically elected committee. Give me a problem and a committee of 12 and I will give you 12 solutions, so nothing will ever get done. That sums up the Council!

I have faith in the new CEO, but little confidence. Very difficult to succeed with that millstone round his neck.
karen
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Joined: Wed Nov 17, 2010 2:19 pm

Re: NRA Life Membership makes no sense...

#46 Post by karen »

alexham wrote:I don't know anyone called Karen, so claiming that you witnessed anything that I did is an impossibility. That is the problem with pseudonyms, but it does not really matter.
Just because you don't know me does not mean that I don't know you or the things you have done and the things you have said. Nor does it mean I did not witness certain incidents. I must also say that we also have a lot of mutual acquaintances.

I do not use a pseudonym - my name is Karen. I am quite glad you claim not to know me.

I am not even going to bother replying to any of your other comments as it just isn't worth it

Karen
alexham
Posts: 82
Joined: Mon Dec 26, 2011 9:14 pm
Location: Berkshire

Re: NRA Life Membership makes no sense...

#47 Post by alexham »

karen wrote:
alexham wrote:I don't know anyone called Karen, so claiming that you witnessed anything that I did is an impossibility. That is the problem with pseudonyms, but it does not really matter.
I am not even going to bother replying to any of your other comments as it just isn't worth it

Karen
And that just about sums you up. Dismissive, arrogant and detached from reality. It is so much easier to declare something not worth a reply than to take on board what was said and do something about it. You can now close your door!
karen
Posts: 1063
Joined: Wed Nov 17, 2010 2:19 pm

Re: NRA Life Membership makes no sense...

#48 Post by karen »

alexham wrote:
karen wrote:
alexham wrote:I don't know anyone called Karen, so claiming that you witnessed anything that I did is an impossibility. That is the problem with pseudonyms, but it does not really matter.
I am not even going to bother replying to any of your other comments as it just isn't worth it

Karen
And that just about sums you up. Dismissive, arrogant and detached from reality. It is so much easier to declare something not worth a reply than to take on board what was said and do something about it. You can now close your door!
Dismissive, arrogant and detached from reality???? :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: Now that is funny! Your post and comments just show how much you actually know.

I would be quite happy to answer any constructive criticism but unfortunately I have never heard anything but malicious unpleasantness from you both in person, by email and on this thread.

Karen
alexham
Posts: 82
Joined: Mon Dec 26, 2011 9:14 pm
Location: Berkshire

Re: NRA Life Membership makes no sense...

#49 Post by alexham »

karen wrote: Dismissive, arrogant and detached from reality???? :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: Now that is funny! Your post and comments just show how much you actually know.

I would be quite happy to answer any constructive criticism but unfortunately I have never heard anything but malicious unpleasantness from you both in person, by email and on this thread.

Karen
Karen! I don't know who you are! I have never met you. How could I email you if I don't know you. You keep alluding that I am mean and nasty but cannot offer any details! You say that you would reply to any constructive criticism, but you don't! I have given you pagefulls of constructive criticism and all you could offer was that I don't know anything!

Well, let me add more details. On the first of the two instances when I found the reception "closed for lunch" no one was answering the door, so I went round to the Stats shed and asked for help. A young girl had keys and she took me round the back through the staff entrance. We found two females having lunch and a natter, but they would not answer the door! I knew my competitor's number and I found my match cards myself. The two having lunch never lifted their backsides off the chairs and whatever I said made no impression on them. As I walked round the front of the building, I saw more people banging on the door!!!

Have you ever shot competitively? I came not to "have a bang and see where they go", but to shoot to win! Do you have the slightest idea of the concentration required to fire from a standing, unsupported position and hit the X ring at 50 metres. You have to be perfectly calm and even the slightest confrontation prior to the match ruins everything. That incident completely ruined my day - waste of entry fee; waste of petrol and waste of time.

On the second occasion there was a hand written notice on the front door: "Closed for lunch! Collect competition cards from range office"! When I called at the range office, John Gardener told me that the reception was closed for lunch and that he did not know anything about competition cards. More banging on the door and more agro!

I have nothing to add to the point about non-delivery of target faces as ordered, except to confirm that the HBSA Mid-range Open was delayed in September this year, because the targets supplied had wrong faces.

Let us leave the inadequate parking, dirty toilets, attrocious roads and bed bugs for another thread! This one started with a question about the life membership, when you hijacked it to attack some person that you think is me!!! Well! Let me tell you that if you were in a position to do anything about the matters that I mentioned, I would have known you!

Back to the thread now. I conclude that Life Membership is indeed unfair to those that live some distance away. It is also doubtful whether the NRA gets real benefit from the scheme bearing in mind that the funds are regularly lost in their entirety. I also think that if the way the Bisley ranges are run is not improved substantially and soon we are in real danger that even the ordinary members will see little point in continuing.

Although this is my personal opinion, I should mention that I am an active member of 3 clubs and 2 associations over 3 counties and, consequently, whether I like it or not, my opinion is tempered by the opinions of many others, but I have no mandate to speak on their behalf.

We need to take stock of the whole complex issue and it will not be easy. Life Membership, calculated as a multiple of Annual Membership becomes meaningless as the value of ordinary, annual membership diminishes. It would be nice if we could restore the respect, love and affection and support for NRA that probably existed years ago (not sure of that), but that is a long haul project and time is not on our side. We need something positive to show tomorrow! A good starting point is to go through the benefits at put financial value against each. If you cannot then the members certainly will not!

My apology to the moderators for veering off the thread to slug it out with Karen. I hope that something worthwhile can be picked out of that.
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