Just wondering

johngalway

This will probably stir up a hornets nest... or maybe not..

Is there any proactive gun PR to counteract people like, again, George Hook?

I didn't get the full story, he was arguing with Michael Graham (for Taoiseach please). Gist of it a woman on her own shot an intruder in the US with a shotgun, rightly IMO. George blathered on about how WE don't need guns, WE had fellas in balaclavas wandering around with guns shooting people.

Not trying to make a political argument, but this type of crap reflects badly on us as gunowners. As we know you don't need to be involved in something to get some of the sh1t stuck on you in this country.

Semi rant over, off out shooting soon!

poulo6.5

Semi rant over, off out shooting soon![/quote]




i'm with you on this one . just after reading that makes me want to go home an put on my balaclava and go out and commit murder. the fox's are in for it now:rolleyes::rolleyes:

sfakiaman

The problem is that there is a de facto ban on any good news regarding sporting shooting. The deafening silence about the PPC championships where Ireland won twenty odd medals is evidence of this.

Sparks

Yeah, but on the other hand, every time we try promoting the sport, we get various NGBs looking to "keep the head down, don't attract attention, don't rock the boat", we keep back names and faces from the press - partly because of personal security worries, partly because we've never done things any other way in the last forty years because of the Troubles - and that costs us. You look at other sports, and what do you see? GAA football, you see Gooch. Golf, you see Padraig or Tiger. Running, you used to see Sonia. Shooting, you see.... nothing. And so when you do see bad news involving gun crime or whatever, that's what's associated with it, because we've villains but no heroes, and all the media understands is villains and heroes.

chem

The airsoft lads are winning the fight. They invite people to events, games and to try it out. We could do with takeing a page from their book.

I was in my local airsoft shop few months back. Owner put on a display for the local IT collage. He showed me a phone book size bundle of applications to join the group!

ivanthehunter

chem wrote: »

The airsoft lads are winning the fight. They invite people to events, games and to try it out. We could do with takeing a page from their book.

I was in my local airsoft shop few months back. Owner put on a display for the local IT collage. He showed me a phone book size bundle of applications to join the group!

Yer dead rite there! Prmo of shooting!!!

thedragon

Its a bit like vicious dog breeds, take your humble Rottweiler or Doberman or Pitbull, whats the first thing you think of when you hear of these breeds. These breeds are no more dangerous than your humble Labrador but in the wrong hands they can become killing machines. This is true for any breed of dog if given to the wrong people, then the frenzied media take a stab, and what do get. Its no different for guns, its the power of TV and radio and tabloids.

4gun

Sparks wrote: »

Yeah, but on the other hand, every time we try promoting the sport, we get various NGBs looking to "keep the head down, don't attract attention, don't rock the boat", we keep back names and faces from the press - partly because of personal security worries, partly because we've never done things any other way in the last forty years because of the Troubles - and that costs us. You look at other sports, and what do you see? GAA football, you see Gooch. Golf, you see Padraig or Tiger. Running, you used to see Sonia. Shooting, you see.... nothing. And so when you do see bad news involving gun crime or whatever, that's what's associated with it, because we've villains but no heroes, and all the media understands is villains and heroes.

I read in some earlier post of yours Sparks that you took up shooting while in college? or some thing along those lines
how well is shooting promoted in other colleges what about clubs in colleges ....Thinking kinda recruitment policy here next generation sort of thing get more of the inteligencia involved start them early and get them hooked
ignorance of firearms is the greatest enemy to shooting that we face teach enough of the right people that guns are not the cause of societies ills and who knows what might happen

marlin vs

George Hook's just a [insert derogatory comment here] and not worth posting about.

It wasn't me!

4gun wrote: »

I read in some earlier post of yours Sparks that you took up shooting while in college? or some thing along those lines
how well is shooting promoted in other colleges what about clubs in colleges ....Thinking kinda recruitment policy here next generation sort of thing get more of the inteligencia involved start them early and get them hooked
ignorance of firearms is the greatest enemy to shooting that we face teach enough of the right people that guns are not the cause of societies ills and who knows what might happen

We tend to promote ourselves fairly hard at any opportunity. Unfortunately, currently only Trinity and UCD have rifle clubs. UCC have a DURC graduate about to land with them with ambitions to start something there however, and with any luck, we'll have them in several other colleges in time.

Be under no illusion though that the answer lies solely there, or even in a big way. I've known well-established shooters within these clubs denigrate a variety of larger calibre stuff because they had no personal interest in it, and most will never get interested beyond a basic level, and the vast, vast majority don't keep it up when they graduate. The colleges are a place to get a new generation of target shooters as things stand, but they're certainly not the political answer to the Irish shooting sports' issues.

Also worth bearing in mind is that the college shooters and ex-college shooters you speak with here and those whose roots are in that scene are not necessarily representative of that scene on a wider level. While I'll shoot anything from air guns to rimfires to fullbores and bigbores, rifle, pistol, shotgun, target shooting, hunting, training, coaching, competing, whatever, and while a lot of the other guys here would have a similar breadth of interest, the college shooters by and large don't have the legal intellect of Sparks or IRLConor, or any enthusiasm for hunting like myself. They're a different sort altogether.

deeksofdoom

chem wrote: »

The airsoft lads are winning the fight. They invite people to events, games and to try it out. We could do with takeing a page from their book.

I was in my local airsoft shop few months back. Owner put on a display for the local IT collage. He showed me a phone book size bundle of applications to join the group!

Come on now! you can hardly compare airsoft to shooting. Airsoft is using toy guns shooting plastic balls. Shooting is firing real guns using live ammunition. There's a little bit more at stake when your talking about inviting people out shooting compared to taking them out playing airsoft.... or wouldn't you think?

Sparks

Doesn't matter deeks. Do it, get publicity. Don't do it, no matter what the reason or how good or bad that reason is, don't get publicity.

Grizzly 45

marlin vs wrote: »

George Hook's just a [insert derogatory comment here] and not worth posting about.

As are 99.9% of the media figures here.Strange life forms ,usually a fog horn at one end of a large intestine with an anus on the other end.

boc121

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055767622

And then we end up like this poor guy:mad:
Its just not right.

kowloon

deeksofdoom wrote: »

Come on now! you can hardly compare airsoft to shooting. Airsoft is using toy guns shooting plastic balls. Shooting is firing real guns using live ammunition. There's a little bit more at stake when your talking about inviting people out shooting compared to taking them out playing airsoft.... or wouldn't you think?

They seem to get similar $hite from the media/politicians. I seem to remember airsoft players being likened to terrorists in training, similar to the way we get treated as criminals.

marlin vs

marlin vs wrote: »

George Hook's just a [insert derogatory comment here] and not worth posting about.

Sparks, I should appoligse (hand's up) I just can't stand the man,when he said, I just abhor gun's it just sticks in my mind.Slap on the hand taken.

happyjack

sfakiaman wrote: »

The problem is that there is a de facto ban on any good news regarding sporting shooting. The deafening silence about the PPC championships where Ireland won twenty odd medals is evidence of this.

That is so true, I could'nt believe nothing psoitive was written about that, it was a perfect chance to show our sport in a good light, why was it missed?


HJ:)

.243

happyjack wrote: »

That is so true, I could'nt believe nothing psoitive was written about that, it was a perfect chance to show our sport in a good light, why was it missed?


HJ:)

it wasn't missed by the media,its plain and simple it doesn't sell news papers

Grizzly 45

What we need is a celeb who loves shooting ,or is seen to try it and say they want to take it up.Instant publicity then.

murph226

Grizzly 45 wrote: »

What we need is a celeb who loves shooting ,or is seen to try it and say they want to take it up.Instant publicity then.

Bang on Griz, there has to be someone out there!

Sparks

Yeah, but Jesse Ventura isn't really the kind of PR we'd like
More Pierce Brosnan maybe.

murph226

anyone at this stage Sparks, any real suggestions?

Sparks

That was a real suggestion murph, the man's from Ireland, he's well known for playing James Bond so there's your easy newspaper story tie-in, just get him to give out prizes at a match and there's your PR right there.

As to getting someone to take up the sport and then volunteer for the PR, that's not something you can arrange unless they come to the sport themselves really.

murph226

Sparks wrote: »

That was a real suggestion murph, the man's from Ireland, he's well known for playing James Bond so there's your easy newspaper story tie-in, just get him to give out prizes at a match and there's your PR right there.

As to getting someone to take up the sport and then volunteer for the PR, that's not something you can arrange unless they come to the sport themselves really.

Fair enough, but there must be some Irish celeb actively involved in some form of shooting that would be willing to promote Irish shooting as a whole?

Sparks

None I know of, but if anyone does...

Dusty87

I know of none either but someone springs to mind.
Bit far fetched but Jack Charlton is big into shooting. Used to have a programme called Jacks Game. I know he's not Irish but it would be good person to get(even though ya probably wouldnt have a chance).

Suppose he's called "An Honoury Irishman"

rrpc

Sparks wrote: »

None I know of, but if anyone does...

Daniel Day Lewis was going to come to the range in Rathdrum but work called him away. He lives in the area and is involved in the local athletics and fishing clubs (the fishing club uses part of the Rathdrum range as a clubhouse).

We're still hopeful, but nowadays he spends half his time in New York because his kids go to school there.

Sparks

He'd be a dose of good news for the black powder enthusiasts

xesse

Today FM ... Ray Darcy holds like a challenge every now and then for his program
the concept is are males better than females
they had like reverse parking and spelling etc etc....
maybe they could try olympic pistol shooting???
they would get a week training and then a 40 shot match and we get a week of publicity
just an idea......

Sparks wrote: »

None I know of, but if anyone does...

Sparks

They'd win.
Women have a fairly well-acknowleged advantage in most of the olympic disciplines bar prone rifle because of physiological and psychological factors.

xesse

i think you missed the point i was trying to make

Sparks wrote: »

They'd win.
Women have a fairly well-acknowleged advantage in most of the olympic disciplines bar prone rifle because of physiological and psychological factors.

Sparks

Actually, I was just complaining at that point xesse

(Though if the concept for the show is "are they?" and we *know* the answer is "yes, we know that they are", there's implications for the pitch to D'Arcy...)

xesse

WTF are u talking about?????????????????????????????

Sparks wrote: »

Actually, I was just complaining at that point xesse

(Though if the concept for the show is "are they?" and we *know* the answer is "yes, we know that they are", there's implications for the pitch to D'Arcy...)

Sparks

xesse wrote: »

WTF are u talking about?????????????????????????????

This!

xesse wrote:

the concept is are males better than females[/url]

xesse

the concept of the post i made about today fm was to get some much needed PR for shooting sports
i dont care who wins
anyway forget about it
i knew this wasnt the place to talk about this
too much negativity here

Sparks wrote: »

This!

xesse wrote:

the concept is are males better than females[/url]

LB6

Hold onto your horses there a minute xesse. It's not a bad idea. And there's more competitions that women shoot in too than just prone. Consider Benchrest and pistol too where "build" has nothing to do with how much better we shoot prone than you guys!!!!!!!!

Bananaman

Folks,

The biggest mistake people - shooting sports people - can make with this stuff - PR - is to do a solo run.

Xesse has a good idea there - I would recommend that he bring it to the notice of his club(s) and association(s) - I know he is a member of many.
He is also right that boards is not the place to seek action - only argument.

If an association plans to do this then they should consult with the other associations in the same sphere - via the SSAI, I would assume - and ensure that you do not have a load of people trying to kick the one ball.

IMHO they should be doing this all the time. That, however, is for another discussion

By all means do the prep - but while that is happening - validate that this is not going to contradict some work which is already in progress and that it is not going to be a missed opportunity because multiple groups tried to do the same thing - because they did not communicate - and in the end the ball got dropped.

Mickey Measuring has a lot to do with why we are where we are today.

It is extremely important that there be no division in front of the 'world' - shooting sports are shooting sports - no deviation.
The message must be clear - regardless of who does it - the shooting sports are safe, enjoyable and inclusive.

Not - this shooting sport is safe, enjoyable and inclusive but we'll say nothing about that one

Insinuation is THE tool of the whingers and naysayers among us and it must not be allowed to creep into a PR exercise.

My tuppence.

B'Man

PS: LB6 - we could do with a few more women running these sports - all these lads may well roar and shout at each other and beat their chests and what have you - but they do the dishes when they are told - no argument. Might be something in that.

Sparks

Lord B'man, that's the worst possible approach.
What we *need*, *desperately* is solo runs on a local level.
Everyone keeps waiting for some NGB, *any* NGB, to step in and do the work for us, and they just don't have the manpower to do it. Even the NARGC, who've got the most manpower, has had to say "enough!" because of just one area (appeals) having so much work to do.
Step up, promote your club, promote what you do there, and don't wait for others to okay it on a national level, or nothing will ever get done.

And quit bashing boards.ie would you? It's about the only common front shooting in Ireland has that's open and visible to anyone outside of the DoJ!




Xesse, I'm not disagreeing with you, I'm agreeing with you. D'Arcy's show is based on the 'gender wars' idea there; in target shooting, women do much better than men, which is (for his show) a counter-intuitive story, and like all counter-intuitive stories (ie. Man Bites Dog), it sells ad space attracts listeners. So push it. Do it.