Large Scale Central

NRA Story for TAC

General Discussion
#1

Once upon a time, in a galaxy far, far away . . . .

WHOOPS! Wrong story!

Years ago, when I was secretary of Perth Field Rifle, I wanted to start an air gun club for teenagers. Western Australia’s firearms laws were, and are, draconian, so there were a few hoops to go through, even for air rifles. One of those was an “in the public interest” hoop, so I decided that as a part of club membership the boys would have to demonstrate they could handle firearms safely.

That meant developing some sort of course. I had already qualified in the Sporting Shooters’ Assn of Australia course, and liked its practical component very much. However, I wanted more than that to satisfy the Western Australian authorities.

I wrote the NRA, telling them what I was doing and asking for help. A few weeks later, I received not a letter, not a package, but a BOX full of useful materials. Putting together something for the authorities was a doddle, and I can tell you they were impressed!

The boys who joined the club tended to be fairly unathletic, not anything special academically, who had sort of “slipped through the cracks” where team sports were concerned. Many of them were rock-steady shooting off-hand, and I remember thinking at the time that that quality carried over into their characters and personalities.

A year or so afterwards, I sold all my shooting equipment. #3 was on the way, we needed a bigger house and everything went into the kitty to make that happen. I lost touch with my mates at Perth Field Rifle, and I think the air gun club went belly-up.

A few years back, I ran into one of the boys. He’s now a millionaire; went into panel beating (smash repairs) and ended up owning several panel beating outfits. He’d sold the lot and moved back to Perth. Steve was one of those unathletic, not anything special academically, rock-steady lads I mentioned above. It was good to talk to him.

You never know - throw a rock into a pond and let the ripples roll! I do know that, without the NRA’s help, that course never would’ve gotten off the ground. I do know, because Steve told me, that the air gun club was appreciated by a small group of young men thirty years ago.

#2

Dear Mr Healy - I fired my first shots at age six, sitting on the Irish sea-shore with my dad sitting behind me holding his hands around mine as I cranked off seven shots from one of his Colt 45s into a garbage can lid set up in the shingle.

I was hooked, and remain so fifty-six years later.

In spite of losing seven VERY expensive rifles to the 1988 ban and one hundred and eighteen handguns in the 1997 handgun ban, I still have eighteen rifles and three of the approved type of handgun here in yUK, and an [ahem] collection in the USA looked after by a friend. My latest acqusition there is a 1978-made Smith & Wesson Model 29 mint in box/case…and exact matching date and time for the very first Model 29 I bought when we lived in Germany.

I teach able-bodied and disabled shooters, having not only spent time in a wheelchair and having a daughter who lives in one, but being fully ambidextrous - something that is very useful when teaching a person who is a mite lop-sided.

I mentor and pass on my skills, dedication to the sport, and the spirit of achievement that it engenders, and try to be a good representative and envoy to those who would view us shooters with suspicion and intolerance.

I am proud to be a member of the NRA and all that it represents to both Americans who founded it and to the rest of the Free World who benefit from its efforts.

tac

#3

hey tac I am fully ambidextrous also , I can miss with either hand , most anytime .

#4
Dennis Paulson said:
hey tac I am fully ambidextrous also , I can miss with either hand , most anytime .
Whereas I am merely mediocre with either hand... :)

tac

#5

“ambisinister” here

I went to YMCA camp the summer I turned 10, and signed up for rifle shooting and horseback riding as my first choices and got both first choices.

At the first class, they taught us about safety and how to use the sights, and not to shoot the clothes pins holding our targets up or they’d have to “get” us. The bigger boys all took the peep sight, so I took the smaller gun.

By Wednesday, the other boys were starting to notice I was getting all my shots in the black.

There was one bully who kept pushing the rest of us around. Walking out to the rifle range, one of the kids suggested, “Tommy, you shoot good. Shoot his clothes pins.” The bigger boy figured we were plotting and demanded to know what was up. I just kept quiet and let him figure there wasn’t much a tiny twerp like me could do.

So when it was my turn, I noted which target was his. I figured with 5 bullets, I could get one of them. Pop! One clothes pin was splintered. Pop! Another. Pop! His target was hanging from one pin. Pop, and it dropped to the ground. I used my last bullet on my own target.

When we retrieved our targets for scoring, the instructor said, “Tommy, you didn’t shoot as well this time,” and winked. Then they made the bulley stand on his head and say the alphabet backwards while they strung new clothes pins on the wires.

He didn’t pester us any more.

#6
Tom Ruby said:
"ambisinister" here

I went to YMCA camp the summer I turned 10, and signed up for rifle shooting and horseback riding as my first choices and got both first choices.

At the first class, they taught us about safety and how to use the sights, and not to shoot the clothes pins holding our targets up or they’d have to “get” us. The bigger boys all took the peep sight, so I took the smaller gun.

By Wednesday, the other boys were starting to notice I was getting all my shots in the black.

There was one bully who kept pushing the rest of us around. Walking out to the rifle range, one of the kids suggested, “Tommy, you shoot good. Shoot his clothes pins.” The bigger boy figured we were plotting and demanded to know what was up. I just kept quiet and let him figure there wasn’t much a tiny twerp like me could do.

So when it was my turn, I noted which target was his. I figured with 5 bullets, I could get one of them. Pop! One clothes pin was splintered. Pop! Another. Pop! His target was hanging from one pin. Pop, and it dropped to the ground. I used my last bullet on my own target.

When we retrieved our targets for scoring, the instructor said, “Tommy, you didn’t shoot as well this time,” and winked. Then they made the bulley stand on his head and say the alphabet backwards while they strung new clothes pins on the wires.

He didn’t pester us any more.


Sometimes something happens that makes it ALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL worthwhile!

#7
Terry A de C Foley said:
Dear Mr Healy - I fired my first shots at age six, sitting on the Irish sea-shore with my dad sitting behind me holding his hands around mine as I cranked off seven shots from one of his Colt 45s into a garbage can lid set up in the shingle.

I was hooked, and remain so fifty-six years later.

In spite of losing seven VERY expensive rifles to the 1988 ban and one hundred and eighteen handguns in the 1997 handgun ban, I still have eighteen rifles and three of the approved type of handgun here in yUK, and an [ahem] collection in the USA looked after by a friend. My latest acqusition there is a 1978-made Smith & Wesson Model 29 mint in box/case…and exact matching date and time for the very first Model 29 I bought when we lived in Germany.

I teach able-bodied and disabled shooters, having not only spent time in a wheelchair and having a daughter who lives in one, but being fully ambidextrous - something that is very useful when teaching a person who is a mite lop-sided.

I mentor and pass on my skills, dedication to the sport, and the spirit of achievement that it engenders, and try to be a good representative and envoy to those who would view us shooters with suspicion and intolerance.

I am proud to be a member of the NRA and all that it represents to both Americans who founded it and to the rest of the Free World who benefit from its efforts.

tac


I can only ever recall one disabled person at Perth Field Rifle. He was a crack shot.

Tutoring disabled people in shooting sounds like a useful way to make a contribution to the community. Keep up the good work!

One of the blokes at our regular Thursday night pool hall social is ambidexterous. Why does everyone want to be on his team?!!

#8

Hey, All - you may be pleased to share my good feelings when I tell you that one of our club members, shooting in the 10m prone comp, has won Gold with a world-beating score of 600x600.

Matt was put in a wheelchair as the result of a car wreck three years ago, and only took up air rifle shooting just over two years ago - so his rise has been meteoric to say the least.

For those who can’t figure out quite how you shoot prone, or any other of the three positions from a wheelchair, here is how it goes -

Standing - shot with totally unsupported arms or elbows - they must not touch the arm rests or any other part of the chair.

Kneeling - shot with the trigger arm resting.

Prone - both elbows resting.

The course of fire is the same whether you are able-bodied or not - 60 shots in one hour at 60 targets. the ‘ten’ is a one millimeter dot in the centre of the ten ring, which itself the same size as the .177 pellet.

Bleeve me it is SERIOUSLY tiring to shoot. Mimimum qualifying scores for the Olympics are a string of at least 590 in international competitions. The higher you score, the more likely you are to get a quota place.

I bought Matt’s previous rifle off him, but sadly not a trace of his magic came with it… :frowning:

tac

#9
Terry A de C Foley said:
Hey, All - you may be pleased to share my good feelings when I tell you that one of our club members, shooting in the 10m prone comp, has won Gold with a world-beating score of 600x600.

Matt was put in a wheelchair as the result of a car wreck three years ago, and only took up air rifle shooting just over two years ago - so his rise has been meteoric to say the least.

For those who can’t figure out quite how you shoot prone, or any other of the three positions from a wheelchair, here is how it goes -

Standing - shot with totally unsupported arms or elbows - they must not touch the arm rests or any other part of the chair.

Kneeling - shot with the trigger arm resting.

Prone - both elbows resting.

The course of fire is the same whether you are able-bodied or not - 60 shots in one hour at 60 targets. the ‘ten’ is a one millimeter dot in the centre of the ten ring, which itself the same size as the .177 pellet.

Bleeve me it is SERIOUSLY tiring to shoot. Mimimum qualifying scores for the Olympics are a string of at least 590 in international competitions. The higher you score, the more likely you are to get a quota place.

I bought Matt’s previous rifle off him, but sadly not a trace of his magic came with it… :frowning:

tac


Oh man - this bloke is GOOD! Indoors or out - and if the latter, what were the wind and weather conditions?