Letter to the Editor Disunity, The Enemy Within!

Ron Owen Blog August 1, 2010

Ron

I am not as learned as some of the commentators. But as a younger person I have seen the erosion and cunning destruction of my much loved sport and occupational pastime (shooting)over the last 40 years. Slowly and surely as cancer it has crept into our life as legislation has been enacted without our permission or request. Exactly as Hitler did in Nazi Germany in the early part of the nineteenth century, and I can see no difference in what will be the final outcome for firearm owners. Unless we have millions of dollars to fight these laws and the minions that enforce them we are doomed if you comply with the laws. I would urge all thinking men and women to procure firearms that are unable to be traced, as well as ammunition for the same and store these in a secure place. For a rainy day of course! Unless, you want to herded like sheep to the slaughter yards as did Hitler to the Jews and any others whom opposed tyrants while unarmed. If we ignore history we are doomed to repeat it, heard that before? Keep your powder dry and your blade sharp!
Gunruna

P.s. Just do some research into the plight of the people of Tibet as the Chinese slaughter them and breed them out of existence. Passive resistance is what has led them to this point. I am sure some of them wrote to their local politicians!

Dear Ron,

The community I was proud to be a part of appears to be tearing itself apart in an orgy of self-interest. Different groups within that community are happily sacrificing the rights of other groups in the hope that by doing so they will not be denied theirs.

I have not only heard of this before, I have challenged it. Sadly I was a voice in the wilderness trying to get the disparate groups of the same community in the UK to stand together against oppression and to recognise that the things they had in common were far greater than their differences. Moreover, sacrificing the rights of one sector of that community did not protect the rest, it merely made it easier for their rights to be taken away when their time came because there was no one left to help them in their fight.

You may have noted that so far I have not defined the ‘community’ I mention. You may well be thinking yes, we recreational anglers are facing this, or boating, custom car or motorcycle enthusiasts

However, I am not speaking of these groups, although they too may be suffering the same acts of treachery from within. No I am referring to the shooting community. A community beset by treachery from within since firearms licensing was conceived.

The more astute amongst you may have noticed that I paraphrased Martin Niemöller   at the end of paragraph 4. Some of you may think that it is irrelevant and has no connection with the shooting sports in Queensland; nothing could be further from the truth. For those who are not familiar with Niemöller I will copy his words below.

“THEY CAME FIRST for the Communists,
and I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a Communist.

THEN THEY CAME for the trade unionists,
and I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a trade unionist.

THEN THEY CAME for the Jews,
and I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a Jew.

THEN THEY CAME for me

and by that time no one was left to speak up.”

 

If you still don’t see the relevance simply replace the last word of line one of each verse with your particular shooting discipline and I’m sure the penny will drop.

This divisiveness and treachery amongst the various disciplines MUST STOP.

Shooters have more than enough enemies attacking our community without internecine fighting.

If all the various disciplines do not pull together now, shooting as a sport or hobby will cease to exist. The only people permitted to own a firearm would be farmers and pastoralists. The city or suburban shooter who nips down to the range at the weekend for a bit of plinking at targets with his or her rifle will lose their sport and the company of their fraternal or sororal friends who shared their interest.

Simply because you may not enjoy the same shooting discipline as another member of your club or association does not mean that their discipline is wrong or does not deserve your support. IPSC shooters are under threat because other groups do not think their version of the sport is proper. Just as the military rifle shooters lost their military styled self-loading rifles. Do those within the shooting community who supported the ban on military styled self-loading rifles seriously think that those they betrayed will support them when their firearm of choice comes under threat?

There is no doubt in my mind what the answer to that question is, because I know the people who owned and used those rifles in their sport. That answer amazingly, is yes they undoubtedly will despite the fact that their brothers and sisters betrayed them.

One of the greatest successes of governments is that they have somehow managed to persuade shooters that owning a firearm of any type is a privilege and subject to the whim of government. This is simply not the case.

The right to possess arms is just that, a right. Governments and politicians are not our masters; they are our servants.

The shooting and firearm owning community as a whole must make their combined voices heard NOW before it is too late. The government YOU elected is destroying your sport piece by piece. No discipline is safe, all are under threat and the divisiveness and backstabbing within the community is only making it easier for them.

Get out your pen and paper, write to the Premier and your MLA, let them know, enough is enough. It is not hard, all you have to do is wake up and realise that the entire firearm owning community is under threat. It is not just the IPSC shooters, the goat, pig and deer hunters or the various small-bore target disciplines. It is ALL of YOU.

Write individually; tell them how you feel about the destruction of your sport or hobby in your own words, preferably as politely as possible. Foul language will not help the cause. But do it now, you have nothing to lose, only the cost of a sheet of paper an envelope and a stamp. It’s not much to save a way of life.

Brian

 

Dear Ron,

Just received your latest news letter and would like to comment on the letter regarding the shooting sports being fractured.  The writer is absolutely correct in what he says.  A couple of weeks ago, I was talking to a long time member of a prominent pistol club on the Gold Coast.  He was off on a rant about western action “dickheads” and how he hated them and they should be banned from that club.  Me being the defensive type, I jumped in and told this old fool in no uncertain terms what an idiot for another shooting discipline.  I added, personally I can’t stand Olympic style pistol shooting, as it represents absolutely nothing to me.  Having said that, I qualified it by adding that, though I despise this discipline, I will defend them until the end to enjoy what they choose to shoot.

Well, this argument went on for 15 minutes and I even threw in the problem that QUAPSA is only interested in their type of discipline at the expense of everyone else.  This old bugger didn’t even like that organisation.  Yet he couldn’t give me a good reason why western action should be banned … he just wanted them out of “his” club.  This problem exists throughout our shooting groups.  The Field & Game shotgunners seem to like everyone but the Trap shooters like no one.  In fact, the Trap Shooting organisations payed only lip service while the evil gnome was taking our guns off us and all because the gun ban didn’t effect them.  How bloody short sighted is that.  BP shooters like everyone but “minute of angle” shooters despise everyone else with a rifle.  We have to heal these stupid rifts or we FAIL.

The end argument is this:  If we don’t all respect each others chosen discipline in the shooting sports, then the Qld. Government will take advantage of the old British treacherous trick of “Divide and Rule” and they will do it with glee.

Terry

PS:  Take a look at the Firearms Policy of the (LDP) Liberal Democrats Party.  They are very Libertarian and I dislike a few of their policies but generally, they’re not too bad.  A young party and if lead well, they could be our saving grace.

—
SOCIALISM is a philosophy of failure, the creed of ignorance and the gospel of envy.  Its inherent virtue is the equal sharing of misery.
-Winston Churchill-

“I prefer dangerous freedom, over peacefull slavery.”
-Thomas Jefferson-

“Those that stand for nothing, will fall for anything.”
-Alexander Hamilton-

_____________________________________

Hi Ron,
Regarding your thought for the week, it gets even worse than that.  We fight amongst ourselves between disciplines.  I enjoy all aspects of shooting.  I have been a keen hunter since I could walk, I enjoy ISSF, western action, service, and IPSC to different degrees.  I believe if the only reason you want to own a firearm is to stand on the range and pump lead into the mound then that’s a valid reason.  But I hear so much fighting and hatred for other disciplines I can’t help but think we are doomed.
I have heard club captains trying to ban 9mm’s at their club because they claim they are inaccurate and all the shooter is doing is filling the mound with lead.  I have heard ISSF pistol shooters say that IPSC and western action should be banned.  And I have heard the same being spat back at them from the other disciplines too.  I have seen many of them laughing at a denied police approval for a particular .223 caliber pistol saying “what possible reason could you want that, it looks like an assault weapon”.  I was ignored when I said that it would make a good metallic silhouette pistol.  If you closed your eyes you would think you were sitting at a coalition for gun control meeting.
We have the state body (of QAPSA) in QLD trying to have it legislated that to own a pistol you must be a member of them or the SSAA.  Because at the moment IPSC, Western action, and casual shooters who don’t compete don’t have to join either.  They’re trying to get more members to better fund state and national teams so we have better international representation, but they’re going about it the wrong way, what is it, you catch more flies with honey or something.  They think we need international representation to validate our handgun ownership. (That’s just an excuse)  Why not argue that it shouldn’t matter, that we should have a right to our freedom and to do what we want so long as we don’t harm anyone else in the process.  That’s what we should be spending our money on convincing the pollies about.  Not who can shoot what.
If you take away all pistol shooters except only one discipline, how long do you think handguns will be allowed in this country?  While we keep fighting with one another we are doomed and I am left with a fear that my kids wont be able to enjoy the same freedoms that I have, if you can still call it freedom.
Cheers.