How do we encourage new people into the sport ?

Joey said:
Must admit I wouldn't take kids to my local range.

Ethnicity of the members is irrelevant but the topics of conversation and language shouted around is not appropriate for children.

As an adult I enjoy my time there of course, but it's certainly not a family friendly place. That's not to say the members wouldn't bend over backwards to teach children, just that I personally wouldn't want children to hear some of the topics and choice words echoed around. (Obviously kids hear stuff at school and on the internet anyway but that's besides the point).

Maybe that is something we should look at addressing.
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Absolutely right!

Ethnicity is an issue for me - because my family includes mixed race grand children for example - and, as you say
"the topics of conversation and language shouted around"
which often includes comments which are racist.

We also have a couple of gay, female family members but also many of us - even straight white old blokes - dislike hearing some of the pejorative language and other remarks which are often bandied about.

If our Clubs and ranges are not "family friendly places" then we are effectively discouraging a large number of portential new people - and this thread is all about
"How do we encourage new people into the sport ?"

"Maybe that is something we should look at addressing."
I agree.
 
Like pubs, kids should only be allowed to be in the company of unrelated adults at certain times on certain days, family days, i dont like having to tread on eggshells around them and their parents should understand that their precious little angels can be an annoyance to others.
 
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jukibom said:
Oh god I hadn't thought about the toilets at HFT sites, that's a demoralising thought. Really want to get into HFT when the weather picks up :(
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That comment brings back memories. I recall my wife being insistent that all HFT venues in our region had male and female loos as we were involved with the organisation of some events. That was around 25 years ago. I think facilities are better now, so don't let the loos put you off going to an HFT event.

I have just been reminded of a mental image of a story that was relayed to my wife by one unfortunate lass. The loo was little more than a tent and a feeble one at that. A gust of wind took it away mid visit!

As I say, that was a good while ago and I'm sure facilities have since improved!
 
MarkH. said:
But only by getting past the current mindset of some Clubs and Committee's can you start to rectify the grass roots issues.
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This.
Before it evolved and became more technical, there were lots of families and juniors n HFT. The sport needs to avoid gong down the route that blighted FT a decade ago.

Inclusivity was the motivation behind the series I set up in 2006-at a personal cost of £k’s and hundreds of hours.
The Southern Hunter Series-to fill the massive void at regional level in the south.

We had 2 sessions, to accommodate shooters with longer journeys, open book accounts, encouraged marshalling skills and team work, the badge system incentivised improvement and I made it all about Brian Sampson’s philosophy:

“Safe fun, with an airgun!”

After 6 rounds attendance grew from 70 shooters to almost 200 per shoot.
It was a huge feeder sport of both shooters and marshalling staff, to the nationals.


20 years old this Autumn and still going-hopefully running to the original, intended ethos👍
 
jukibom said:
Hahaha that's horrific, I would absolutely just leave before I went in a tent!
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I remember going to one club shoot, (West London Ranges?) opposite a Dog rescue place, no onsite loos at all. Was told to basically venture off into the woodland. Thought I'd managed to secure a shielded enough bush to muster the bravery for a pee when 4 mountain bikes flew past.

As far as portaloos go, myself and female colleagues have gotten into the habit of travelling with at least one pocket stuffed with neatly folded loo roll and a small dispenser of hand sanitiser. -The extra loo roll to get the seat in any way acceptable to want to sit anywhere near.
 
Mrs. H said:
I remember going to one club shoot, (West London Ranges?) opposite a Dog rescue place, no onsite loos at all. Was told to basically venture off into the woodland. Thought I'd managed to secure a shielded enough bush to muster the bravery for a pee when 4 mountain bikes flew past.

As far as portaloos go, myself and female colleagues have gotten into the habit of travelling with at least one pocket stuffed with neatly folded loo roll and a small dispenser of hand sanitiser. -The extra loo roll to get the seat in any way acceptable to want to sit anywhere near.
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Suprised you don't have a shewee for such outings,
that way you can pee on the seats joining the blokes who cannot find their aimpoint :p
I do sympathise ladies
 
I would add that our sport can be a bit of a perceived 'minefield' to some.

From past and recent conversations, many do not appear to be aware that 'airgunning' is a thing, least of all the various disciplines. Those that might be aware assume that it's either child's pursuit ('they're toys, aren't they?), or that it's a very expensive and specialised pursuit, with a vast, and confusing array of choice. And I have found that women generally view it as a 'man's thing'.

My partner, for example, thought the same i.e. 'it's a man's thing, guns...'. Oddly (and thankfully) it was her that found Pete's Airgun Farm, and booked me in for an induction as part of my birthday gift a few years back. A couple of years later she agreed to join me for a session and thoroughly enjoyed herself. OK, she joined up, enjoyed two sessions... and that was it. In her head... 'I am very accurate and there's nothing else to shoot. I got everything I shot at'. She's quite a literal person, but she wasn't wrong, she did indeed hit whatever she aimed at. She shot my Pulsar on both occasions, which has affectionately become know as 'Sonia's Gun' :giggle:

20220514_144416.webp
 
She's just a show off!

Reference what you said:

"It's a very expensive and specialised pursuit, with a vast, and confusing array of choice. And I have found that women generally view it as a 'man's thing".

I think maybe it's almost equivalent to ladies collecting shoes and hand bags, they don't need them but need to know they have them and yes, equally expensive. :)
 
Mark E Smith said:
Sadly, a lot of our treasured possessions (air guns included) will end up in House Clearances at auction,
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When I go to that range in the sky, and the family sort through my Mitutoyo collection and tooling in the workshop,
the whole lot will go in a skip because they haven't a clue,
flat screw driver, one of those funny star screw drivers and a hammer is all they would recognise and keep, seriously.
 
jukibom said:
it's equivalent to collecting literally anything - speak to a photographer nerd or a guitar enthusiast and see how much they spend on gear that they "definitely need" :P
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Or cyclists
Or motorcyclists
Or owners of old / customised / vintage / classic etc cars
Or boats
Or Golfers
Or almost anything else!

Newbies can turn up at Pete's and rent a rifle for a modest sum - for example.

Like every hobby - it is as expensive as you make it.

As @TR158 said,
"Maybe that is something we should look at addressing." it is more a question of our sport being invisible to the vast majority of people in Britain."

On the rare occasions that the public are reminded of the existence of air-guns it is too often in the context of idiots shooting cats or swans etc and NEVER - as far as I recall - anything to do with responsible, serious air-gunners.

The more "marginalised" we become the easier it will be for us to be legislated out of existence - so maybe we should try to get some positive attention and introduce more people to the sensible and fun use of air-guns to redress the balance?
 
jumglejim said:
I think maybe it's almost equivalent to ladies collecting shoes and hand bags, they don't need them but need to know they have them and yes, equally expensive. :)
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OI! I'll have you know I don't own a single handbag...

On a serious note though, I did do the UK national series many years ago with the aim of showing it could be done on a budget. My entire kit; gun, scope and indeed everything I wore (and even including my car) came in at under £1500.
 
I am dumbfounded at reading some of the posts in this thread re: bad language around children.
Do these adults not realise children are present? Or are they just naturally selfish and boorish.. :mad:

Foul language is totally unacceptable. . Some of us don't want to hear it even if there are no children present.
 
Wing Commander said:
I am dumbfounded at reading some of the posts in this thread re: bad language around children.
Do these adults not realise children are present? Or are they just naturally selfish and boorish.. :mad:

Foul language is totally unacceptable. . Some of us don't want to hear it even if there are no children present.
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All it’s takes is a simple sign in the range stating no offensive/bad language is tolerated. Takes 2 mins to make one.
 
Wing Commander said:
I am dumbfounded at reading some of the posts in this thread re: bad language around children.
Do these adults not realise children are present? Or are they just naturally selfish and boorish.. :mad:

Foul language is totally unacceptable. . Some of us don't want to hear it even if there are no children present.
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Thank you @Wing Commander
There's an earlier post on this page that I really don't quite know how to interpret and I suspect alot of people are raising a quizzical eyebrow at. Given this thread is about how to get new people involved and a common theme has been unpleasant experiences with foul and abusive language, that one post alone seems to sum up just what the issue is...
 
At my range i have noticed a lot of young people are coming in for a shoot.Maybe its a treat for the kids for birthday/want to have a go etc.
We make them feel welcome & invite them to shoot our guns if they wish to.
Foul language can be an issue,but is is generally amongst the people who know eachother but not when new people or kids are around.
As in my daily hello post the other day,there were 2 girls came for a shoot for the first time,i let them shoot my gun & they loved it,wanted to come back again,some of the language they used was funny,but as it was only us 3 on the range at the time i overlooked it.
But if someone new turned up i would have asked them politely to keep control of their speech as not to offend anyone.
As to race/gender etc everyone is welcome,we all have different views on different situations but it is kept to ourselves.
 
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