Last night was the monthly meeting at the gun club. A bunch of the usual business, and an interesting bit about the new OSHA effort to make ammunition impossible to buy except for the government. After the end of the meeting, the leader of the high-power rifle clique asked me to talk to him. He apparently had a spirited disagreement at the range with another member I work with about his choice of targets. The member being addressed was shooting a personally purchased 2x3 foot polymer target. This set off the HPR guy, as he has been working diligently to ban all targets that aren't paper. We have one rack with polymer targets that have been shot for the last three years without replacement. He's currently trying to get those disapproved, because of a reported ricochet when a center fire target was shot with a .22 rim fire. I'm sure the ricochet had nothing to do with using an improper cartridge, or the fact that some idiot filled them with bird shot the first season they were up. No, it's just that polymer is bad. In fact, we had a short discussion about targets at that point. As the polymer targets the club has bought are now riddled with holes, I'm in favor of those who want to buy and shoot their own, as long as it's done safely.
Here's a synopsis of the argument:
Me: I don't see a problem, as polymer is listed as approved in the SOP.
HPR Guy: Yeah, we'll have to change that. (e.g., I'll have sneak something past the membership again at an exec meeting)
Me: I've talked to a lot of guys who shoot pistol out here, and they're bored shooting bullseyes all the time.
HPR Guy: I've been shooting paper for 40 years, and I'm not bored with it.
Me: Not everybody has the same interests as you.
HPR Guy: Hmph
So, to sum up, the reason we should get rid of polymer targets is, HPR Guy doesn't like it, he doesn't do it, so no one else should either. In fact, this whole shooting fast thing (like IPSC, or NRA Practical Pistol), is a BAD thing. If you need to shoot more than one round every minute or so, you're probably out of control.
Since I found out right afterwards that HPR Guy, Vice President Power Trip, and myself are this year's committee to review the SOP, there is going to be some serious disagreements. I believe I may actually have to get the paying, voting membership involved in deciding what they would like to do. Although that would be a major departure from how things have been done the last several years. Someone has to be a pain in the ass, so it might as well be me.
Here's a synopsis of the argument:
Me: I don't see a problem, as polymer is listed as approved in the SOP.
HPR Guy: Yeah, we'll have to change that. (e.g., I'll have sneak something past the membership again at an exec meeting)
Me: I've talked to a lot of guys who shoot pistol out here, and they're bored shooting bullseyes all the time.
HPR Guy: I've been shooting paper for 40 years, and I'm not bored with it.
Me: Not everybody has the same interests as you.
HPR Guy: Hmph
So, to sum up, the reason we should get rid of polymer targets is, HPR Guy doesn't like it, he doesn't do it, so no one else should either. In fact, this whole shooting fast thing (like IPSC, or NRA Practical Pistol), is a BAD thing. If you need to shoot more than one round every minute or so, you're probably out of control.
Since I found out right afterwards that HPR Guy, Vice President Power Trip, and myself are this year's committee to review the SOP, there is going to be some serious disagreements. I believe I may actually have to get the paying, voting membership involved in deciding what they would like to do. Although that would be a major departure from how things have been done the last several years. Someone has to be a pain in the ass, so it might as well be me.
2 comments:
Don't you just love how people rush to abuse even the tiniest bit of power over others?
Sounds like a Zumbo with an ego problem.
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