Letters to the editor, and one to 'posterity'

I receive a good few 'Letters to the Editor', many of them grumbling about small errors in the magazine. Recently an older reader wrote to complain we'd referred to rabbits as 'bunnies', which he found patronising and childish. He has a point, but I doubt that many readers are troubled by that one. All in all it's valuable feedback, and helps to keep the magazine on the right track.

Some of them, however, are written from the heart, and deal with fundamental issues that affect all of us, shooters or not. I felt that this letter, which arrived today, was worth sharing here, as it makes some excellent points:

Campaign for common sense

With the increase in overzealous police officers arresting LEGITIMATE shooters, I wish to add my penny’s worth.

Slightly left of field I know, but it needs to be said that it is not just the police that require education about our sport, its pleasures and its many hurdles imposed on us by the current disingenuous government and their foot-soldiers.

By and large shooting is carried out by law-abiding and in many cases respected individuals. Where at all possible we respect whatever the law throws at us. Yet a large proportion of people would have you believe we are all social pariahs and are putting planet earth at risk. Utter tosh and a very sad indictment of what (some) police and the public think of us and our sport.

I am legitimate gun owner who has served in the British Forces and shot a myriad of large and small calibre weapons, but now stick to my weekly shoot at both clay ground and rough shoot. I believe, whilst you never stop learning, I am a pretty safe bet.

A few weeks ago I was enjoying of a glass of beer when to my left a rather well oiled punter started to advise me as to why my sport was the ruination of wildlife and posed numerous dangers to the public in general. Needles to say by the time I had EDUCATED this man in the way of our sport and its not inconsiderable revenues to our rudderless government, he to be fair, had changed his thoughts 180 degrees.

It did not end there though, as I made a point of advising him that he, after drinking well over the limit, was about to drive home and endanger far more lives, wildlife and indeed planet earth than any amount of shooters would ever do.

We as shooters are pigeonholed and pilloried as bunny slaughtering, noise producing, lead poisoning, gun toting hillbillies - when in fact a little education would show the amazing amount of good we do in many ways (too many to mention).

Outside the shooting community, how many people have heard of George Digweed, Richard Faulds and Mike Yardley - a 16 times world champion, an Olympian and a fabulously erudite shooting ambassador, respectively? I would guess not many at all. Yet mention another sportsman, no matter how odd the sport, and more will know their name. Education and bringing pressure to bear on our lame, Politically Correct, public fund wasting governmental apparatchiks, is what is needed.

Whatever next: they will be taking penknives off scouts!

Tim Davies

... and if that's put you in the mood for sedition, try thriller writer Dennis Wheatley's Letter to Posterity. [full text here in pdf format], [video of BBC documentary here]. Rebel!