Boats,
Obviously it's been awhile since you've been to the Raton Black Powder Target Rifle Nationals!
How would you feel if you shot a schuetzen match last year after paying almost $200 in entry fees and you still haven't received the results or your award?
That is just ONE of the issues addressed in the petition.
Steve R.
AZ

  We need to get more for our dues than more scare stories and money begging letters. If they don't get their act together they will find they have alienated the grass roots shooters who who are paying for their big salaries and Potomac Palaces. maybe we need some term limits for the unelected paid administrators.

tim_s,
When I asked about why the NRA does not support Schuetzen and Benchrest shooting I did not necessarily mean that they should control it, the guys that are shooting the events and understand what the  shooting disciplines are all about should be the ones writing the rules and running the events.  It would just be nice if they would at least recognize all the shooting sports. and show some type of support towards them, not necessarily run them.   

I know that a lot of the guys shooting those events are NRA members so in my mind if the shooters are supporting NRA the NRA, being that it was built on the Shooting Sports, should show some type of support to the shooters, even if it's only something small like a hat or a T shirt as an award for a job well done. 

Of course if they wanted to run such events on there own there's not much anyone could do about it other than if you did not like the way it was set it up let them know about it by not shooting the event, someone may get the hint that maybe there doing something wrong or being that attendance was real low would give up on it and discontinue the event.   

Does not seem to be any fear of that happing as they seem for some reason to avoid those two shooting disciplines like the plague.
  S T

Have shot one form of competition or another for nearly 50 years in and out of the US. Seen a whole lot of matches run one way or another   Now actively shooting 3 disciplines all run by different organizations.  NRA is not the best or worse of the three. One thing they all have in common is members who expect more than they get. I am as guilty of that as anybody else.

It is the only one protecting our 2nd amendment rights.  Was working in Australia when there gun laws changed. One key reason they were able to pass restrictive legislation was the individual shooting sports did not have a central organization, everyone thought it would happen to the Pistol or Auto rifle shooters only.

What ever NRA does or does not do to promote our personal shooting sport is not important compared to the overall protection of shooting.

That's all I have to say.

Boats

The feeling I get from this group that is responding to this message is that the NRA is not listening to the shooters that shoot competitive matches.  My feeling is that one of the better ways to help solve this problem is to vote people from the competitive sports on to the board of directors.  Right now every nra member has a ballot to select members on the board.  On the back of the ballot are places to "write-in" nominations.  I suggest we do so.  Is there people out there that we all can support to make a good campaign to get them elected.  Voting for the same people to the board and expecting different results is just dreaming.  Any thoughts this direction?

Take for instance the shotgun sports.  I don't think that the NRA sanctions events for any of them.  Yet, if there were ever a bunch of high rollers, it would be the shotgun folks.  If you think the NRA is getting rich off of match fees, they would do well organizing the shotgun sports.  Thousands of folks shoot trap, skeet and sporting clays, yet the NRA is in no way affiliated with the sports.  And the sports are better off for it.

The NRA used to run the olympic events in the US.  No more.  And the sports are better off for it.   

Leave them to run the national matches at Camp Perry and let the rest of the competition world alone.   

I'll keep sending them money to make sure that the bastards in Washington don't take my guns.  They are good at that.  The rest of the stuff they do...well, not so much.

Just one man's opinion.

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And as Steve implied ... Quote:
Which I also feel is fact.
Examples:
Fair to poor range conditions at the Whittington Center for the National BPCR matches
* But yet the NRA Special Contibution Fund that runs the Whittington Center reported on the last public 2008 Form 990 to have Savings and Temporary Investments of $3,554,881
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Cancellation (after the fact) of the World Creedmoor Target Match at the Whittington Center due to lack of funding
*  Again, sufficient cash and investments are available in both the NRA (Competition Shooting 'Division') and within the Special Contribution Fund
*  Within the Special Contribution Fund's Mission Statement are the words ... events include tournaments and matches
My feeling also, is that National BPCR matches do not draw the cash flow and revenues that the matches at Camp Perry do.  Accordingly, BPCR is a step child of the NRA but yet the Competition Shooting Division 'proudly states in their Mission Statement ... "will use all available assets to grow the sports by increasing participation in new and existing (note the word existing) programs"
IMHO, the Mission Statement is not truthful and has led to the NRA Grievance Petition 
Might add: 
* Why have the 2009 National BPRC Match Rankings not been published by the NRA?
* Why have the winners at the 2009 National Matches not received their rewards?
* When, in the 5 publications of the NRA, your read anything about the BPCR Matches