Freaking rednecked old timers

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MkivSupra said:
I don't get why op is getting so much hate. He's right those old boys club types are a huge reason why the sport is suffering, sorry if that hurts some egos around here but you're only proving him right. Instead prove him wrong, set up an event for new sport shooters who are new to Canada at your range, get someone who knows the languages to help with language barriers.
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I think it's the fact that the OP chaulks it up to racism.... some of the best people you will ever get to know can come off a bit gruff when you first meet them.

Nothing to do with racism. Not saying there aren't ignorant mofo racists of all races out there, but it sounds more like typical new guy hazing treatment it's like going to many gun stores, not saying it's the best but in some circles it is what it is. I bet it's a universal thing just like racism.... people need to challenge their uncomfortable feelings and insecurities sometimes and push on through to the other side.
 
Robert777 said:
I suggest you volunteer for work around the club, and get involved with club competition. Look....I am 58, I am from Toronto and shoot at a rural club, 2.5 hours away. The regulars gave me a hard time for being from the city. My logic is try to fit in or leave. I joined competitions, try to volunteer if I can for work, smile and introduce myself when I talk to the locals at the club. They are softened up to me.
Btw my wife is Indian (from India) and she holds a PAL. And ALL of the old timers and locals are nicer to her than me.
So stop whining, smile, shake hands and get involved. Once they realize you are just like them, the attitudes drop. And you will enjoy their company.

And above all, follow THEIR rules. Many have built the club with their own hands over the years. Respect that.

When in Rome....do as the Roman's.
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Exactly, it was a sad state of affairs a few elections back when the media and left were attacking the right for suggesting that people need to adapt to Canadian cultural norms and fit in...... that's just the way of the world.
 
Well - One of the salient issues is the proficiency level of new shooters entering the sport. Many have no familial exposure to rely on - a sign of the times compared to years ago. So they end up taking a PAL course, get their license, go to the big box store to buy a firearm, and show up at a range with little to no actual shooting experience.
Of course, this can cause issues. Moreso, when one realizes that there are additional safety rules imposed at ranges that are beyond the PAL instruction. Its not surprising that many ranges now require additional courses, probationary shoots, etc.
Having had the misfortune of running a shotgun range for a number of years, I can assert that some new shooters are a complete gong show - its a wonder they got their PAL in the first place. On the other hand, I quite enjoyed mentoring new shooters that want to learn and improve. In my own experience, minorities (and women) fell in the latter category, and they often became stalwart members of the club.
If the OP doesnt want to "get involved" in his current club, he should move on to a more user-friendly club - they do exist.
 
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A safety infraction can kill you dead if your lucky , or screw up your remaining life with a disability. Direct rasist remarks are not cool , had a member at my club uttering said remarks just loud enough for the individual and a few nearby to hear. To the individual they were aimed at he heard them and maintained his cool. He and a few of his friends did return to the range a few times and haven't seen them since at the range. I spoke with the member that uttered the insults and reminded him that the people he was insulting vote as a block . so go ahead a piss them off. They will all buy a membership show up at a members meeting and vote you out. He haden't thought of that and you could tell by his look. Lastly I have met the targeted individual on the street and he is a local businessman not that bad a man , just visibly "different" (aren't we all)
 
Question for OP; What is your involvement in the club? Are you an executive, if so what position and for how long?

As mentioned by others change comes from within.
Get involved and inspire other younger members and run for an executive position and in a few elections the majority of the board can be changed.

The Rod and Gun club I am a member (and 2nd vp) of would not allow woman as members back in the day and had separate men's only fish fry events etc.
Still pretty fuddy when I joined eight years ago and with a lot of younger and active members now not at all anymore.
We strongly encourage family memberships and currently about 25% (!) of our memberships is a family membership.
Wouldn't be surprised if we have the youngest average age of members from all rod and gun clubs in Ontario.

How is that saying again; If you are not part of the solution you are part of the problem.
 
MkivSupra said:
I don't get why op is getting so much hate. He's right those old boys club types are a huge reason why the sport is suffering, sorry if that hurts some egos around here but you're only proving him right. Instead prove him wrong, set up an event for new sport shooters who are new to Canada at your range, get someone who knows the languages to help with language barriers.
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You're the second poster to claim that the sport is suffering, and i'm curious what metric you are using to make this claim. Its relevant because if you want to blame a demographic or part of the culture is causing the sport harm, then the harm should be demonstratable.

Gun sales are off the charts. Gus stores can't bring in stock fast enough. Every gun club has a mile long waiting list, if they take members at all. Every PAL and RPAL course is full and its taking people months or even a year to get into one. Shooting sports are among the fastest growing sports in the country.

So how is the sport suffering?
 
One thing about clubs is they are stuck in their way. They don’t want to really try anything different. If someone new comes in and offers suggestions the old boys scuff at it. It’s not anything against you, it’s just the way they are.

I put in my years as an executive. When it came time for me to take the reins, we have done everything anyone has suggested. Even if I didn’t agree with it, we still went ahead. We invite everyone out to our meetings and give them the floor to offer suggestions for the club.

You can’t expect to join a club and become an executive or make any real changes right away. A lot of people are flighty and offer to volunteer and never show up.
 
billboy said:
My club is your stereotypical trap club, run by old white men, and to call a spade, the majority are bigots. Hopefully this is localized to my club, but it doubt it.
Almost all of the new interested shooters at my club to come out and try are of Asian/India decent. There’s a new handful every week. None return. Their reception is passively hostile, and they quickly figure out what’s what. It’s easy to spot, the disgruntled tone of the old guys voice and their glaring looks are blatantly obvious. They wait to pounce on any little safety infraction and then act with unnecessary aggression. It’s beyond embarrassing.
It’s not easily addressed without making enemies (which I don’t care about) and it’s darn near impossible to gain ground dealing with a pigheaded majority.
So all you rednecked old timers out there pull your head out of your ***es (edited, poor choice of language, my apologies) so we can try to get memberships up and make shooting enjoyable again. Accept the fact that all of Canada has changed, not just the big cities, and like it or not the future of shotgun sports depends on including everyone.

Thanks for reading.
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Holy crap,bud,now that you've really made the effort as an FNG to endear yourself to senior club members,I guess the best thing to do would be find another club and start over fresh because after they read this,you'll be about as welcome as a hooker at a church social. This is just a suggestion,but,nex time,listen more and talk less. That's why you were given two eyes,two ears and one mouth. Think it all you want,but,FFS,don't say it to anyone until you're well established and have earned a fair amount of respect for yourself by showing much respect for the "elders" who likely built the club from scratch.
 
cosmic said:
Well - One of the salient issues is the proficiency level of new shooters entering the sport. Many have no familial exposure to rely on - a sign of the times compared to years ago. So they end up taking a PAL course, get their license, go to the big box store to buy a firearm, and show up at a range with little to no actual shooting experience.
Of course, this can cause issues. Moreso, when one realizes that there are additional safety rules imposed at ranges that are beyond the PAL instruction. Its not surprising that many ranges now require additional courses, probationary shoots, etc.
Having had the misfortune of running a shotgun range for a number of years, I can assert that some new shooters are a complete gong show - its a wonder they got their PAL in the first place. On the other hand, I quite enjoyed mentoring new shooters that want to learn and improve. In my own experience, minorities (and women) fell in the latter category, and they often became stalwart members of the club.
If the OP doesnt want to "get involved" in his current club, he should move on to a more user-friendly club - they do exist.
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This. I like to believe I am not discriminatory when it comes to shooting sports. But when I see a new shooter, my mortality is swiftly brought to mind. I start seeing all their safety violations, and sometimes that is enough to make me want to leave.

Shooting is an inherently dangerous activity, sort of like skiing. I could get seriously hurt or killed because someone is a novice and tried to handle more than they can.

It's probably the fact that OP is new. Jumping straight to "they must be racist" assumptions is pretty disgusting.
 
My feeling is that the OP feels threatened being around people with more knowledge and experience, sometimes vents this by calling people names. Perhaps the perfect solution would be for him to start his own club, buy the land, build the facilities and entice his multitude of like minded pals to sign up. They can do all the work, pay the bills, make up any rules they like and generally have a great time forever after.
 
Ashcroft said:
My feeling is that the OP feels threatened being around people with more knowledge and experience, sometimes vents this by calling people names. Perhaps the perfect solution would be for him to start his own club, buy the land, build the facilities and entice his multitude of like minded pals to sign up. They can do all the work, pay the bills, make up any rules they like and generally have a great time forever after.
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Perfect solution! Lol
 
Ashcroft said:
My feeling is that the OP feels threatened being around people with more knowledge and experience, sometimes vents this by calling people names. Perhaps the perfect solution would be for him to start his own club, buy the land, build the facilities and entice his multitude of like minded pals to sign up. They can do all the work, pay the bills, make up any rules they like, hold hands and sing Kumbaya and generally have a great time forever after.
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Fixed it for you....;)

The OP has 83 posts since joining CGN in 2007 and is still a regular member here so you can see how much of a contributing member he'd be at any club. :rolleyes:
 
the spank said:
Fixed it for you....;)

The OP has 83 posts since joining CGN in 2007 and is still a regular member here so you can see how much of a contributing member he'd be at any club. :rolleyes:
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I noticed it's the people that uses the range less, that has the loudest opinion of the rules. I started to goto club meetings and let say I stand out.

Our range put in a launcher but has not hooked it up. I can see it becoming an issue, as way the range is laid out, if 1 person using the launcher, the rest of the range is shut down..So no rifle or pistol.
 
Its just old boomers. Im white as white comes and it still took months of frequent visits and 1000s of dollars spent at my local gun store before they started looking at me like a normal dude and not a kid who doesnt know anything (Im 24)
 
Bman12456 said:
Its just old boomers. Im white as white comes and it still took months of frequent visits and 1000s of dollars spent at my local gun store before they started looking at me like a normal dude and not a kid who doesnt know anything (Im 24)
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Correct and as it should be. Why would you expect anything different? Earn your place. Don't just expect it. It has always been so.

(just asking, why has white got anything to do with it?)
 
Bman12456 said:
Its just old boomers. Im white as white comes and it still took months of frequent visits and 1000s of dollars spent at my local gun store before they started looking at me like a normal dude and not a kid who doesnt know anything (Im 24)
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That's common. Welcome to being a young adult. Im near 40 and I got told I could not be a military vet. I still get looked like I don't know anything. Then again I don't dress up like I'm going hunting to visit a gun store, or club meeting.
 
bogusiii said:
Correct and as it should be. Why would you expect anything different? Earn your place. Don't just expect it. It has always been so.

(just asking, why has white got anything to do with it?)
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If you want respect, you have to give it. No matter the age. I live in a retirement town and am walked over alot by entitled old people, that have zero respect. Alot of problem is people let them get away, because they're old.

I seen people just walk up to the bank teller and skip past few people, and teller just helped the person. While everybody else just stood there like WTF. Happens alot at the pharmacy, if you're not right up against the person in front they see it as they're next. Or they hit you with the shopping cart to make you move faster, even if people are in front. So its earned, not expected.
 
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