This and other forums could have been prevented by simple communication. I have read all of the Posts Rob has submitted and it appears Rob pulled the LAWYER Card from the get go.
When you say LAWYER it means business. It stopped from being a friendly conversation at that moment. I see no point for IPSCBC to make a phone call to him to say "Hey buddy, what’s going on".
Everybody seems to think this is a conspiracy with secret meetings and a predetermined out come. Whether Rob shoots or not in IPSC or any shooting sport the world is not going to end.
Rob is a Great shooter and has put many years of hard work in to perfecting his ability.
A simple phone call to the IPSCBC Zone Director in the beginning expressing his sincere concern that his Actions were not meant in a defamation of character of Himself, Persons Concerned, IPSCBC or IPSC Canada.
I am sure they would have reduced his Probationary Period well under a year and kept it quiet to not bring attention to the innocent people involved.
I feel this forum disrespects all the hard work everybody does to keep all shooting sports running. It is Volunteers, Sponsors, Match Directors, Clubs and Members of any sporting organization that works so hard to promote the sports.
I have assisted in sponsoring many matches and people this year, All the people that have shot something or another at a match and not won a match winning trophy, knows that just participation is good enough to have a fun and in a safe environment. I shoot any match I can and try to improve my ability and to help anyone I can. I don't look for anything else. Just to give back to the sports that I enjoy and promote participation. Where else can you run and gun, shooting elaborate stages with steel, paper, swingers and movers.
It upsets me to see all the hard work I have put in all year long to be undermined by someone who does not want to say "I Am Sorry". Every person that competes in any sport is looked up to by some one or another. It is there example that sets the standard for everyone. For IPSC a master class or grand master shooter requires to have better ethics, understanding and to hold themselves to a higher standard, as so many people want to be where they are, people have a tendency to copy what they are doing and they set the example for the sport.
For example: You go to a World Shoot. You were born and raised in Canada. You are shooting in a match that is multinational. You are given a Canadian Team Shirt yet refused to wear it. Who are you representing? The answer is Canada. Any actions you show at that match or country reflects on all Canadians. So when it comes to conduct at a national level at any time you would represent BC and all in it, the complete time you were in that province the match was held in. It makes sense.
Rob was not kicked out of IPSC. He refused to say (I am Sorry) for actions that might of offended a group of people that include all BC residence, as he was representing BC whether he liked it or not. It is sometimes better to say I am sorry quietly than to turn up side down a sport you say is fun and you enjoy. Take one for the team and save face to improve the sport. We all have done it. I have seen over 12,000 views on this one topic. What kind of promoting is this going to do? Negative Promoting is no way to view any sport.
The Damage is done. There is no way anyone can retract the things said, the comparisons used, and low Standards this kind of advertising does. I think it will be decades before this forum will be forgotten.
Gun Nutz is suppose to bring people together as we all have a common interest and as a learning tool, not to rally the troops for a lynching or public display of bad decision making. An outsider might view this as a group of people that do not get along and be worried that all of them have guns.
I feel for the IPSCBC BOD as they are a board; they had to decide what action to take and how to deliver it. They are a group of volunteer people just like you trying to promote the sport and do damage control when a complaint comes in. When they were contacted by a lawyer and not Rob they had to respond in kind with no comment to the outside. They tried to handle it in house quietly. Now it is on a public forum being discussed like gossip. Rob explains it is desperation to post it publicly. If this happened to you, would you not try to follow the chain of command locally, personally and informatively to get to the bottom of it as fast as possible?
I am not sure how this nightmare is going to end. I will still shoot lots of stuff and reload tons of bullets. I hope this does not damage the sport I love too much. Good luck to the IPSCBC BOD and Rob. Do not let this disturb any one of trying any of the action shooting sports - volunteer to help set up and run any match to keep these sports going. Hopefully all future examples will be positive well executed examples.
Brad Parsons, IPSC Member and Advid Shooter of Stuff
