Article has been posted under the download section. you can find it at [link=https://www.airrifle.co.za/download.php?view.14]here[/link]
Hi Lewis
Thanks Lewis for the communication attempt. Is it possible to post the original article as a PDF file under news and remove this article from the forum?
Reason for requesting this is that there are terrible spelling mistakes and quoting Dr Verdoorn's name to this type of text will possibly cause problems.
Thank you
Thanks for that information Gerrief.I happen to be a good friend of a nursing sister who works in theatre at Kingsbury Hospital in Claremont.Had a chat with her last week and according to her pellets are being taken out of peoples bodies on a regular basis in theatre.About five months ago a pellet was removed about 2cm from someone's spinal cord.These incidents bypass the papers but the fact of the matter is that these incidents are regular occurences.I am totally against people selling air rifles in open view of the general public at flea markets and not offering the proper advice to first time buyers.We should not allow the selling of air rifles to become a profit seeking motive by chancers in our industry which will lead to the detriment of the whole sport.If one wants to buy an air rifle,go to a gunshop,get the proper advice and warranty when buying your gun and if anything goes wrong with it in the future you know where to take it to to have it repaired or for spare parts.Peace of mind.
Falcon we can not predict what other people will do with their air rifles. The same person could have bought it at a gunshop for all you know. I personally can count "respectable" gunshops who know what they talking about on my one hand. How much "piece of mind" did you get from the gunshop that you took your gun back to? Did you get sorted out now that you have bought the gun from them and taking it back because for whatever reason.
I could not even get a firing spring (which in my mind should be standard stock) from a local gunshop who is suppose to be the agents for this specific model.
Falcon & MCJ,
Information from gun shops!
Some time ago I went "Gun shop Crawling" pretending to be interested in buying an air rifle. You will pass out if hear what crap I was fed. Gammo Hunters/Shadows shooting 1500Ft/sec, AA S200 should be filled up to the gauge?s capacity to increase the velocity etc etc.. Impala having been shot with a PCP, not to mention cats and a boxer dog from across the street. :moon A very prominent 3P shooter/coach filled his rifle to 250 bar to crony it. He got 140ft/sec so he pumped 100 bars more in, to increase the velocity.at Thank goodness, he still has his head and hands attached to his body. (If I'm not mistaken Dale was present when he told us his story in Brits)
Bear in mind that all shooting incidents, no matter if it is self inflicted or not, must be reported. Now, I do not know how good our Department for Statistics is but all the pellets that are taken out of bodies, animal or human, should be recorded as a statistic. At some or other time more prominent people, like Gerhard Verdoorn, are going to wake up to the fact that an airgun is not a toy and then we are going to have problems.
The other problem is that we preach to the confirmed. You and I read this forum, but there are tens of thousands that do not. I believe that, if we want to keep out rifles, we have a duty to police the industry or have it policed properly.
I do not know if having HFT shoots at the few clubs we have are going to make the problem go away. It will certainly help if we publicize the shoots well, get schools interested etc. But is it enough? :dunno
Something else to remember is that a whole generation grew up without pellet guns due to the licencing laws. Other countries, like the UK stayed abreast with the technology while we are 20years behind, like always. Not a lot of young dads know what they are buying their children to "play? with. Someone at a shooting range said to me that a S200 is a toy. I demonstrated to him how it makes a stone disintegrate at 50meters. He bought his son a small springer and he now shoots a 200 himself and wantn to upgrate to a EV.
Always remember: Not everybody hates Minahs just because you do. Be careful what you say to whom and where. We are being watched and this forum is monitored as I write this, take my word for it.
Wise words--- I hope your message sinks in.
To be a recognised lobbying group we need big numbers standing united.We also need to be seen as professional and highly responsible. At the moment we are getting over excited.Thinking before we hit the air should be second nature.
The 3P shooter/coach you are referring to needs to be educated and I hope you have done that?.
We need friends not enemies!