********* Why this forum was temporaraily closed. Please read *********

DeVore

In the last few months this forum has caused the admins of Boards.ie considerable difficulty and eaten up a disproportionate amount of our time.
More correctly it should be said, members of the shooting community's "leadership" have caused us repeated problems by dragging us into their petty squabbles.

We have decided we have had enough and are sick to death of being threatened.

Forthwith several changes are going to happen here.

1. There will be no further discussion of SSAI or FLAG. Starting arguments about either, petty squabbles, infighting and namecalling will simply not be tolerated. Neither organisation is given leave to post here. If either wishes to alert the community to something IMPORTANT for shooters, they can send the admins a PM and we'll consider it. Mentioning them directly or by "sly reference" will earn you an immediate, permanent and site wide ban. We arent kidding, we're sick of it.

2. The forum will remain closed for 48 hours or so. At that point it will reopen with these rules enforced.

3. All moderators are being stepped down with the admins gratitude. They have collectively built a community which serves real shooters and they should be rightly proud of it. They deserve your thanks.
On reopening, the forum will be moderated directly by the admins.


4. People who have previously threatened Boards with legal action are being publically and explicitly told that they are NO LONGER WELCOME on boards.ie.

This is a private website and you have no God given right to post here or to use this site. These include John1 and FLAG/DJKH. You have 48 hours to clear out your PM's if you want to. You can return to other areas of Boards as users there but from this point forth and in public we, the owners of Boards.ie, rescind and refuse all rights of both organisations, and both of those named individuals from using our site and resources. This is not for discussion, we reserve the right to refuse usage of our systems and we invoke that right immediately and until further notice.


These actions have been taken because the leadership of the shooting fraternity is apparently so fraught with infighting, squabbling and bickering that we are being caught up in it and we're sick of it.

-- End Admin Notice --

My Opinion:
The regular joe-soap shooters of Ireland deserve better leadership then what I have seen. As an outsider looking in, the leaders of your sport come off as a bunch of dingbat loopers that I wouldnt arm with sticks let alone guns. They seem to delight more in antagonising each other and scoring points off one another at committee meetings then dealing with the very REAL issues facing your sport. I think someone should explain to them that "sniping" has several different meanings.

This would be funny if it werent a keenly sensitive time in the country for your sport. You need better leadership and if you dont take that on board from a grassroots level, then your sport will suffer.

We have taken these actions NOT to punish the regular shooters, but to try and salvage a decent community. Believe me it would be a lot easier to simply close the entire forum and be done with it. We ultimately closed the Web Hosting forum for similar reasons.

You need the entire "leadership" OUT from representing you. I suggest you consider that carefully at the next AGM or whatever. My honest opinion is that the shooting fraternity needs to remove the entire leadership of both organisations, branch and root and replace it with a club based representation with a single voice. I doubt it will happen but thats my personal opinion, I'm not a shooter and undoubtedly I have seen the worst of your sport and "sportsmen".

Ultimately you are guests on our site. We welcome all people here but you wouldnt go to a private dinner party, start a bun fight and then threaten the host because "the other guy started it". Thats exactly what is happening here.

I'll reopen this forum on Wednesday. Feedback about this can be taken to the feedback forum but I would consider your words carefully.

DeV.

DeVore

This forum is open again under the conditions laid out above. They are not for discussion, they are not going to be modified or amended in the immediate future. If you have questions, you can post them below. This forum will return to its original purpose of assisting people who enjoy the sport of shooting to interact and organise. It is NOT a subforum of Politics, nor does it belong to any one person or organisation.

To maintain the peace we have taken the decision to ban and rescind the access and rights of the organisations and people named above. That is our perogative and we are enforcing it now.

The forum will be moderated by the Admins temporarily until we are content that it is back on track and can be returned to community moderation.

We genuinely apologise to the real users of this forum for the interruption and hope you understand and appreicate the position we find ourselves in.

DeV.

fred funk }{

I fully agree with you DeV. I used to have an interest in this forum but all the politics drove me away and I know others who were the same. Maybe now we will see the forum grow into something a little more friendly and less 'clicky'.

Manic Moran

Hell, I must be reading the wrong threads. The only ones I've seen have been practical advice.

Still, I tip the hat to the Admins for allowing the forum to continue. Its mere existance on Boards is publicity that the sport badly needs.

NTM

IRLConor

Manic Moran wrote: »

Still, I tip the hat to the Admins for allowing the forum to continue.

+1, especially considering how easy it would be to just shut it down and how much extra hassle it must cause.

/Looks skywards: Thanks guys!

AckwelFoley

Im unaware of the squabbles you refer to DeVore.. but you know what they say..

"Adults are just big children"

Who ever threatens boards.ie with "legal action" no matter need to take their head out of there ****ing arseholes.

I like my rifle, i like to mingle among others on the net here that have similar interests.. so as an ordinary Joe Soap, i thank the admins for the privilegeof allowing me here.

Thanks.

Brian

johngalway

There was a lot of personal/political nonsense at times, no harm to see the back of that.

Genuine thanks to those who contribute valuable, non squabble info though

Rew

Guys remember alot more goes on behind the scenes than most users would imagine.

AckwelFoley

Guys remember alot more goes on behind the scenes than most users would imagine.

I moderate on another forum for the past few years.

The staff forums can turn into big ol bitchfest's at times.

cavan shooter

DeVore wrote: »

This forum is open again

DeV.

Thanks,
I was starting to get withdrawl symptoms:D

DeVore

Thanks for understanding guys, I'm glad you see it that way because you know the support goes both ways. There have been a number of moderators over the years here, some coming and going, some in for the long haul. They have all contributed in good faith, for the good of the community and deserve your thanks too.
The reason many of you may not have noticed issues and have only seen the positives is as a result of the tidying up they undertook...

Anyway, onwards to a better shooting forum, because I honestly DO like the way you all seem to pitch in and help and advise each other etc.

DeV.

spideog7

Yea it'd be a shame if this was closed down just because of some in-fighting between certain groups, for the most part everyone here is helpful and understands each other.
It's a shame to see the petty squabble's that seem to a be a bigger threat to the sport than any laws or anti-gun activists.

Kimber

Thanks a million Admin,

I will come back and enjoy the chat with the community again.:)

bogteal

Well done DeV it was a right pain in the ass for a long time.

civdef

One thing I hope will remain is the way the forum provides early info on changes to our sport. I first heard that pistols were being licensed from a post Sparks made on the subject in another section on Boards, a few weeks before the shooting section was created.

The same happened with many other items such as Article 7's, import licensing etc, all of which was of great benefit to lots of us - it's just a pity squabbling over organisational matters and personalities started to intrude too much which alienating a lot of the regulars.

There's plenty of us out there who take part in the sport, but don't get involved in the politics, and need a good conduit to what's happening in negotiations behind closed doors.

fishdog

There's plenty of us out there who take part in the sport, but don't get involved in the politics, and need a good conduit to what's happening in negotiations behind closed doors.

Very true.

DeVore

Funny you should mention that Civdef... I feel the same way and I have already posted a link to the national Olympic funding thingie (I dunno much about it... my daily exercise is reaching for the TV remote). Sparks drew it to my attention.

I am more then willing to highlight matters of interest and importance to shooters (like that Olympic funding). I'll link to any announcements or documents anyone wants to send me as being important to the community and to shooters at large.

What I'm not going to do any more is tolerate the bun fights and the inevitable running-to-mammy-whinging-that-someone-took-their-firetruck....

DeV.

meathstevie

Devore, thanks for the effort. Also the likes of Sparks, Civdef, etc, etc.

I've no real interest in any organisation as such and a lot of people in here just like me are probably members of some grouping or other for obvious reasons but only come in here to discuss matters relating to the practicalities of their sport. That's the way this place should be and if some difference of opinion arises, fine : that's what discussions are about.

If someone on the other hand wants to come in and drag matters that belong in meeting rooms, committee meetings, AGM's etc etc onto a public forum DON'T. And if you do a boot up your backside is only reasonable.

So all in all longwinded for : cheers for mucking out and hope the place can be what it's supposed to be.

clivej

Well all I can say is a BIG thanks to all the members here on the shooting forum. I would have been lost without them.
I have only been viewing and posting here a couple of months because my son and I are getting into shooting, me again from long ago. The members have been most helpful with their reply's and general info and realy put me on the correct track.
Keep up the good work.
Clive J from KK.

thehair

clivej wrote: »

Well all I can say is a BIG thanks to all the members here on the shooting forum. I would have been lost without them.
I have only been viewing and posting here a couple of months because my son and I are getting into shooting, me again from long ago. The members have been most helpful with their reply's and general info and realy put me on the correct track.
Keep up the good work.
Clive J from KK.

HERE HERE.:D ME TWO THANKS YOU VERY MUCH:D:D:D DEVORT

thed4king

Thank you Administration! I love this shooting forum and it would have been a shame to see it go. Thank you DeVore, and all the other mods. Lets all just get things back to the way they were.

pm.

great to see it back again, i can only imagine what goes on behind closed doors,
a lot of good people but its like everything else 1 or 2 bad apples, thanks Dev.