Why Your Input Matters
Most of the people we speak to across the shooting community are getting on with their lives.
They are enjoying their sport, running businesses, organising shoots, coaching, competing, volunteering, working on grounds and estates, or simply looking forward to the next time they can get out and shoot.
They are not seasoned campaigners or activists.
And why would they be?
For most people, shooting is something they enjoy. They are not spending their spare time looking for the latest consultation, policy proposal or campaign news. They are not constantly checking what might be changing next.
That is exactly why Support Our Sport exists.
Because while most people are simply getting on with what they do, decisions can be discussed, proposals developed and campaigns organised long before the wider shooting community knows very much about them at all.
By the time something finally starts being talked about everywhere, some of the best opportunities to understand it, question it or contribute may already have passed.
Support Our Sport is here to help close that gap.
Help Spread the Word
Most people hear about proposals, changes or issues through word of mouth, or through an organisation they belong to.
But the reality is that a lot of people do not read every email they receive, and a lot of people still do not know what is going on.
Word of mouth is still one of the strongest forms of communication we have.
The more people we can talk to, the more chance there is that those affected can look into something for themselves, understand what it could mean, and decide what they want to do about it.
The Support Our Sport Facebook group grew incredibly quickly, particularly in the first couple of months, largely because people told other people about it. At the time, there was nowhere obvious for people to talk openly about what was happening, ask questions, or make sense of it together.
But Facebook only reaches some of the community.
We still have conversations every week with people who have very little idea what is being proposed, what has already changed, or what they can do if they are concerned about something.
That is why we now have a WhatsApp channel, Substack and this website as well. The aim is simply to make the information easier to find and accessible to as many people as possible.
So if you know somebody who might not have heard about something, pass it on.
Send them the website. Send them the WhatsApp channel. Forward something useful. Mention it at the club or ground. Or send us their questions.
The more people who know what is happening, the more people have the chance to understand it and decide for themselves what they want to do.
Why Your Own Input Matters
Shooting organisations have an important role to play, and many people expect the organisations they belong to to represent their interests and speak on their behalf.
But one organisation is still only one voice.
It does not become 15,000 individual voices because it has 15,000 members.
When people do not speak up, have their say or make their views known, for whatever reason, it can be easy to assume that they have no particular opinion or do not feel strongly about an issue. But that may be very far from the truth.
If, for example, a consultation could affect the whole shooting community, across many different disciplines and activities, potentially affecting hundreds of thousands of people, but only a few thousand respond, that response is what decision-makers have in front of them.
That is why we believe it is worth taking the time to find out what is being proposed, what the options are and how you can respond if you want to.
You can be proactive without becoming an activist or a campaigner.
You Do Not Need to Be an Expert
Support Our Sport is here to make the information easier to understand.
Reports, recommendations, consultations and policy documents can be lengthy, technical and difficult to work through. Most people do not have the time, or the inclination, to sit down and read hundreds of pages just to work out what may affect them.
Our aim is to break that information down into clear, manageable and digestible formats, explain what is being proposed, and make it easier to see which parts may be relevant to you.
Where something can be summarised, we will summarise it. Where it needs more explanation, we will explain it.
And we will do that without putting spin on it.
You should not have to become an expert just to understand what is going on.
Doing Something Can Be Small
Getting involved does not have to mean taking on a huge amount of work.
One of the best and most powerful things you can do is simply spread the word and let people know what is going on.
There is a huge amount happening at the moment, and there are resources available to make it easier to understand. Sometimes all you need to do is point somebody in the right direction.
There are plenty of other things you can do too. You can email your MP (we have tools to help you write an email if you need), ask questions, complete a survey, forward useful information, put something up in a clubhouse, help somebody understand an issue, or respond to a consultation.
And if a consultation feels difficult to understand, you can still say that. You can explain that you want to respond, set out your thoughts in plain English, and make your views known.
Simply informing yourself and understanding what is possible is already a big step.
Then, when something really matters to you, you will already have a better idea of what you can do about it.
And if you are not sure where to start, get in touch with your organisation or with us. We will always do our best to point you in the right direction.
You Do Not Have to Follow Everything
Nobody is expected to keep track of every consultation, policy change, report, recommendation or licensing issue.
There is simply too much going on, and most people have neither the time nor the inclination to follow all of it.
That is another reason Support Our Sport exists.
Our aim is to help people see what is happening, understand what may be relevant to them, and make it easier to decide whether they want to do anything about it.
You do not need to know everything.
You do not need to respond to everything.
You do not need to become a campaigner.
You just need the chance to know what is happening, understand what it could mean, and decide for yourself what you want to do.