National Rifle Association of the United Kingdom

The National Rifle Association of the United Kingdom (NRA) is registered charity with a Royal Charter, whose charitable objectives are to promote and encourage marksmanship throughout the Queen’s dominions in the interest of defence and the permanence of the volunteer and auxiliary forces, naval, military and air.[1] The NRA is the governing body of full bore rifle, shotgun (excluding clay pigeon) and pistol shooting sports in the United Kingdom.

National Rifle Association of the United Kingdom
MottoSit Perpetuum (May it last forever)
Formation1859
TypeCharity
HeadquartersThe National Shooting Centre at Bisley
Location
Official language
English
Websitewww.nra.org.uk

History

The National Rifle Association was founded in 1859,[2] based on Putney Heath & Wimbledon Common, 12 years before its better known American namesake. In 1890 Queen Victoria granted the NRA a Royal Charter of Incorporation.[3] Its founding aim was to raise the funds for an annual national rifle meeting (now known as the Imperial Meeting) "for the promotion of marksmanship in the interests of Defence of the Realm and permanence of the Volunteer Forces, Navy, Military and Air".[2]

In 1878 Edward Walford wrote "These annual gatherings are attended by the élite of fashion, and always include a large number of ladies, who generally evince the greatest interest in the target practice of the various competitors, whether it be for the honour of carrying off the Elcho Shield, the Queen's or the Prince of Wales's Prize, or the shield shot for by our great Public Schools, or the Annual Rifle Match between the Houses of Lords and Commons."[4]

In 2019 the Charity Commission issued the National Rifle Association with formal regulatory advice after finding the charity acted outside its charitable objects by promoting civilian recreational shooting competitions and other activities. Whilst the NRA has made progress in addressing this, in 2020 it remained subject to close scrutiny by the regulator due to the seriousness of this issue.[5]

The National Shooting Centre

The original centre was at Wimbledon, but in the late 1880s the National Rifle Association began searching for a new site. In early 1888 it seemed that Cannock Chase was to be selected from several locations under consideration. However, that plan fell through a few months later, and the other potential venues again put their cases, with the Middlesex Chronicle newspaper suggesting that a large site at Staines was a likely home for "The New Wimbledon". Eventually, though, Bisley was selected. The principal ranges used at Bisley today are as originally laid out in 1890 to accommodate modern full-bore rifle shooting.[6]

See also

References
  1. https://nra.org.uk/
  2. National Rifle Association: From origins on Wimbledon Common
  3. Charter of Incorporation Archived 18 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine
  4. 'Putney', Old and New London: Volume 6 (1878), pp. 489–503. Date accessed: 17 May 2014.
  5. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/charity-watchdog-monitoring-national-rifle-association-after-it-breached-rules-by-engaging-in-recreational-shooting/regulatory-compliance-case-national-rifle-association
  6. National Rifle Association: The move to Bisley

Further reading
  • MacDonnell, R. J. (1877), The National Rifle Association: A Sketch of Its History and Progress, 1859–1876
  • Martin, John. "The Transformation of Lowland Game Shooting in England and Wales in the Twentieth Century: The Neglected Metamorphosis." International Journal of the History of Sport 29.8 (2012): 1141-1158.
  • Osborne, Harvey, and Michael Winstanley. "Rural and urban poaching in Victorian England." Rural History 17.2 (2006): 187–212. online

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