Gun club gets public land on peppercorn rent
(CNS): The Cayman Islands Sport Shooting Association has been given land in East End to establish a new gun club after losing its site behind the airport in George Town because of the planned extension of Owen Roberts. Government has leased the 83 acres to the club on a peppercorn rent officials revealed and comes after the club has struggled to find a suitable location for several years. The club will now also be able to expand into a state of the art facility and put the Cayman Islands on the world map of the sport.
The lease for the land opposite the old quarry, was handed over last month to association president Eddie McLean and treasurer Kevin Schirn and the premier said that the club’s new location could enhance the Islands’ tourism product.
“We recognise the potential for sports tourism here, especially with the plans they have to create a world-class facility,” McKeeva Bush said.
The Deputy Premier, whose ministry facilitated the lease said she was pleased to be able to help the club. “I look forward to the membership putting the land to good use for the benefit of themselves, the community and the Cayman Islands as a whole,” Juliana O’Connor-Connolly added.
The new home will offer skeet, trap, pistol and rifle sport shooting, the association president said. To be built with association funds, the facility will amply serve the needs of its 170 members. More importantly, it would be able to host international events.
“Our members have attended Commonwealth, Pan American, Caribbean and Island Games to compete and we are also a part of the International Sport Shooting Federation. Now we can fulfil our longstanding dream of hosting world-class sport shooters right here in the Cayman Islands,” McLean said.
Members are now planning to revive and even expand a Valentine’s sport shooting event that the club used to offer, which invariably brought some 50 international shooting enthusiasts to visit Cayman as the first step towards attracting visiting sports shooters.
“We are elated, excited and truly grateful to government for success at last in securing a property for our new home,” he added.
Category: Sports
What age do you have to be to join the club. I'm 13 soon to be 14 yrs old, i just need to know cause i want to see how skilled i am.
Good! Maybe now my man will keep his butt home on Saturdays vs. entering shot gun competitions…Yaaaaayyyyyyy :-))))
As the residents of Dunblane about the benefits of local gun clubs.
The first rule of Gun Club, never mention what people with access to guns at a gun club have done to innocent people in the past.
I hope part of the lease requirements is that only lead free ammunition is to be used. With the large number of rounds that will be fired in one area, the accumulation of lead over the water lens in East End could definately cause contamination to the water used by farmers and residents. Use of steel shot or other non lead rounds, would much reduce this potential hazzard.
Try commenting about illegally dumped vehicle batteries in East End which pose much more of a threat than lead ammo ever will…
Why does this club get free land?
Perhaps because government is proposing to take their current facility for expansion of the airport? That leads to the question as to how they came to use the facility by the airport.
Of course the RCIP have an interest in having a suitable firing range for training and qualification of armed officers. Apparently the police were using the gun club's range, or vice versa.
How do you become a member of the Gun Club?
Apply though Eddie McLean or Kevin Schirn.
Members go through safety training and the correct firarms handling procedures. The 'gun club', more specifically "The Cayman Islands Sport Shooting Association" has equipment and you will have to demonstrate full capability prior to being allowed to own a gun. As you can imagine the rules are strict however it is a sport that creates discipline and great concentration.
It would be great to get more persons into the Association, especially the younger ones who would benifit the most. A member can invite you to their weekly sessions to get you introduced to the sport.
All sporting shooting associations follow the following rules and in the USA it is an all family sport. Of course it would create one more avenue for our youth to head to the Olympics and Island Games.
They follow these rules, making it one of the safest sports in the USA.
1. Always assume the gun is loaded.
2. Always point gun in safe direction.
3. Keep gun unloaded until ready to use.
4. Know your target and importantly what is beyond it.
Congrats to Eddie, Kevin and all the folks who are working on getting a full first class facility here.
5. Always assume you will be able to able to keep a gun at home safely for self defence purposes in a manner that is far better than the statistical facts about the misuse of such weapons.
6. Always advocate wider gun access.
7. Never, ever, mention "Dunblane", "Columbine" or "Hungerford".
First go to Miami and buy a gun. Then pack it securely in your hand luggage, and get the first flight back to Cayman.
Once you are back with the gun all you have to do is to find out how to apply to the gun club…