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Copyright
1999-2002
SSANZ

Should Philip Alpers' firearms licence be revoked?

Should Philip Alpers' licence be revoked? Read the following authenticated letter and judge for yourself...

Wellington
16/6/98

Dear Mr. Forsyth

Having read your letter in the latest NZ Outdoors mag, I was motivated to sit down and write to you about my experience with Mr. Alpers.

My name is I. Murray and I am currently Vice President of Porirua branch NZDA. Prior to this I was involved as a member and Vice President of Manukau Sporting Rifle Club in Auckland for some 14 years.

I am 47 years of age and have been involved with shooting since I was 12. I am the club range master, (I hold UIT qualification) and I have been responsible for most of the clubs training and public range days for most of that time. I have represented NZ overseas twice in my chosen sport, Metallic Silhouette (.22 rifle). I tell you this by way, I hope, to prove my commitment to the sport and not to come over as a nut.

Manukau is the largest club in Auckland and probably in New Zealand. On a busy club night we had up to 7-8 details of 12 shooters and it was my job to control all of this.

The club regularly ran open prize shoots open to all, not just club members, (and) these were well attended. We shot indoors on a 25 meter range in a 4p format.

On one of these shoots, a couple of years ago, I was coming out of the range area into the gun-room when a club member asked me if I would please form a firing squad as Mr. Alpers had just arrived. As you can imagine the air was electric. Club members both male and female were hot. He came in and introduced himself to the president and me, then proceeded to tell us that he was not about taking our right to own guns away, but (he) just wanted to secure a greater degree of safety.

We were all somewhat skeptical but decided to give him a chance. He was invited to have a shoot on the next detail, and was supplied with a club rifle. When the squad entered the range he was on the mat directly in front of the range master, (ME). As was my usual routine, I went through the range rules, and explained the format and the various calls I would give during the shoot. The most important of which was "Cease-Fire" and "Clear Your Rifles".

The shoot started and on the call "Cease-Fire", a range officer went forward to check each rifle. At this point Mr. Alpers discharged a live round into the floor.

He, looking very sheepish, explained that he was not familiar with this rifle, and so it was once again explained to him and the working of the bolt, etc., shown.

The shoot continued and on the next position, he did exactly the same thing again. He then retired himself from the shoot and spent the next hour or so explaining to all and sundry that he was an experienced shooter and it must be a faulty rifle.

At this point, if a tub of tar and a bag of feathers had been around, I believe they would have been used.

The man is a menace. He is so rapt up in his own spiel that he listens to nothing else. If he has a firearms licence, then it should be revoked. I have heard him speak here in New Zealand and in Australia and I have seen him say one thing to one group and another to the next, as he sees it fit the occasion.

[The letter then continues on to advocate that shooters work together, which under the banner of SSANZ and COLFO, they now are.]

Regards

I. Murray.
[Note: Full name and address supplied.]

We have spoken several times to Mr. Murray and to other members of the club also present. We have satisfied ourselves that this incident occurred exactly as stated. Also, that there is nothing whatever wrong with the rifle concerned, a top grade Anschutz, which has never given anyone before or since the slightest problem - yet alone two accidental discharges.

Write Today. If you agree with Mr. Murray, a range master of many years experience, that Philip Alpers is a "menace" and that his firearms licence "should be revoked", then we suggest you write to the Police Minister, C/o parliament Buildings, Wellington, (no stamp required). Ask that Philip Alpers' firearms licence be revoked, enclosing this letter. You might care to note just how safe gun clubs are and how extraordinary this incident was. Because the police were less than enthusiastic to prosecute Mr. Alpers over an alleged separate previous firearms licence issue, we suggest you send a copy of your letter to Mr. Rodney Hide, MP, of Act, C/o Parliamentary Buildings, Wellington and request that Rodney follow it up.