Note, Colin Greenwood was a senior police officer in the UK

"There is much talk of a single, strong organization. That will not come
about by voluntary action in the associations, but we shall come close
if shooters will stop supporting those who deserve no support and turn
their membership and their money to the organizations which will serve
them. A strong NPA and a strong BASC bode well for the future, though we
must ensure that neither become complacent and must not hesitate to
attack them from the inside, if that is necessary."
Guns Review, Editorial December 1990
Colin Greenwood
http://www.gunownerssa.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=2238


A single strong organisation is exactly what is being proposed in South
Africa at present. This single strong organisation failed to
materialise in England as it will fail to materialise in South Africa.
The reasons for this failure to materialise will be exactly the same.

Not one of the proposers of this single strong organisation know what a
single strong organisation is, what it should stand for, what it should
do and what is needed for support. Not one can answer a single one of
those questions with the correct answer based on what will have the best
chance of success.

A single strong organisation is not numbers only. Government took
380,000 signed petitions and threw them in the trash. What were the
consequences of trashing those petitions? This lesson has not been
learnt. If what the numbers want cannot be translated into anything
government has no choice but to pay attention to it can and will be
trashed.

Firearm organisations have yet to gain any real support where members
will go the distance. Where members and supporters value what they want
and are willing to do what is needed to get attention and their demands
taken seriously.

Will anyone go the distance for a firearm licence? Will anyone go the
distance for a faster more efficient system of licensing?

Lets compare what firearm organisations believe is all they need do with
the ANC and apartheid laws. This comparison is reasonable as both are
discriminatory and oppressive laws.

How much support would the ANC have gained with "We have no problem with
apartheid laws, only the implementation is flawed." And that is a
paraphrased utterance of SAGA, SAhunters and Collectors. It is accepted
by all members of the "committee" and lesser organisations.

"We are striving to get the administrative process of obtaining a
passbook made more efficient and faster". "You must apply and obey, it
is the law of the land." If we can get government to recognise this
cannot be implemented efficiently government will capitulate. Please
help us and complain about service delivery. We will make it much easier
to get a passbook.

How much support would that approach have obtained for the ANC? Firearm
organisations have yet to see the folly and stupidity of this approach.

The same approach failed in England as it has in every application in
the history of firearm ownership. It will always fail. It has absolutely
no hope of success. Why is this approach universally chosen by firearm
organisation when its only known and demonstrated outcome is failure?

Which firearm organisation can show how and why what they are doing has
any hope of success?

Greenwood: "but we shall come close if shooters will stop supporting
those who deserve no support and turn their membership and their money
to the organizations which will serve them."

There is no organisation that will serve firearm owners at present
because none are willing to serve members needs, rights and what they
deserve.

The onus is on firearm owners to wrench these organisations out of this
path to failure or start an organisation they will support if they
really want and desire to continue to be law abiding firearm owners.