One of the ranges I like had a bunch of young women shooting the other day. They were using Hooters girls targets. When asked I agreed whole heartedly that Hooters is clearly sexist. Andthen added that the outfits are kind of cute.
You can get away with comments like that when you are old.
Actually, I don't like the idea of shooting at the Hooter's girls.
Or any other "friendlies." Or the cute, cuddly sort of animals.
That's bad for our image.
But shooting ranges here have sold images of bad buys in general and Osama bin Laden, etc. I have no real objection to those, although I realize that some lukewarm shooters may think they're a little too like something a Rambo wannabe would fire on. Conventional human silhouettes seem a really good idea for defensive training, but in the UK, I don't think you're able to defend yourself with firearms or other deadly force?
BTW, you're from the north of England? I have some tea from Taylor's of Harrogate, in Yorkshire. They hold the Royal Warrant as suppliers of tea to the Prince of Wales. (Currently, Prince Charles, of course.) They supply some really good tea, in both their Yorkshire Gold blend to specific tea growing zones, like Assam and Ceylon and in their English Breakfast Tea. You've probably drunk their wares? Depending on the specific tea blend, I think they're on par with Twining's, my other favorite English tea provider. In fact, I prefer their Darjeeling to Twining's, as it's a fuller blend, which I prefer. The Twining's offering of Darjeeling is more effeminate.
But I wouldn't shoot at their tea boxes, as that might infer hostility to the firm. Someone nosy is always trying to infer bad things about gun owners.
In the topic here about visiting Memphis (Tennessee, not in Egypt), I mentioned having an English acquaintance who is now on holiday in the USA. She told me that she's reluctant to carry even her Swiss Army knife there because of the laws about bladed weapons! So she largely limits carrying it to when she's out shooting (mainly pheasant and woodcock) or hiking on the moors. Are your knife laws really that severe?!
I know about the awful gun act of 1997, and you have my sympathy. I think it was largely a matter of class envy, as guns were available mainly to the gentry, resented by the common people, especially by those unable to afford guns and club memberships, and unable to pass through the red tape and costs of becoming licensed to own a handgun.
I think the ban on foxhunting by horse was also a matter of class envy, more than an animal rights thing, although cruelty to animals was the official issue.
You have a different set of people and standards to deal with than I have in Texas. Because you cannot legitimately defend your life and those of your loved ones with guns, shooting at human targets will be frowned on.
I think I'd use targets of red deer, roe deer, snakes, etc. If you can print an image of an erect cobra, hood spread, it should be an excellent target there. I'd choose an Egyptian cobra (
Naja haje) , with the gold bands on the throat and print it in color, if possible. You might be able to sell targets like that. Your own dangerous snake, the Euro viper (
Vipera berus?) might also sell, unless animal protectionists have banned harming them. I'm going from memory on the species name, but you surely know the snake. I think it's the only local one known to be dangerous.
Here, I have to avoid or kill at least five dangerous snake species. But my state's politicians are mostly pro-gun. Your snakes are less dangerous, but the politicians...and you dare not fire at images of them!
