58 SEPTEMBER 2019 WWW.SHOOTINGGAZETTE.CO.UK
appropriateto establisha social
groupwhichcouldalsodealwith
mattersthataffectedtheirtradeand
theArmourers’Club,as it wasfirst
known,helditsinaugural dinner at
theCaféRoyal.
Withinmonthstheywere
challengingtheregulatorystatus
quoof theProofHousesandthe
HomeOffice,andin 1912the
clubtransformedintothemore
formallysoundingGunmakers’
Associationas a fullyfledgedtrade
body.Historically,tradeassociations
haveenjoyedmixedreputations
andvaryinglevelsof competence
to deliverfortheirmembers,but
whathadlatterlybecometheGun
TradeAssociation(GTA) proved a
notableexception.
Forthepast 18 years,West’s
predecessorin posthadbeenJohn
Batley. A fi rearms trade expert,
leadingauthorityonpigeon
shootinganda veritablewalking
encyclopediaof knowledgeonguns
andammunition,duringhistenure
hehadbeenlargelyresponsible
forshapinghowtheGTAwent
aboutitsbusinessandhehadset
outitsstallsimplyyeteffectively;to
promote,protectandrepresent the
UK gun trade at all levels.Something old
Bigbootsto fill andat firstglance
a deceptivelysimpleagenda,but
undaunted,Westhassetaboutthe
taskof wideningtheassociation’s
offeringto supportmember
businessesinvolvedin thesporting,
recreationalandprofessionalgun
trade,includingmanufacturers,
wholesalers,retailersandrepairers
of gunsandammunition,to the
provision of shooting opportunitiesinthefieldandelsewhere. But what
ofhismembers?
Aself-confessedandunapologetic
memberof theolderschool,Laurie
Hartis a directorof B.E.Chaplin
in Winchester,in partnershipwith
PeterBurden.Openingforbusiness
therein 1932,thecompanyhadits
rootsin theLondonguntradeand
is stillableto offereverydiscipline,
fromactioningthroughbarrel
makingto re-stocking,re-working,
fitting,patterntestingandrepair.
HartsatontheGTAcouncil
from 1993 to 1998, so knows the
marketwell.
“Provincialgundealerslike
us usedto havea largelycaptive
marketin theirlocalgentryand
wereprettyinfluentialin shaping
howshootingdevelopedthrough
thetypeof gunstheybuiltand
recommended for their clients.GTA executive director Simon West has an impressive background.