There's no easy answer to why grounds are closing. I think it's fair to say there's a myriad of different reasons. What's obvious is shooting grounds, and shooting in general, are caught in a perfect storm.
There's a swing generally against gun ownership amongst the general public. They're force fed the 'all guns are bad' line by the media and although thousands of miles away, the gun control debate in the US influences minds here.
Planning and Environmental departments are slanted towards the complainant. It's true that all it takes is one complaint, however ridiculous, to place the shooting ground on the back foot. Many smaller grounds would rather close than face the prospect of a lengthy fight and potentially enormous bills. On top of this there's rising costs in fuel, rent and equipment
Our governing bodies, at a national level, are fairly useless in influencing the debate, whether it be about lead shot or anything else. The CPSA is a self serving organisation that exists largely to further its own interests. Their own members and the the vast majority of shooters we meet every weekend must also take their share of the blame. Even though most can see significant challenges facing the sport in the coming years very few are prepared to make their voice heard.
On the one hand the future seems bleak but, that said, there's no doubt that some grounds are doing very well and entries at the major events were up across the board last year. To some extent it seems shooters are choosing to spend their money at the big ticket events and shoots they know offer good value for money.
As I see it, much depends on the lead debate. If lead it banned it will, without doubt, significantly affect the sport to the point where it'll no longer be a viable proposition for many ground owners. As far as disciplines and shooting grounds are concerned, I expect many straw bale shoots and those run on a less professional footing will close, either willingly or through unbearable pressure from governmental bodies. Sporting as a discipline will inevitably be hit the hardest as it requires a good deal of land, labour and equipment to run. I can see some sporting grounds switching to Sportrap in years to come as a means to lessen the bills. Trap and skeet disciplines will continue as now although looking long term there's perhaps scope for them to move indoors.
Whatever happens, i've no doubt the sport will look very different in 20 years time.
