Club Constitution

CONSTITUTION OF THE CITY RIFLE CLUB

 1.  Name

The club shall be called The City Rifle Club.

2.  Objects

The objects of the club are to foster rifle shooting so that the members will be better fitted to take part when required in National Defence.

3.  Membership

The ex-officio members who shall consist of the President, Vice – Presidents, Patrons and trustees of the Club.

Honorary Members who shall not be liable to pay any entrance fee or subscription but shall be entitled to all the privileges of membership, there shall not at any one time be more than ten honorary members.

Ordinary Members

Every candidate for ordinary membership must be proposed by one member of the Club and the proposal seconded by another member, both the proposer and the seconder being ordinary members of the Club and both vouching for the candidate`s fitness for membership.

The name and address of every candidate proposed for ordinary membership, together with the names of the proposer and seconder shall be posted on the Club Notice board for a period of at least three days before each candidate is elected.

Candidates for ordinary membership shall be elected by the Council at its sole discretion. No person shall be admitted to ordinary membership until, having been elected by the Council, he shall have paid the Entrance Fee and Subscription for the time being in force. The candidate must produce his NRA membership details and his current Firearms Certificate.

Retired Life Membership

Open to existing members on reaching the age of 65 who have been ordinary members for a minimum of 5 years, on a single payment of 3 times the current annual membership subscription. They will retain the same rights and privileges as Ordinary Members.

Guest Days

The Club does not operate a day or temporary membership scheme. At the discretion of a responsible officer of the club, a person known to at least one full member or someone from a recognised outside organisation, may be permitted to attend the club as a Guest on no more than four occasions in a year in order to receive initial instruction in the safe handling of firearms.

Such persons must give the club secretary at least 48 hours notice of their desire to attend on these occasions. The instruction must be carried out by a club member of not less than 2 years full membership who will be responsible for any firearm used in such instruction. A Guest shall not be permitted to possess ammunition at any time. In addition, the club may hold up to four guest days a year at which persons known to the club may be permitted to attend at the invitation of the club secretary in order to assess their fitness to handle firearms and ammunition safely and their suitability to become Probationary Members. On these limited occasions guest members must be under constant personal supervision when handling firearms and ammunition, they must also complete a declaration under Section 21, Firearms Act 1968. The local police must be given at least 48 hours advance notice of such guest days by the club secretary.

Probationary Membership

An applicant for probationary membership must be sponsored by one full club member and by one other person who knows the applicant personally. A probationary member must at all times when in possession of firearms or ammunition be personally supervised by the Range Conducting Officer or by a full member of the club. A probationary period of at least six months applies in respect of new probationary members, during which time the probationary member must attend and shoot regularly and be given a course of regular instruction in the safe handling and use of firearms.

The club shall not at any time have more probationary members than full members. The probationary period may be waived, at the councils discretion, for someone who

  • is already a full member of another club which has been approved by the Secretary of State in respect of the same type of firearms;
  • already holds a Firearm Certificate;
  • has handled firearms in the course of his/her duty in the police or the armed services, and has a statement from their senior/ commanding officer saying that he/she is fully trained in handling the type of firearms for which the club is

4. Management

The entire control of the affairs of the club shall be vested in the President and Vice- Presidents to be elected at the General Meeting for a period of one year and eligible for re- election: and a Council consisting of the Honorary Secretary, the Honorary Treasurer and the Club Captain to be appointed by the Council each year and twelve other members.

5.  Election of the Council

Of the twelve members of the Council, three shall retire every year in order of seniority and be eligible for re-election at the General Meeting The three members to retire at the end of each year shall be selected by ballot of the Council when these rules are brought into effect.

6.  Chairman of the Council

The Council shall appoint one of its members Chairman to hold office for the year.

7.  Powers of Council

 The council shall have power to appoint from time to time:-

  1. Trustees of the property of the Club
  2. Bankers of the Club
  3. An Honorary Secretary and Assistant Honorary Secretaries
  4. An Honorary Treasurer
  5. A Club Captain
  6. A Club Steward
  7. Any other officials deemed necessary

The Council shall have power to terminate such appointments at ant time and shall fix and pay such salaries or remuneration as they consider necessary out of the Club Funds.

The Council shall make and revoke such by-laws and regulations not inconsistent with these rules as they may deem advisable and fill any vacancy that may occur in their number during the year.

The council shall appoint such Sub-Committees as may be required to conduct the affairs of the club.

8.  Meetings of Council

Meetings of the Council shall be summoned by the Hon. Secretary on the direction of the chairman or any other two members of the council. Five members shall form a quorum.

9.  The Club Year

The Financial and General Year of the Club shall end on the 31st December each year.

10.  Auditors

One or more Auditors shall be elected and their remuneration decided by the members at the Ordinary General Meeting.

11.  Ordinary General Meeting

A General Meeting shall be held each year, of which fourteen days notice shall be given in such manner as the Council may determine. Fifteen months shall not elapse without a general Meeting. The meeting shall be known as the Ordinary General Meeting (OGM) and the quorum necessary shall be ten.

The business to be transacted at the OGM shall be to receive the annual reports, accounts and balance sheet and to elect the President, Vice-Presidents, Honorary Members, Members of Council to replace those retiring and the Auditors. Such business shall be called the Ordinary Business.

Any two members of the Club shall be at liberty to nominate a member for any office or to serve on the Council having first received his assent. The name of each member so nominated shall be sent in writing to the Hon. Secretary, not less than ten days before the OGM. A list of those nominated shall be posted on the Club Notice Board six days prior to the OGM.

Should the number of nominations exceed the number of vacancies, a ballot will be taken by a show of hands at the OGM. Each member shall have one vote and in the case of an equality of votes the Chairman of the meeting shall have a casting vote in addition to his deliberative vote given in the first instance. This procedure will also be followed in any other matter requiring decision at the OGM.

No business shall be transacted at the OGM except the ordinary business and such business as may be specially included in the Notice convening the Meeting.

Any member desiring to move a resolution at the OGM must give three weeks notice in writing to the Hon. Secretary so that it may be included in the Notice convening the Meeting.

12.  Extraordinary General Meeting

On receiving a requisition signed by one fifth of the members of the Club for the time being, or thirty, whichever is the smaller, stating the reason for calling such a Meeting, the Council, or Hon. Secretary, shall call within twenty one days an Extraordinary Meeting. The quorum necessary for such a Meeting shall be thirty and only the business referred to in the requisition shall be discussed thereat. If at the expiration of fifteen minutes the necessary number of members do not attend, the Meeting shall be dissolved.

On giving fourteen days notice the Council may call an Extraordinary General Meeting specifying the business to be transacted. The discussion shall be confined to such business and amendments in connection therewith. The quorum necessary at such Extraordinary General Meeting shall be ten.

The procedure to be followed in voting on any matter requiring decision at an Extraordinary General Meeting will be that laid down for Ordinary General Meeting.

13.  Chairman at General Meeting

At all General Meetings in the absence of the President, Vice-Presidents and Chairman of Council, any member shall be elected to chair. The Chairman shall be judge on all questions of order and his decision shall be final.

14.  Club Property

The property of the Club shall be vested in Trustees appointed by the Council.

15.  Club Trophies

All club Trophies may be held by their respective winners for a period not exceeding one year following the date of being won and thereafter shall be returned in good condition to the Hon. Secretary.

All trophies shall remain the property of the Club.

16.  Subscription

The Annual Subscription shall be such a sum as the Council may from time to time determine together with such sums, if any, as a fee payable on entry. At the discretion of the Council, an ordinary member may be allowed to pay a reduced subscription for any period of less than a year.

The Annual Subscription shall be payable on election as provided for in Rule 3 and thereafter without demand on the 1st January in every year. The Council may terminate the membership of a member whose Annual Subscription is unpaid on the 1st July in any year.

17.  Expulsion

The Council shall have the power to expel any member for any reason which they may consider sufficient. No member shall be expelled without first having an opportunity of appearing before the Council and answering the complaints made against him and unless two- thirds of the Council then present vote in favour of his expulsion. No member who shall be expelled shall have any claim on the Club for any subscription or entrance fee paid.

18.  Intoxicating Liquor

No intoxicating liquor shall be supplied to members or any persons on the Club premises otherwise than on behalf of the Club.

No intoxicating liquor shall be supplied for payment to any person on the Club premises other than a member or bona fide guest signing his or her name in the club Guest Book.

  1. The Council shall arrange the supply of intoxicating liquor by the Club to members and to other persons on the club premises and shall secure the due observance of the provisions of the Licensing Act and all Acts relating thereto and of any conditions attached to any licence held by the Club or on behalf of the Club for the supply of intoxicating liquor, or to any registration certificate granted in respect of the Club
  2. No person shall be paid at the expense of the Club any commission, percentage or similar payment on or with reference to purchase of intoxicating liquor by the Club; nor shall any person directly or indirectly derive any pecuniary benefit from the supply of intoxicating liquor by or on behalf of the Club to members or guests apart from any benefit accruing to the Club as a whole.
  3. The permitted hours shall be decided by the council in accordance with the relevant Licensing Acts.

19.  Alteration in Rules

Alterations shall only be made in the Rules of the Club at a General Meeting and then only by two-thirds majority of those present. Notice of the motion or addition to the Rules shall be given to the Hon. Secretary in writing not less than three weeks prior to such Meeting so that a copy of the proposed resolution may accompany the notice convening the Meeting.

No amendment shall be made to these Rules which would cause the Club to cease to be a Charity at law.

The Hon. Secretary shall as soon as possible and in any case within 28 days of the making of any alteration or addition to these Rules give written notice thereof to the Chief Officer of Police and to the Clerk of the Local Authority of the district in which the Club is situated.

20.  Dissolution

The Club shall never be dissolved except with the consent of the President and the agreement of at least two-thirds of members present at TWO extraordinary General Meetings. In the event of such dissolution or the Club for any reason ceasing to exist, the Trustees shall hold all assets for the benefit of such other Club or charitable body with similar objects and registered under the Charities Act as then members shall decide. No member shall have any claim to participate in the assets of the Club.

21.  Exclusion of Liability

Neither the Club nor any Officer thereof shall be liable to any member or guest of a member for any loss of or damage to any property occurring from whatever cause in or about the Club premises; nor for any injury sustained by any member or guest while on or entering or leaving the Club premises.

22.  Rules

The Council’s interpretation of these Rules shall be final.

 

30th September 2004