CAMBRIDGE REVOLVER AND PISTOL CLUB

CONSTITUTION & RULES OF THE CLUB

1. Interpretation

In the interpretation of the rules the following definitions apply unless stated otherwise:

a. ‘Club’ shall mean Cambridge University Revolver and Pistol Club.

b. ‘Committee’ shall mean the Committee of the Club.

c. ‘Members’ refers to the Members of the Club, unless explicitly stated otherwise.

d. <91>CSA<92> refers to the Cambridge Shooting Association.

2. Name

The name of the Club is the Cambridge University Revolver and Pistol Club.

3. Aims

The aims of the Club are to:

a. Provide facilities for the shooting of air pistols by Members.

b. Promote the training in and practice of air pistol shooting, and also to encourage the shooting of small and full bore pistols and revolvers, when and wherever this is possible.

c. To promote competition in the discipline of pistol shooting.

d. To provide teams to represent the University in matches against Oxford University in the Varsity Match.

e. To provide teams to represent the University in matches against other teams, as opportunities arise.

4. Government

A Committee consisting of Members shall govern the Club. Those Members serving on the Committee shall be known as Officers of the Committee. The Committee shall consist of persons fulfilling any or all of the following roles, but a minimum of (1), (2), (3) and (4). If a President is not elected, the Captain shall assume the responsibilities of this role.

(1) The Captain

(2) The Honorary Senior Treasurer, who shall be a senior member of the University

(3) The Secretary

(4) The Treasurer

(5) The President, who shall be either a senior member of the University or an ex-member of the Club in such a position as to contribute to the Club’s prestige

(6) Not more than four additional Members, who may be assigned specific roles if the need arises.

5. Election of Officers

a. The Election of Officers of the Committee shall take place at the Annual General Meeting of the Club to be held during Lent Term of every year. The Officers of the Committee for the ensuing year shall begin to take responsibility for their posts at the beginning of the following Easter Term, each under the supervision of their predecessor.

b. Prior to the AGM, the Captain of the Club shall nominate his successor who shall preferably have been an Officer of the Committee prior to this.

c. The Committee shall as a whole decide which posts, in addition to the four specified as essential in Rule 4, should be created and made available for election of Members. Creation of such additional posts is subject to the restriction upon the number of such posts as laid out in Rule 4. The posts may be advertised as “General Committee Member” if the Committee wish to elect Members to positions that carry no specific responsibilities.

d. Prior to the AGM, the Committee shall invite applications from Members to stand for positions on the new Committee. The Officers of the Committee (other than the Senior Treasurer) shall then, prior to the AGM, nominate Members for the positions of Secretary, Treasurer and the other agreed positions (excluding the Captaincy in accordance with Rule 5.b.) for the next year from the pool of Members who have applied for positions. For each post, the Committee must reach a majority decision as to which Member should be the Committee’s approved candidate for the position.

e. Any Member of the Club prior to the AGM may submit applications for any or all of the available posts other than the Captaincy. There is no limit on the number of posts that a Member may apply for.

f. The method by which the Members of the Club shall vote for their preferred choice of candidate for each position shall be agreed upon by the Committee prior to the AGM.

g. At the AGM, the Committee approved candidate for each post shall be put to the Members. If any Member does not agree that the approved candidate should take up the post for any reason, then they may propose either themselves or another Member as an alternative candidate. Voting for each position shall take place in accordance with the method agreed upon, and Members shall be elected to Committee in accordance with the simple plurality, or “first past the post” system. In the event of a tie between two or more candidates for a post, the Captain shall have a second or casting vote.

h. During the time period between Annual General Meetings, the Committee may, if internal agreement between its Officers can be reached, at any time change the roles and duties of any or all of the serving Officers, subject to the criteria laid out in Rules 4, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19 and 20 still being fulfilled. The Committee may also make a decision as a whole to appoint additional Members to serve as Officers of the Committee at any time provided there is still scope remaining for this to be done, as laid out in Rule 4.

6. Membership

a. Membership of the Club is open to all members of the University in residence, and such other people as nominated by the Committee and approved by the President. The Members shall be those who pay the annual subscription. A subscription is valid for 12 months.

b. Renewal of Membership. In order to remain a Member, a Member should pay the annual subscription fee pertaining to the following year before the end of the 12-month period corresponding to his or her current subscription. Failure to do so will result in the membership lapsing.

7. Open Days

a. Whenever is prudent, the Club may hold “Open Days”, where members of the University other than Members of the Club may attend at the range to be instructed in the use of, and shoot, an air pistol.

b. Prior to being allowed to shoot, those persons who are not Members must pay a fee to cover day membership of the CSA. The amount of the fee must be proposed by the Captain of the Club and ratified by Committee.

c. Prior to shooting, each person must be given a safety talk and be instructed on how to correctly handle air pistols by a qualified Range Officer who must be present at all times during such Open Days.

d. Open Day guests may shoot only free trial rounds given at a Committee Member's discretion.

8. Safety

a. Prior to shooting for the first time, new Members who did not previously attend an Open Day must be given a safety talk and instructed on how to correctly handle air pistols by a qualified Range Officer present.

b. Whenever there are persons shooting on the range, whether Members or Open Day guests, they must always be supervised by at least one, but preferably two, qualified Range Officers. Members are not to enter the range unless there is a Range Officer present.

c. The Committee is responsible for organising a rota of Range Officers to supervise the range and those shooting at meetings of the Club. The Committee is responsible for ensuring that sufficient Members are qualified Range Officers by enrolling willing Members on Range Officer courses.

d. Other ranges: Members are not to enter or shoot as Members unless there is an authorised officer present.

e. The regulations for a particular range are to be observed; if there are no published regulations the regulations of the National Small Bore Rifle Association (NSRA) shall apply. In the case of those guidelines provided by the NSRA being insufficient, the regulations of the International Sports Shooting Federation (ISSF) shall apply.

f. Members and Open Day guests shall not do anything that directly or otherwise threatens the safety of another person present at the range. This includes negligence in adhering to the correct procedure for handling air pistols, as set out in the safety talk which each Member and Open Day guest shall have received.

g. Members use the facilities and air pistols provided by the Club entirely at their own risk. Supervision of the range by Range Officers is provided by the Club in an effort to maximise safety, but Range Officers and Officers of the Committee cannot be held responsible for any death, personal injury or other inconvenience occurring in the course of a Member’s use of the facilities and air pistols.

9. Conduct of members

a. No Member shall do anything that may bring the standing of the Club into disrepute.

b. Every Member on joining the Club is deemed to have agreed to comply with the Rules of the Club and any refusal or neglect to do so shall render a Member liable to expulsion. The Committee shall have the power to request any Member to resign or terminate the membership of any person whose conduct in the opinion of the Committee renders him or her unfit for membership of the Club. If two-thirds of the Committee are in favour of expulsion of the Member, expulsion shall be immediate, and the Member shall be notified of the reason(s) for his or her expulsion. If less than two-thirds of the Committee are in favour of expulsion of the Member, then the Secretary shall give him or her seven days’ written notice to attend a meeting of the Committee which notice shall contain particulars of the complaint made against him. At the meeting the Member shall have an opportunity to answer the complaints made against him or her. If, after the meeting, two-thirds of the Committee are in favour of expulsion of the Member, the Member shall be expelled. If it is still the case that less than two-thirds of the Committee are in favour of expulsion of the Member, then the Member shall not be expelled.

10. Committee Meetings

a. Meetings of the Committee may be convened by the Captain or by any two members of the Committee. A minimum of four Officers of the Committee must be present at the meeting, normally including the Captain. The Captain shall normally take the Chair. If the Captain is not present, the role of Chair should be assumed by a delegate, to have been previously nominated by the Captain. If votes are equal the vote of the Chair shall count as two votes.

b. At least one meeting of the Committee shall be convened in the Michaelmas, Lent and Easter Terms of each year unless there is no agenda, in which case the Secretary should inform the Committee of this.

11. Annual General Meeting

An Annual General Meeting shall be held at least once in every year and not later than fifteen months after the previous Annual General Meeting to transact the following business:

a. To receive and if approved to adopt a statement of the accounts of the Club for the preceding year.

b. To receive a report from the Captain concerning the activities of the Club during the preceding year.

c. To consider and if approved sanction any duly made alteration to the Rules of the Club.

d. To appoint an Honorary Auditor.

e. To deal with any special matter which the Committee desires to bring before the Members and to receive suggestions from Members for consideration by the Committee.

12. Special General Meetings

A Special General Meeting may be convened by the Committee at any time during term and shall be convened within ten days of a receipt of the requisition in writing signed by not less than twelve Members specifying the object of the meeting for any of the following purposes:

a. To consider and if approved sanction any duly made alteration to the Rules of the Club.

b. To deal with any special matter which the Committee may desire to place before the Members.

c. To receive the resignation of the Committee or to remove any Member or Members thereof from office and in the event of the resignation of the whole Committee to fill the vacancies caused thereby.

d. To deal with any special matter which the Members requiring the meeting may desire to place before the Club.

Notice convening a Special General Meeting shall be sent to Members not less than seven days before the meeting and shall specify the matters to be dealt with.

13. Conduct of Special General Meetings

a. The Captain should normally be present at a Special General Meeting. The Chair shall normally be taken by the Captain. If the Captain is not present, the role of Chair should be assumed by a delegate, to have been previously nominated by the Captain. A minimum of ten members (including the Captain) must be present in order that motions passed are valid.

b. Every question (unless expressly provided by these Rules) shall be decided by a majority of votes. Every Member so entitled shall have one vote and in the case of an equality of votes the Chair shall have a second or casting vote.

c. At any Special General Meeting (unless a Poll is demanded by one third of those present) a declaration by the Chair that a resolution has been carried or carried by a particular majority shall be conclusive. If a Poll be demanded by one third of those present it shall be taken in such manner and at such time and place and either immediately or after an adjournment not exceeding seven days as the Chair of the meeting shall determine. The result of the Poll as declared by the Chair shall be deemed to be the resolution of the meeting at which the Poll was demanded.

14. Competitions

a. The Committee shall arrange internal Club competitions as it sees fit. These should, however, include a Handicap Competition of such a structure that, insofar as is possible, all Members of the Club stand an equal chance of winning. By its nature such a competition will normally need to be shot over the course of the entire University year.

b. The Captain is responsible for ensuring that teams are selected and prepared for the Varsity Match against Oxford each year. Every effort, including liaison with the Oxford Captain and any other persons as necessary must be made to ensure that the Varsity Match takes place at the appropriate time during the year of the Captain’s tenure.

c. When opportunities for competition between the Club and others are available, the Captain may with his/her discretion decide whether to allow competition to take place. The Captain is responsible for the selection of teams to take part in such competitions. Such competitions shall be held under the published Regulations for the time being in force of the appropriate National or International Organisation unless this is not appropriate.

d. Arrangements and regulations for all competitions shall be made by the Committee. Any grievances raised by Members in relation to such arrangements and regulations shall be referred to the Committee whose decision thereon shall be final. Any Member who refuses to abide by any such decision or persists in wilfully disobeying any such regulations as aforesaid renders him liable to expulsion from the Club in accordance with Rule 9. No Officer of the Committee shall take part in the determination of any dispute in which he/she is personally interested.

15. Duties of Officers – President

The role of the President is predominantly to publicise the activities and aims of the Club, and where possible search for additional funding for the Club so that it may expand the opportunities to shoot open to Members. The President may call on the Captain to report on the overall state of affairs of the Club, and on the other Officers of the Committee to report on the state of affairs of the Club with which they may respectively be charged.

16. Captain

The Captain may call upon the Officers of the Club to report the state of the affairs of the Club with which they may respectively be charged. He/she may act for and on behalf of the Committee but shall be responsible to the Committee for the consequences thereof. In any such case he must report the same with the results thereof to the Committee at the earliest opportunity and not later than the next Committee meeting following. If requested he must report the same to the President of the Club. He shall present to the Annual General Meeting of the Club a report concerning the activities of the Club since the preceding Annual General Meeting.

17. Secretary

The Secretary shall keep a register of Members, the minutes of proceedings of the Committee and of General Meetings, all records of matches and competitions, a register of the Property of the Club and any other such records as the Committee may from time to time decide. The Secretary is responsible for submitting all applications for the use of ranges.

18. Honorary Senior Treasurer

a. The Honorary Senior Treasurer shall have power to stop transactions by the Treasurer for a period not exceeding twenty-one days. He/she shall report any exercise of such power together with the circumstances thereof to the Committee. He/she shall maintain a general supervision of the finances of the Club and shall ensure that proper accounts are kept as detailed below.

b. The Honorary Senior Treasurer is not liable for any debts incurred by the Club or any problems, financial or otherwise that may arise during its existence unless he/she has authorised it in writing.

19. Treasurer

The Treasurer shall keep such books of account as the Committee may from time to time direct and shall have the general administration of the finances of the Club. He/she shall carry out the directions of the Committee regarding the finances of the Club. He/she shall collect all subscriptions and from time to time and in any event before the Thirtieth day of September in any year render an account to any Member for any monies due to the Club under the provisions of these rule for expenses incurred. He/she shall be authorised make payments out of the funds of the Club in accordance with instructions given from time to time by the Committee. The Treasurer shall be entitled to sue in the name of the Club for any monies owing to the Club whether by a Member or otherwise, or take such necessary action in relation thereto as the Committee may direct for recovery of the same. He/she shall account to the succeeding Treasurer for all monies received and paid by him/her during his term of office.

20. Other Officers

The other Officers of the Club shall have powers consistent with their office but shall at all times be answerable to the Committee and to the Captain for their actions.

21. Property of the Club

a. All property of the Club shall be vested in the Officers of the Committee for the time being or any two or more of them as the Committee may decide as trustees for the Club. Any Member causing damage to or loss of such property (fair wear and tear only excepted) shall be personally liable to make good all such damage or loss.

b. In the event of the winding-up of the Club the property and other assets of the Club shall not belong to the Members but shall be held by the Committee for the benefit of such club or organisation with similar objects and registered under the Charities Act 1960 or any such Act amending or replacing the same as the Committee may in its absolute discretion direct.

22. Funds

The funds of the Club shall be kept by the Treasurer under the supervision of the Honorary Senior Treasurer and in such place and manner as may be determined by the Committee. The Committee shall have the power to expend the funds of the Club as they think fit in accordance with the rules and objects of the Club.

23. Accounts

The accounts of the Club shall be made up to the First day of October in every year. The Committee shall cause to be prepared, audited and published every year a statement of receipts and expenditures and a balance sheet made up to the First day of October in the then current year which shall be submitted to the Club at the next Annual General Meeting.

24. Addresses of Members

Every member shall, from time to time communicate to the Secretary his or her postal address and also email address if the member has access to such facilities. All notices required by these rules to be sent or given to members shall be deemed to have been duly sent or given if sent to either of the above.

25. Award of Half-Blues

Up to four Members of the Club per year, at the discretion of the Captain may be nominated to the Blues Committee for award of Half-Blues.

26. Alteration of Rules

These Rules may be altered or repealed and new rules may be made at the Annual General Meeting or at a Special General Meeting of the Club duly summoned for that purpose, providing that no rule may be altered or repealed so as to cause the Club to cease to be a charity in law.

Revised November 2000 by Tristan Hamilton, Emmanuel College.