Well I thought I had better go on the record concerning my feelings about the current issues facing rocketry and why my postings are negative about rocketry.
They are negative because I feel that if we don't approach rocketry and its federal regulation in a realistic way, we will eventually lose more model rocket privilages in this country. Regulation will increase, and since rocketry is NOT a constitutional right, the state and local governments can and have stepped in and curtailed model rocketry activities. Also, the two principal organizations, NAR and TRA have very little oversight and control over the actions of citizens with regard to regulation, e.g. Jerry Irvine's illegal shipping of hundreds of pounds of APCL. NAR and TRA couldn't stop him, nor do they want to take any public stance for or against his actions. This shows how ineffective both organizations are with respect to their policing the model rocket hobbyist.
We unfortuneatly have to "deal" with the state and federal agencies in order to carve out some "model rocket sovernty". We are not going to be given a "blank check" to just go do what we want in the hobby. Taking a stand that model rockets shouldn't be regulated, and significantly at this current time, is just very bad judgement. Model rockety is going to be regulated. Too bad our leadership is myopic in their thinking and dosen't see the long term net effects of its current actions and dealings with the feds. Making enemies in politics is a very very very bad thing. This is why our country is ran by lobbyist ... they make friends in Washington and wind up in the end getting what their backers want. Sueing government agencies is a way to ensure a slow and painful death on the political stage ... to bad Mark Bundick and company don't understand graft, kickbacks, and lobbying ... well they are principled people and don't understand the true nature of Washington politics.
As a result of the unrealistic stance taking by Mark and others, regulation is going to increase by default. Sueing the BATF isn't going to make the agency lax its restrictions on the hobby ... matter of fact, it is increasing regulation. Yes, a minor victory was won in the last round of legal sparing, but only won on a technicality and not principle! The BATF will just go back, rewrite it's regulations to explicitly cover model rocketry ... thanks Mark Bundict and company. Stepping on government toes, just makes the government come down on its citizens with the heal of its boot. You see our government is no longer interested in its people, but interested only in itself. Goverment agencies love writing rules, laws, and regulations ... this is what a modern day beauracrat lives for! I am sure the BATF and other agencies are busy re-writing explosive laws that will now DIRECTLY target model rocketry ... hold unto your hats, because the next round of regulation is going to hurt!
NAR and TRA are really incapable of regulating the rocketeer. Prime example is the recent Jerry Irvine scandal concerning his illegal shipping of hundreds of pounds of APCL. Now you might say, Jerry was only doing what many of us wished we could do. Well let me remind you, that there are laws and regulations for a reason ... not just to screw you the rocketeer, but to protect the public at large. e.g., by knowingly and illegally shipping APCL, Jerry Irvine place the lives of firemen and shipping employees at risk. How you say? Well by NOT truthfully stating the contents of his boxes, knowlege that should have been known in case a fire broke out in or around his shipment would not have been known. A fire crew would take a different approach in fighting a fire if they know ahead of time if there are hazzardous materials involved. "Model Airplane Parts" is a far cry from APCL. This is just one issue concerning the Irvine scandal. What about people shipping pipe bombs as "model airplane parts"? This is a larger issue than just some low level manufacturer trying to "make a buck". Also, there is issue of NAR/TRA oversight ... there is none. Neither organization has taken a stand concerning Irvine's scandal. They also lack the power to enforce any internal laws. They couldn't stop what Irvine did, nor have they or will they censor Irvine for his actions. This underlines why an outside regulatory agency, MUST, monitor our hobby. We can't do it internally.
So this is why I am very negative in my postings. You people need to wake up and see the long term issues regarding model rocketry. We HAVE to reach some amiable agreement with local and federal agencies if we wish to still enjoy the hobby of model rocketry. Sueing the federal government only fosters tighter regulation and a sqwandering of precious financial resources. We must be REALISTIC in our thinking and not just, "knee jerked" reactionists. We must except the primise that model rocketry in some areas, CAN be of realistic concern with regards to pubic safety. Pretending they are not and refusing to work with government agencies is only killing the hobby ... way to go Mark Bundick ... way to go ...
WoR
P.s. Yes I must certainly be a troll BATF worker who on my lunch break attacks rocketry ... that is why I post in ways to get the reader to actually THINK about what is going on ... don't kill the messenger, just because you hate the message. Its time we took a fresh approach in our dealings with the government. I say we need a NAR/TRA leadership change and fast! Mark my words ... long after Bundick has passed, see if regulation has not increased instead of decreased ... mark my words.