This autumn, free instruction in rifle shooting, shotgun shooting and net fishing for mountain trout will be offered in the mountain village of Oppdal in Trøndelag. Opdal Jæger- & Fiskarlag is offering immigrants free instruction in shooting and fishing.
Opdal Jæger- & Fiskarlag celebrates its 100th anniversary this year, but we do not know whether that is why the association is pulling out all the stops and offering everything free of charge to foreigners. First up is free rifle shooting for immigrants on Monday, 31 August, at the local shooting range.
Free ammunition and refreshments as well
‘Participants may borrow rifles from OJFL, which will also provide the ammunition. Light refreshments, coffee and something to eat. Space for 10 participants,’ the local branch of the Norwegian Association of Hunters and Anglers writes on its Facebook page.
This will be followed by shotgun shooting for immigrants on Wednesday, 2 September. Once again, everything will be free.
‘Participants may borrow shotguns from OJFL, which will also provide the ammunition. Light refreshments, coffee and something to eat. Space for 10 participants,’ the association writes.
Free instruction in net fishing as well
As if that were not enough, there will be a fishing trip exclusively for immigrants on Friday, 4 September. Once again, everything will be free for the foreigners:
‘Objective: to teach participants how to fish with nets in Oppdal’s many excellent fishing lakes, from Friday, 4 September at 6 p.m. until Saturday, 5 September at 11 a.m. Location: Skarvatnet. Meeting point in Oppdal town centre, transport to Skarvatnet. Nets will be set on Friday, followed by transport back to Oppdal town centre, and everyone will spend the night at home. Meet again in Oppdal town centre on Saturday morning, transport to Skarvatnet, where the nets will be hauled in. OJFL will provide all equipment. Space for 8 participants,’ the association writes in the invitation on Facebook, and we assume that they will also provide the transport.
Norwegians have to pay
‘It pays to be a member of a local association affiliated with NJFF. As a member, you receive favourable prices on hunting and fishing permits and shooting ranges. You also gain access to a range of membership benefits, such as discounts on equipment, courses and activities relating to hunting, fishing and outdoor recreation,’ the main website of the Norwegian Association of Hunters and Anglers states.
But membership costs NOK 895, NOK 995 or NOK 1,150 per year, depending on which local association one chooses. In addition, activities, instruction and equipment otherwise tend to cost a fair amount. But that, then, applies to Norwegians.
– Discrimination against Norwegians
OJF in Oppdal has closed the comment sections beneath the three offers of free shooting and fishing for immigrants, but on one of the posts, a number of people managed to comment before it was closed. Several regard this as discrimination against Norwegians.
‘Reverse apartheid introduced in Oppdal? Incredible!’ one writes.
‘Free participation, free ammunition, free loan/hire of a shotgun. Great for recruiting people into hunting and shooting sports. But why create a discriminatory scheme? Will there be a corresponding one exclusively for Norwegians? Integration initiatives are excellent, but the initiatives that are implemented cannot be discriminatory. Then they become counterproductive. It should have been: “Introduction to shotgun shooting. This is a free event, but we encourage immigrants to come and give it a try.” There are plenty of relatively disadvantaged Norwegians who could use such an offer,’ another writes.
– Our small contribution to integration
But the comment section was then closed, with the following message from OJF in Oppdal:
‘Opdal Jæger- & Fiskarlag has closed the comment section. We do not want comments of a racist nature on our page. We will continue to make our small contribution to integration in practice and will not allow ourselves to be influenced by negative comments.’
But what if immigrant culture, or lack of culture, is what becomes integrated into the local culture? And have opportunities for hunting, fishing and outdoor recreation in this country ever been closed to immigrants of any kind?
A few years ago, PST reacted to refugees receiving firearms training:
