The Sportsman's Association - formed in 1996 to oppose the ban on pistols - has launched a campaign to dissuade all UK shooters from assisting in the running of shooting events at the London 2012 Olympics.

A decision by the London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games (LOCOG) to hold the shooting events at a temporary site in Woolwich, in opposition to advice from shooting bodies to use the ranges at Bisley in Surrey, the home of British shooting, has angered the association.

A spokesman for the association, Albie Fox, said: "The decision will mean that there will be no legacy for shooting from the Olympic Games. For too long the shooting sportsmen and women of the UK have bent over backwards to facilitate events such as the Commonwealth Games and Olympics. What do we get in return? Nothing except more legislation designed to kill off the sport.

"That is why we are calling on all shooters, judges, range officers and volunteers to withhold their support as volunteers to run the shooting events."

As LOCOG will rely upon up to 70,000 volunteers to help facilitate the Games, the Shooting Association predicts that any drop out could have an impact on the overall success of the event.

LOCOG has defended its decision, stating that Woolwich is more suitable because of its proximity to the Olympic Village and that the Bisley site would require expensive upgrading to bring it up to Olympic standards.

However, the association argues likewise that paying an estimated £42m for the temporary 7,500-seat structure is a waste of financial resources during hard times.

The association has called the British Shooting Sports Council (BSSC) to back their campaign and are also in the process of organising a protest march in London.