Over the last few years, the shooting community has had a very hard time. For no other reason than we have picked a sport that some think is unsavoury, which is a shame because that’s very unfair.
What have we done wrong? Zilch! We follow international rules to compete at the best level we can, set up and run clubs and ranges so we have somewhere to practice and compete, with excellent safety practices and records, because we know better than anyone else the dangers of mishandling firearms.
Unlike other sports deemed socially acceptable, we don’t have local councils putting aside land and then paying for the upkeep to the fields; nice and green with mowing as required. Say nothing of all the cycle lanes and tracks. Hospitals often get visitors from these sports.
The use of firearms and the types vary between different shooting disciplines, and this lifts the quality of the way they are handled, which improves the safety for all. Whether it be a small bore .22, which is mainly shot indoors or bench rest, or shotgun that’s your choice. For me it’s pistol and while there are several different styles with all different challenges, IPSC is my preference.
Shooting teaches discipline and respect for yourself and those around you, because no one wants to be on a range with a hot head who can’t control themselves. This makes it very good for the young to join and grow these skills and traits.
Now the government and police have been working hard to put pressure on both the individual and clubs, backed by the media, but I will be damned if I will back down and quit. I’m not about to let them have their way, how about you? I say, “Stuff what they want and go join a club and do the opposite, help make the clubs and organisations stronger by larger numbers.”
The other bonus, it’s a lot of fun, both in learning new skills and helping someone less skilled to improve theirs. I get as big a kick out of those I have helped do well as I do in my own results, but I’m an old codger and been doing this for a while now.
Check out what clubs you have near you, then go have a look and see at what they do. Don’t just look at what you are comfortable with, but what is unfamiliar, so it pushes your skills more. At the end of the day, give it a go—you have nothing to lose but so much to gain!
