Carmelo Micallef, Fgura
Firearms shooting is not the sport our nation really needs
I was upset to read recently that the minimum age to be licensed for firearms shooting as a sport is going down from 16 to 14 years. The Times reported that the new rules are in line with the government's policy to promote sporting activities in Malta.
It is true that the definition of "sport" is "any form of physical activity (PA) that involves an element of competition". I personally prefer to speak about PA rather than sport because I believe that one should do daily PA for personal health first and foremost and not necessarily to win.
This does not of course imply that I am against sports.
However, the point that really needs to be stressed is that the sports that our nation really needs in order to address the serious problems of obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, respiratory health and other conditions is mainly the aerobic type of activities such as running, swimming, cycling and so on. These are often termed cardio-activities because they are of extreme benefit to the heart.
It is a pity to note that the benefits gained from participating in sports are being narrowed down to simply aiming the weapon at a target and pulling the trigger! I will not go into what perils this amendment may bring on society especially with regard to young people who may still be at school.
One highly beneficial way of taking part in sport is to train and compete for a certain achievement, such as when our youths represent Malta in games abroad.
Having said this, I do understand the pleasures of firearms shooting: the possession of the weapon, the recoil pressure, the smell of the gases liberated from the barrel, and obviously the satisfaction of hitting the target.
As a matter of fact, I spent three years with the army and I also possess a firearms shooting licence. However, I do not let passion dictate the way I speak.
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Charles Micallef
Jul 11th 2008, 10:06
Silence is golden at this stage dear Mario...however rest assured that I will reply soon.
mario Spiteri
Jul 10th 2008, 18:02
Charlie seems perplexed that only 'few' bothered to criticise his logic about the way he denigrates target shooting in comparison to sports that tackles obesity. Out of the 70,000 readers he assumes that most (if not all) follow his contributions in the Times and also assumes that by default they all support his logic.
How naive can he be! Dream on if he so wishes and like Don Quixote he targets his next formidable.... windmill. We can't disappoint our readers now can we?!
Carmelo Micallef
Jul 9th 2008, 12:05
I have no time to wast with people who want to interpret me wrongly or the way they want to. The Times enjoys a readership of about 70,000 people and I'm sure if I did mean so, as Mario Spiteri is cunningly trying to say, there would be plenty of others to comment about. As a matter of fact all international Physical Activity Pyramid guides including the official one of Malta advocate my thinking but do not say that other less beneficial sports should not be practised.
mario spiteri
Jul 8th 2008, 14:12
According to Charles Micallef no sports other than that to help address the obesity problem in Malta should be practiced!! So anything that does not involve physical exercise is taboo to Mr. Micallef! Obsessively promoting aerobics is the foremost priority of Mr. Micallef. I feel that a very special Ministry for physical activity should be set up and as Malta's saviour we should appoint none other than Mr. Micallef as Minister without portfolio!
Carmelo Micallef
Jul 8th 2008, 10:43
Can someone deny the statement that "Firearms shooting is not the sport our nation really needs"? So, my arguments still hold because obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular disease are national health problems which can only be alleviated with aerobics type of activities. So, that Shooting Club Officials don't take it personally, even for example resistance training with weights or slow sports such as golf, does little to improve those major health problems that I mentioned. It has to be preferable aerobic-type of activities, which shooting, although considered as a sport, does not fall into this category of health-enhancing physical activity (HEPA)
Paul Libreri
Jul 7th 2008, 21:14
May I add my own (Euro) cent's worth.
I understood Mr Micallef's letter to mean that youths need physical sports rather than shooting sport to fight obesity and heart disease. So horse races for example would end and instead the jockeys themselves are asked to run for the trophy? Any real sport needs an underlying good physical and mental preparation and the fittest can have the edge in any sport.
Mr Franco Farrugia jumped on the argument but went anti-gun, showing a clear ignorance of shooting sports. Shooting as a sport has nothing to do with violence and instils responsibility, skills, and self control. Minors can only practice under constant supervision but not own a firearm.
Oh, and by the way - I don't sell guns for a living.
Carmelo Micallef
Jul 7th 2008, 14:39
Thanks Franco...I appreciate your comments. The Firearms age was put down to 14 & not 16.
I think that if we really want to encourage children to participate into good & healthy sports, they should not miss their exams because they went abroad to represent Malta in competitive games. It was not their fault after all...
Otherwise, I believe in honesty & I suggest that the people who are pro-shooting should admit the plain truth by saying "we want more people to get this hobby at a younger age because we want to sell more arms, and have more promising competitors which have to be catched at a younger age (which I agree). "
But for God's sake, don't use the excuse of sports. I know that Shooting is also an Olympic sports...so is Chess. Therefore, the Commissioner for Children need not worry about children not doing enough exercise as when they are sitting in their desks they still move their hands to write, etc.
Franco Farrugia
Jul 7th 2008, 12:39
I completely agree with the main thrust of the letter - no civilised country needs this kind of activity to call a sport. On the contrary, we should discourage people from using weapons! Not encouraging them by putting down the age to 16. Is this how we instil a spirit of academia and professional training in our country?
I also cannot approve the tone of certain 'contributors' such as Mr Camilleri. They certainly do justice to what they have to say.
Carmelo Micallef
Jul 7th 2008, 10:38
When someone answers me in that mode, do you know what I say to myself? "TRUTH HURTS !" I leave the readers of The Times to judge the value of my genuine letter....
But honestly, I have no interests in selling firearms...hope you understood me.
E. Camilleri
Jul 7th 2008, 09:42
Carmelo, yYou egoistically bloat about having somehow served as an ex-army reservist and how you enjoyed shooting, while at the same time you seek satisfaction to have your say at denying others their shooting sports rights. Every time you splash your name on this newspaper you try your best to give the impression your maturity exceeds the morals of others. Go tell the the IOC International Olympic Committee that they should stop the target shooting discipline because it does not cut down on obesity then copy us in their reply.