I am a keen target (clay pigeon) shooter, and though I must state at the onset that I am not a member of the hunting fraternity, I must admit that the forthcoming referendum poses a definite uncertainty for the future of my activity.

Some Maltese youngsters excel in clay shooting as well as target shooting with rifles and handguns on the international scene, and indeed shooting is singular in the noteworthy achievements obtained on the international scene.

One of the reasons put forward by environmentalists, who want to curb and indeed abolish shooting, is lead poisoning.

Now it is a known fact that, once lead shot is exposed to the elements, near immediate oxidisation of its surface renders it impervious to leeching into the substrate.

Local environmentalist NGOs are wont to mention the fallout from car exhaust, and that from fuel guzzling burn-out of turbines, that wreak havoc on our health, land, and underlying water catchments.

Not to mention also the numerous boreholes, many of them illegal, that have increased the salinity of the water table.

Alternattiva Demokratika’s Carmel Caccopardo, one of the main protagonists fronting SHout, has gone on record stating that he does not preclude this referendum from being the forerunner of other abrogative referenda.

One must consider that each and every activity is governed by a set of rules and regulations.

In this day and age, where minority activities are in the cross hairs of opinionated individuals, no guarantees from prejudiced lawyers or a retired judge can guarantee that the buck stops with this forthcoming abrogative referendum.

Clay pigeon and target shooting could be next.

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