I sympathise with Charles Micallef for the ignorance expressed in his contribution (July 7) regarding target shooting sports in Malta.
My reply to his letter will try to convince not only him but many others who share his warped opinion on this sport, especially the ones who are in a position to influence the proper development of target shooting in Malta.
The aim of military shooting training which Mr Micallef undertook during his three years in the army was aimed at killing people (enemy soldiers). The shooting mentality programmed in him is therefore shooting = killing! However, shooting at paper targets or clay pigeons is a completely different thing as regards the sport mentality that is being programmed in sport shooters.
Hitting a half-millimetre target at 10 metres in Olympic Air-Rifle, consecutively for 60 shots, in a competition, is not just aiming the gun and pressing the trigger as Mr Micallef suggests. Such preparation takes years of training which apart from shooting also involves a tremendous amount of jogging, swimming, cycling and gymnastics to improve the circulation, lower the heartbeat and increase balance. Shooting sport psychology, decent nutrition with the absence of cigarette smoking, alcohol and coffee drinking and obviously drugs, give all shooters the best shooting capabilities on the range. Indirectly this also has the benefit of lowering the incidence of obesity in any agegroup of shooters.
Shooting has been found to impart important qualities especially in youngsters. It will improve their self-discipline, respect for others, time management, concentration and control of distractions as well the need to obey all rules and club regulations on safe arms handling. Such qualities were found in a research paper in England recently where Labour MP Quentin Davies presented and debated in the British Parliament his suggestions that shooting should be introduced in all schools (Daily Telegraph, March 7, 2008) and that students should be made to join cadet corps or shooting clubs. This would help in their behaviour towards their teachers in schools.
With respect to age limits in the use of guns for target shooting in licensed ranges, the recent amendments are a step in the right direction but still way out when compared to our counterparts in other EU countries. In Germany, for example, the age to start practising shooting with airguns is 12 years and last week in Italy the age was lowered to 10 years and 14 years for sport guns using live ammunition.
Young shooters in this country should not be deprived of the glory that may be waiting for them. I therefore urge our government to keep its pre-electoral promises and immediately start building the national shooting ranges for the benefit of our beloved country.