Annex I
COMBAT OR PRACTICAL SHOOTING WITH PUMP-ACTION
SHOTGUNS
BACKGROUND
The history of this "sport" appears
to begin in the 1930s with the advent of combat pistol courses
for the FBI. These courses departed from conventional bullseye
shooting and sought to impart tactical skills and the realistic
use of the handgun. They were intended to improve the combat capability
of the military and security services and it was only in the 1950s
that groups like the Bear Valley Gunslingers of California were
established with the avowed purpose of introducing realism and
variety into sporting pistol shooting.
The International Practical Shooting Confederation
(IPSC) was founded at the International Combat Pistol Conference
held in Columbia in May 1976. The word "Combat" was
dropped in recognition of the fact that even in the USA it was
seen as politically incorrect and offensive. However, nothing
else changed and the IPSC is today arguably the world's most popular
method of training military, paramilitary, police and civilians
to shoot fellow human beings in close quarters combat. It is working
hard to attain Olympic recognition and is the fastest growing
of all the shooting disciplines. The more respectable it is, the
more difficult it becomes to ban the weapons involved. In the
USA it is seen as one of the strongest bulwarks against the banning
of semi-automatic firearms and in the UK it offers the main legitimate
opportunity to use pump action shotguns.
On the sensitive question of targets, the IPSC
is moving away from the traditional humanoid target towards a
new "Classic" target. In response to criticisms from
devotees of the old system, Nick Alexakos, President of the IPSC
recently wrote
"A common misconception is that the proposed
target is `headless'. Not so. The Classic has all the same features
as the current target. It can `peek' over or around walls. It
can be used in exactly the same manner as the current target .
. ."
THE CASE
FOR A
BAN ON
COMBAT OR
PRACTICAL SHOOTING
1. There is understandable public revulsion
to an activity which so clearly encourages participants to develop
their killing skills in realistic situations and which may feed
the fantasies of socially inadequate or unstable people. Courses
of fire or stages are designed to resemble the fantasy of the
day such as "Save the Bank", "the Bodyguard",
"House Clearance", "Carjacked by Gang Members",
"Cartel House Raid".
2. As a weapon, the pump action shotgun
is unacceptably dangerous. It is associated in the public mind
with violent crime and gang warfare. It serves no legitimate purpose
in civil society.
3. The fact that "practical" shooting
is the fastest growing shooting "sport" internationally
is in itself a cause for concern. In post-conflict areas of the
world where extensive proliferation of combat weapons threatens
the stability of civil society, the presence of a regional branch
of the IPSC can serve only to fuel violence and lawlessness. Other
countries now look to the UK as a source of inspiration for its
tight gun controls and we have a responsibility to lead the way
by banning this sort of shooting. In addition, we should do all
we can to ensure that it never becomes an Olympic sport as it
clearly contravenes the sporting ideals associated with the Olympic
movement.
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