A majority sport
From Virginia Fettarappa-Robinson Sir: Many thanks to Michael Yardley (Conspiracy against shooting', 24 August) for his robust defence of this 'minority sport' and condemnation of the BBC's cowardly stance. In Switzerland, as everyone knows, assault rifles are to be found in every cellar, and every town or village has one or more shooting society whose members train and compete regularly in festivals all round the country. It is a majority sport. Marksmen and markswomen — or should I say 'markspeople'? — are indifferent to 'fluffy bunnies and Bambi's mum'. Our quarry is the centre of a paper target and, to hit it, we exercise calm, concentration and a strong sense of responsibility. Shooting is close in its philosophy to the martial arts. You are more at risk at a football match than on a firing range where everyone knows exactly what the risks are, and takes none.
Virginia Fettarappa-Robinson
Commugny, Switzerland
Previous page
