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Shooting organisations react with anger to negative press

“Young shooters could be the Olympic champions of the future.”

Tuesday, 24 June 2008

Shooting organisations have reacted with anger after several sensationalised stories about youngsters under the age of 16 being granted shotgun certificates appeared in the press.

In an apparent campaign to create shocking headlines and scandal about shooting, several newspapers have recently made Freedom of Information (FOI) requests from police forces to determine the age of certificate holders in the local area.

Last week, the South Wales Evening Post ran the story Worry over shotgun licences for teens, which revealed how many teenagers legally owned a shotgun in the area.

Other newspapers such as the Daily Mail, Daily Star, Goole Times, The York Press and Western Daily Press, have also printed articles sensationalising the fact responsible youngsters legally own shotguns in an attempt to provoke outrage among readers.

The Countryside Alliance’s Robert Gray, who organised National Shooting Week, agreed.

He commented that youngsters should be encouraged to take up the sport: “These young shooters could be the Olympic champions of the future.”

The rest of this article appears in 26 June issue of Shooting Times.