Learning sport-shooting at a tender age

Last Sunday, July 4, was the last day of the 10th Bolo Tuason Cup, the much-awaited annual shooting competition held at the Armscor Shooting Range in Marikina, so I couldn’t miss it even if I wanted to loll in bed in the comfort of home with full blast air conditioning on a sweltering Sunday afternoon. Nope, I had to watch the action and be in the thick of it, not as a competitor; though in my wildest of dreams I would have wanted to be in the running for championship in this prestigious competition. I was a kibitzer, an avid one, who loves guns but has not found the time to hone his skills. The next best thing, of course, is to watch up close and smell the gun powder, feel the heightened pulse rates and see the drama of practical shooting unfold.

I was there with my son Ray Louis who himself has begun to learn the basics of gun handling and target shooting, so we both had a field day at the range, never mind if we bathed in sweat. Bolo Tuason, the affable big boss of Armscor and Ms. Gina Angangco, his equally gracious and capable deputy, were gracious hosts that day.

This is a yearly event, now on its tenth run, and as Bob Sajot, Match Director explained, is undertaken as NCR area championship event. The stages were first approved by the International Practical Shooting Confederation (IPSC) of Canada and proudly featured a world-class stage. They had problem-solving stages and exciting courses which the competitors, sport –shooting icon Jethro Dionisio among them, found extremely challenging and exhilarating. Competitors needed to fire 236 rounds to complete a pistol match, and with some 300 participants in the three-day competition, you can imagine the awesome firepower at the Armscor Shooting Range.

This year’s competition was a Level 3 international match sanctioned by the IPSC and the Philippine Practical Shooting Association composed of 12 Pistol Stages and one Fun Shoot Rifle Stage which is a novel addition to the competition. More on this later on.   The champion in the Ladies Production Class was a young lass, Police Inspector Andrea Milano Gasik, a graduate of PNPA Class 2007 assigned to the Calabarzon HQ whom we interviewed. One could see that this young lady thinks the world of the sport she has chosen.

I was glad to see Armscor back in action, after a protracted gun ban which I understand cost their business heavily. Not one to question the wisdom of the ban, Bolo says domestic sales went down by as much as 80 percent during the long six months, though their exports were unaffected. Doing their civic duty as good citizens, they have always toed the line and will continue doing so, in keeping with the law. Armscor is the acknowledged leader in the manufacture and distribution of firearms and ammunitions in the country and have earned the latest International Standards Organization (ISO) rating for their product lines.

We had a long chat that afternoon and he mentioned that as far as the concealed-carry issue is concerned, 35 out of the 52 states in the US of A have passed the must-issue law if a citizen has no previous criminal record. Statistics also show that criminality has dropped in these states. He reiterated the importance of the basic right which all citizens have in any country, and that is the right to life. Upholding this right, one must necessarily also toe the line as a responsible gun owner.

Basic training is a must if one seriously supports the advocacy of responsible gun ownership. Ms. Gina Angangco, executive vice president and general manager of Armscor and concurrently President of the Armscor Shooting Range says joining a gun club could provide the necessary training and support if one wants to get the rudiments of gun handling. Joining these gun clubs could also get you started on the sport of shooting which is as exhilarating as any sport could get.

Gina shares that the Armscor Shooting Team which of course uses only Armscor firearms, is part of the Philippine Shooting Team – that’s how good and reliable their guns are. They also bring in the best here for local distribution like the STI from the United States which rule it above many others in the shooting sport, and the Tanfolio and STI Spartan from Europe. Being an excellent shooter herself, she enjoins all the ladies out there to get basic lessons in gun handling and target shooting at the Armscor range.

Armscor is also coming out with a .22 caliber rifle which Bolo says is the Rolls Royce of this range in the country. I had a crack at this remarkable rifle, a 15-shooter semi-auto which is a hundred per cent locally manufactured at Armscor and exported to the U.S. Locally, it is called the Armscor Mig 22 and it handles beautifully. You can see it at the coming AFAD Gun Show this July.

The Fun Shoot they introduced in this year’s Bolo Cup was something else. It was designed with kids in mind—you read it right. Johnny Garcia explained that the match was indeed designed for kids (the youngest in the range that day was only eight years old) but to participate, the parents had to be on hand to register and be physically present to watch over their kids.

It is a long-range competition using a .22 silhouette rifle, single-shot for long range (anywhere from 25 to 500 meters) target shooting. This exercise teaches young kids how to excel in rifle marksmanship and further teaches them the discipline and etiquette of the sport.

I saw eager parents there with their young kids trying out the .22 rifle. I shot a few rounds (luckily hit a few too!) and saw how safe it was and how focus and discipline could be ingrained at such a tender age with the sport. What was amazing was that they had a lot of young girls wanting to learn precision target shooting as well, with their parents of course. Those parents are undoubtedly gun aficionados themselves or, sports shooters, or at the very least, pragmatic parents who see the need to teach their children how to respect weapons and use them properly for self defense. Introducing it as a sport is the best way, and starting them young trains them gradually and hones their skills over the years.

Johnny also said that a competition is in the works for this sport of long distance shooting at the Splendido in Tagaytay for young kids. Splendido has the right grounds for it for the varied ranges: short range- 25 to 50 meters; medium- 50 to 200 meters; and long range 200 to 500 meters. Parents who are interested to have their children join the competition can look for Johnny Garcia at the Armscor Shooting Range. He will be glad to be of assistance to you.

It wasn’t expensive too. Johnny said that for an afternoon of target shooting, with about fifty or a hundred rounds, one could expect to spend about P250. Not bad, and a far cry from what I expect to spend at the firing range with my .45.

Check them out at the Armscor Shooting Range and ask about the long range rim fire precision rifle. These will likewise be available at the AFAD Gun Show.

And by the way, if you’re a gun aficionado you should not miss “Sport Shoot” one of the exciting segments of Business & Leisure, the longest-running (19 years) business and lifestyle TV news and features magazine that airs every Tuesday evening at 10 o’clock on Shop TV (Channel 13 on Sky Cable Network and Channel 9 on Global Destiny Cable Network). The segment features the latest gun models and highlights of shooting competitions, like the recent Bolo Cup, which shall be shown next Tuesday.

And gun buffs see you at the AFAD Gun Show this July at the SM Mega Mall.       

Mabuhay!!! Be proud to be a Filipino.

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