Shooters have always been there to be shot at. Not just by successive Governments whose domestic gun laws made them pariahs with pistols, but those who deem the sport politically incorrect and its practitioners the biggest bunch of outlaws since Jesse James and Billy the Kid were on the rampage.

The 1996 massacre at Dunblane, when 16 children and a teacher were shot dead by a deranged gun collector, led to a ban on handguns which, although partially rescinded by the Home Office as a concession to the Olympics, has left Britain struggling to stay on target with the rest of the world.

Measured in international medals, shooting has been one of the most successful British sports. The crackling sound of gunfire as you arrive at the National Shooting Centre in Bisley suggests you might be in a war zone but in recent years the battle has been between the shooters and Whitehall.

Most felt the ban was a knee-jerk reaction and illogical because there is no of evidence that the sort of pistols used in sport target shooting have ever been used in any criminal activity.

Now at least elite pistol shooters are able to train under strict security at a couple of defence establishments but it is unclear whether this will remain so after the Olympics.

When the ban came in with the 1997 Firearms Amendment Act many competitors simply gave up because of the expense in having to train overseas in countries like Switzerland but numbers are on the increase again, notably among women. More and more Annies are getting their guns.

And young guns too. Apparently the Scouts now have a proficiency badge for marksmanship. Bit of a change from the days when we were dibbing and dobbing for our handicraft badge in the 36th Mitcham!

But now another shooting controversy has been triggered off.


Britain's most celebrated marksman, Mick Gault (pictured), who came out of ten months retirement last year to take a pot shot at an Olympic place this summer, looks likely to miss his target on a technicality, despite the concern of the former Sports Minister, Kate Hoey, who as President of the British Pistol Club and did so much to whip up all-party support get the ban on pistol practice here eased.

Record-breaker Gault, 58, awarded the OBE after becoming the nation's most prolific Commonwealth Games competitor in any sport– 17 medals including nine golds – achieved a qualifying score for the free pistol but has now been told that the only host nation quota place available is for the air pistol, for which he does not have the required mark.

Yet as he points out the irony is that should he be selected for Team GB, under Olympic rules he would be permitted to shoot in both categories. Even though Hoey, one of his greatest admirers, has made representations on his behalf to British Shooting, who will be sending only one pistol shooter to the London Games, 27-year-old Georgina Geikie (pictured), a part-time Devon barmaid who is known as Britain's Lara Croft for her prowess with the 25 metres sport target pistol.


Gault a civil servant with the RAF in Norfolk tells insidethegames he is "disappointed and gobsmacked" that GB are returning three host nation quota places (one for rapid fire and one for both ladies and men's air pistol).

"It seems a shame for myself and other British shooters, particularly as the sport is struggling to recover from the training restrictions that were impose for so long. I don't want to cause a stink but it does seem rather an injustice."

Hoey who has approached the British Olympic Association on Gault's behalf has been given this explanation: "Shooting received nine host nation places in events determined by the international federation (ISSF). In order for an athlete to be considered by British Shooting for nomination to the BOA for one of these places they had to meet the minimum consideration score.

"This score was set by British Shooting and agreed with the BOA. In three of these events that the ISSF granted us places, an athlete did not meet the minimum score. Therefore we have handed these back to the ISSF. "However, as agreed with the ISSF, we are able to exchange one of these for another event. The event that we have requested the exchange in is considered the event in which we have the greatest chance of success. This is after analysis of results across all events.

"We are continuing to request they consider the exchange of the two other host nation places that we have handed back. In the unlikely event we are successful with this, further analysis of results over the Olympic qualification period will determine where the next best chance of meeting British Shooting's performance objectives lies."

In this light one wonders if Gault's situation may be comparable to that of Britain's rhythmic gymnasts who have successfully appealed to the arbitration body Sports Resolutions against their exclusion from the Games by British Gymnastics on a qualifying score technicality.

But his coach Tom Redhead says: "It is unlikely we can go down that route because British shooters like Mick are largely self-funded and we don't have that sort of money."

Gault himself points out that he spent £1,500 on entry fees for the European Championships this year where he was top gun, though still fractionally shy of the qualifying mark for the air pistol. "I understand the gymnasts were privately funded. My private funding is an occasional few bob from my mum – and she's a pensioner!"


British Shooting say: "This is nothing personal. We don't have a home quota place in free pistol, only air pistol. As no one has achieved a qualifying mark in that event we have asked the British Olympic Association if we can change that place for one in a discipline where we have achieved it, like rifle or trap shooting. It seems only fair to allow someone who has the qualifying criteria to compete."

They also insist GB will have a strong team when the Olympic guns start blazing in Woolwich, including current world number one double trap shot Peter Wilson and Richard Faulds, who won gold at the same event in the Sydney 2000 Olympics.

Shame though, that someone of Mick Gault's calibre has to bite the bullet. Pistols at dawn?

Alan Hubbard is an award-winning sports columnist for The Independent on Sunday, and a former sports editor of The Observer. He has covered a total of 16 Summer and Winter Olympics, 10 Commonwealth Games, several football World Cups and world title from Atlanta to Zaire.