Shooting makes an important contribution to health and wellbeing among people of all ages, backgrounds and abilities, according to a new report published by the UK’s largest shooting organisation, the British Association for Shooting and Conservation (BASC).
The report, entitled the Personal Value of Shooting, examines the social, physical and personal wellbeing contribution of shooting to people in the UK and is based on a survey conducted by BASC.
The report’s other key findings were:
• That shooting can help to get more adults active through sport and physical activity, reduce social isolation and promote personal wellbeing whilst encouraging people to engage with the natural environment.
• That allowing for variations according to discipline, shooting and its associated activities are moderate to high intensity physical activities.
• Without shooting: 91 per cent of respondents said they would spend less time outdoors and in nature, 75 per cent would spend less time on conservation work, and 77 per cent said their social life would be poorer.
Kate Ives, BASC’s senior business intelligence officer, said: “Shooting, and activities associated with shooting, are clearly vastly important to people’s wellbeing. This is evident both in the responses to the survey and the comments people made about what shooting means to them.
“Wellbeing is used by policymakers and the government as an indicator and measure of our quality of life. Sports and outdoor activity are increasingly being recognised as important for their contributions to our physical, personal and social wellbeing.
“Shooting and its associated activities such as beating, picking up or manual work, contribute to wellbeing. The results of this survey suggest that shooting is actively contributing towards government wellbeing targets by providing personal, social and physical benefits.”
Peter Glenser, BASC chairman, said: “Shooting is about far more than simply pulling a trigger – this is the tip of the iceberg. Leading up to this point is an interrelated mix of wellbeing benefits. It involves learning and developing skills and applying them.
“It involves working together with others towards a shared goal; putting physical effort into conservation and land management and enjoying the wildlife that thrives in and around the shoot.
“Shooting can be about immersing yourself in the natural environment, or the intense concentration on a target at the range or clay ground. Shooting is all- encompassing and for many it’s a way of life that delivers personal benefits far beyond the moment of firing a shot.”
The full report can be found here.
ENDS