Sharpshooter

The shooting community is often threatened with new legislation, but how potent such threats turn out to be may well depend on timing

- Alasdair Mitchell

Bad things tend to come in flurries. I cannot recall a time when shooting has faced so many legislative challenges. Whether it is moves to restrict game releasing, proposed revisions of the quarry list, the childish antics of devolved administrations or the prospect of a further tightening of the rachet on shotgun ownership, the challenges are coming at us from all directions.

At the same time, it is important to put things into historical perspective. When I was at university, I was lucky enough to be invited to a day’s driven pheasant shooting by a friend. His father, who was also shooting that day, was an active member of the House of Lords. He told me: “Enjoy it while you can. This sort of shooting won’t survive the next Labour government.” Well, more than four decades later, driven shooting is still going strong. And it is still being targeted.