The Guyana Sport Shooting Foundation, officially opened its sport shooting season last Saturday 16th January, 2016 by hosting a Practice Session for its members in the usual regulated manner at the GDF Range at Yarrowkabra.
Members who turned out after the long Christmas holidays returned to the range to warm up their trigger fingers in both handgun practice sessions and Trapshooting fun.
In October 2015, the GSSF, having secured affiliation to the Amateur Trapshooting Association, hosted the Official Launch of the sport of ATA Trap. Since then a Trapshooting Committee has been formed, tasked with pioneering this sport in Guyana under the chairmanship of Mr. Gerard Mekdeci who has committed to ensuring that monthly Trapshooting sessions will be organised.
President of the Foundation, Ms. Vidushi Persaud, expressed delight at the interest in this sport and the encouraging turn-out of members last Saturday for this sporting discipline. She went on to extend thanks to members Mr. Nicholas Deygoo-Boyer for the kind assistance with storage of the Machine at National Hardware and to Mr. Gerard Mekdeci for his company, J.T. Mekdeci’s kind donation of the 5 station mats and ammo pouches to the Trapshooting section.
Trapshooting is a specific form of clay target shooting utilising shotguns. It is a game of movement, action and split-second timing which requires the accuracy and skill to repeatedly aim, fire one shot in an attempt to break the 108mm clay discs which are hurled through the air at speeds surpassing 65kmh.
In registered trapshooting, the rules specify that targets must be thrown no more than 52 yards and should reach a height of between 8 and 12 feet at 10 yards from the trap house. Shooters stand a minimum of 16 yards from the trap houses and take turns at calling “Pull” for the targets to be launched when they are ready.
Usually there are about 4 types of shotguns which can be used for trapshooting; those are over and under, single barrel, semi-automatic and pump action. Regulations stipulate they must be no larger than 12 gauge.
Ms. Persaud extended sincere thanks to Mr. Hakeem Mohamed of H. Mohamed’s General Store & Firearms Dealers, the Chief of Staff of the GDF, Brigadier Phillips, GPF Commissioner Persaud, GPF Asst. Commissioner Ramnarine, GPF Commander Hicken, GPF Mr. Bacchus, GPF OC TSU Superintendent Dehnert and the ranks of the GPF Armoury and TSU.
In picture below: Members of GSSF’s Trapshooting Committee. From left to right: Dr. Pravesh Harry, Mr. Ryan McKinnon, Ms. Vidushi Persaud, Mr. Gerard Mekdeci and Mr. Nicholas Deygoo-Boyer.
