FIVE of Jamaica’s top shooters are still in contention for three World Shoot spots at Jamaica Rifle Association’s (JRA) Octoberfest competition, at its headquarters on Mountain View Avenue in Kingston, this Saturday.

The tournament will serve as the final qualifier for the World Shoot, pistol shooting’s most prestigious global tournament, in South Africa next year.

Match Director Dennis Titus says approximately 50 participants are set to compete, with the Production Division being the most widely contested. This is because this division allows a standard firearm, which any licensed carrier can use. This means that it is a less costly division to compete in than others requiring equipment modification.

“This is not a cheap sport,” Titus said. “It’s regarded as an elite sport but the truth of the matter is, anyone who is a firearm holder who is willing to train and put in a lot of dry fire (practising with the firearm without bullets to build muscle memory) tends to be the better shooters as far as results are concerned.”

Muscle memory is key to the sport as one needs to act on instinct when doing magazine changes while competing, as their participation is timed.

A common misconception regarding competitive shooting in Jamaica is that its participants are all wealthy, and there is no challenge regarding funding. But Titus and several shooters who spoke with the Jamaica Observer when it visited JRA’s range in Mountain View recently said equipment is not cheap to gain or maintain, especially as they usually have to be sourced overseas and attract large fees for importation.

This is why sponsorship is important to pistol shooting. But Titus says the sport has struggled to gain sponsors in the past because firearm ownership and use has been a sensitive issue in Jamaica, especially in light of the high rate of gun crimes in society.

“It is challenging to convince corporate Jamaica to come on board because sometimes people don’t want to be associated or seem to be associated with firearm use,” he said. “Some people just find it difficult to understand the sporting side of it. It’s not a new sport, but it’s fairly new in terms of us trying to build it in Jamaica. It has always been there, and we have always participated, but now we’re trying to build it in such a way because there are talks that this sport is heading toward the Olympics. So, it is from that standpoint that we’re building from the ground up here in Jamaica.”

But Titus says this perception is beginning to change, because competitive shooters are all trained in the safe use of a firearm and the protocols practised mean anyone competing knows the value of firearms as a means of protecting one’s self and family, rather than to stir aggression and violence.

“We have over 13 different companies who have stepped up to sponsor this particular match this weekend,” he said. “These are title sponsor HI-Pro Ace, VICBERN Aluminium & Asphalt Roofing, Rio Nuevo River Adventure, Somi Distributors, Matalan Roofing, AllTerrain Equipment and Parts, CAMCORP Industrial, Nunez Concrete & Construction Company, Securipro, Very Amazing Products, Ward’s Power Tools, Rickhi Coatings, Ace Draughts Designs Company, Milex Security Services, Emerald Outdoors, and Wellness Whirl.”

“Things are beginning to change because people are beginning to understand that this is a sport — an international sport, an internationally recognised sport — and it is becoming more and more popular. It’s one of those sports that can be really, really exciting.”

Titus expects the sport to gain popularity locally within the next few years.

The event starts at 10 am and is expected to run until around 4 pm.