THE NATIONAL RANGE PROJECT – THE AMACS WAY FORWARD

With national elections taking place this Saturday, it is inevitable that members of Malta’s growing target shooting community, now numbering in the tens of thousands, will be approached by political candidates seeking support and engagement. Candidates increasingly recognise the importance and growth of a community that continues to face a long-standing challenge: the lack of proper pistol and rifle shooting facilities.

It is equally inevitable that members of this community, together with their club representatives, will use this opportunity to voice their frustration. Nearly twenty years after the introduction of the landmark Arms Act in 2006, a legislative achievement that placed Malta ahead of many EU Member States in adopting a sensible and progressive firearms framework, the infrastructure necessary to fully realise its potential in the national interest remains absent.

While the majority of community members put forward constructive proposals and solutions in good faith, there are some who focus solely on negativity. There are also a small number whose interests do not align with the community’s broader objectives and who pursue different agendas.

AMACS has always remained, and continues to remain, the genuine representative of those community members united by one clear goal: to see target shooting sports flourish through the establishment of professionally designed and modern facilities.

With this objective in mind, the Association has worked tirelessly with all governments and oppositions since 1985, consistently striving to achieve meaningful results. The landmark Arms Act itself was made possible through such sustained efforts, despite obstacles and resistance from quarters lacking our long-term vision.

Nothing has changed in this regard.

Over recent weeks, AMACS has been working quietly and effectively alongside SportMalta to advance our community’s longstanding aspirations by ensuring that pistol and rifle ranges for both static and dynamic target shooting form part of the national range project and are included within the brief for new plans that are expected to be submitted to the Planning Authority in the near future.

AMACS remains committed to serving the community that emerged and flourished following the introduction of the Arms Act twenty years ago. We will continue working toward ensuring that Malta finally gains the facilities necessary for target shooting sports to reach their full potential.

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Bl-elezzjonijiet nazzjonali li se jsiru nhar is-Sibt li ġej, huwa inevitabbli li membri tal-komunità Maltija tat-target shooting, li qed tikber b’rata kostanti u li llum tlaħħaq għexieren ta’ eluf ta’ persuni, jiġu avviċinati minn kandidati politiċi li qed ifittxu l-appoġġ u l-involviment tagħhom. Il-kandidati qed jagħrfu dejjem aktar l-importanza u t-tkabbir ta’ komunità li ilha tiffaċċja sfida persistenti: in-nuqqas ta’ faċilitajiet adegwati għall-isparar bil-pistoli u rifles.

Bl-istess mod, huwa inevitabbli li membri ta’ din il-komunità, flimkien mar-rappreżentanti tal-klabbs tagħhom, jużaw din l-opportunità biex jesprimu l-frustrazzjoni tagħhom. Kważi għoxrin sena wara l-introduzzjoni tal-Att dwar l-Armi tal-2006, kisba leġiżlattiva importanti li poġġiet lil Malta fuq quddiem ta’ ħafna Stati Membri tal-Unjoni Ewropea fl-adozzjoni ta’ qafas sensibbli u progressiv dwar l-armi tan-nar, l-infrastruttura meħtieġa biex il-potenzjal kollu ta’ dan l-Att jitwettaq fl-interess nazzjonali għadha nieqsa.

Filwaqt li l-maġġoranza tal-membri tal-komunità jippreżentaw proposti kostruttivi u soluzzjonijiet b’intenzjonijiet tajba, hemm xi wħud li jagħżlu li jiffukaw biss fuq in-negattività. Hemm ukoll numru żgħir ta’ persuni li l-interessi tagħhom ma jaqblux mal-għanijiet usa’ tal-komunità u li jsegwu aġendi differenti.

AMACS dejjem kienet, u tibqa’, ir-rappreżentant ġenwin ta’ dawk il-membri tal-komunità li huma magħqudin b’għan wieħed ċar: li jaraw l-isport tat-target shooting jiffjorixxi permezz tal-istabbiliment ta’ faċilitajiet moderni u mfassla b’mod professjonali.

B’dan l-għan quddiemha, l-Assoċjazzjoni ħadmet bla waqfien kemm ma’ gvernijiet kif ukoll ma’ oppożizzjonijiet sa mill-1985, dejjem tfittex li tikseb riżultati konkreti u sinifikanti. L-istess Att dwar l-Armi sar possibbli permezz ta’ dawn l-isforzi kontinwi, minkejja ostakli u reżistenza minn kwartieri li ma kellhomx il-viżjoni fit-tul li għandha l-Assoċjazzjoni.

F’dan ir-rigward, xejn ma nbidel.

Matul dawn l-aħħar ġimgħat, AMACS ħadmet b’mod diskret iżda effettiv flimkien ma’ SportMalta sabiex tavvanza l-aspirazzjonijiet li l-komunità tagħna ilha żmien twil tistenna li jsiru realtà, billi tiżgura li ranges għall-pistoli u rifles, kemm għat-target shooting statiku kif ukoll dinamiku, jiffurmaw parti mill-proġett nazzjonali tar-ranges u jkunu inklużi fil-brief tal-pjanti l-ġodda li mistennija jiġu sottomessi lill-Awtorità tal-Ippjanar fil-futur qarib.

AMACS tibqa’ impenjata li taqdi lill-komunità li ħarġet u kibret wara l-introduzzjoni tal-Att dwar l-Armi għoxrin sena ilu. Se nkomplu naħdmu biex niżguraw li Malta finalment tikseb il-faċilitajiet meħtieġa sabiex l-isport tat-target shooting ikun jista’ jilħaq il-potenzjal sħiħ tiegħu.