Why are these things sold in Malta – to shoot a quail for the pot?
Published:
January 22, 2015 at 1:36am
Update note:Given that this morning I woke up to a deluge of further evidence that Malta doesn’t do irony and most things are taken literally, after spinning through some of the comments I think it best to point out that this post is ironic. Which rather ruins it.
So please don’t explain to me what these things are (I know what they are) and please don’t accuse me of knowingly using this picture to incite others against hunters (and Manuel Mallia) on false grounds.
There are times when I feel like giving up.
———
Or is Manuel Mallia planning a coup d’etat?
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Those are military ware not hunting equipment. Frightful. That photo convinced me on the need to stop hunting before it becomes a pretext for more irresponsible people to hold automatic guns intended to kill people.this is a referendum on civilty not just shooting birds
what is frightful is how you comment on such things when it is soooo obvious how misinformed you are on the subject….all it would have taken you for some decent information is to scroll down through the comments and read what some have posted (trying to inform the public the difference between hunting and sport shooting….and the fact that it is illegal in malta to own an automatic firearm…because it looks like military hardware doesnt mean it functions like one!!
educate yourself on the matter before you comment….hunting and sport shooting are not the same thing…but uneducated persons (on the subject) such as yourself put them in the same pot ….it is unfair and a pretext for another petition to referendum against owing firearms affecting the minority group of sport shooters
Toys for moulding the impressionable minds of the next generation.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XsB6DjhhccI
An official explanation from the police is required.
Can members of the public acquire these guns legally and will the police be issuing licences to carry them?
Carbines are totally unsuitable for hunting in Malta and are only as an antisocial improvement on the improvised “lupara”.
These cannot be carried in the sense you are referring to . They cannot be on your person wherever you want.
They can be transported via ‘the most expeditious route’ to the shooting range and only at certain times of day, in a locked container, separate from ammunition, in the luggage boot of your car.
The sooner everyone starts remembering these are for sport shooting on a range AND NOTHING ELSE, the sooner all this fear mongering will stop.
Once a member of the public is in possession of this type of weapon at home it is out of any reasonable control.
Any “sportsman” with a criminal intent would not respect the restrictions and the controls.
The weapons should NEVER be kept outside a secure sport shooting range under lock and key by a responsible person and under police surveillance.
“Carbines” are not kitchen knives that have a legitimate use in the house. They are pure and simple killing machines. Even imitation weapons are used by criminals in hold ups.
@Francis Saliba M.D.
even kitchen knives, rolling pins and other kitchen utensils can have been known to kill and harm others when criminal intent is present. We have all seen reports of police finding household chemicals and cleaners to make crude bombs when criminal intent is present….should we ban these…..we have also seen how some mix fireworks in their garages with their neighbours unaware until its too late….should we ban these also?
…and how in your infinite wisdom on the subject….when criminal intent is present does a carbine differ from a shotgun…would you ban licensed sport shooters from having these also?
William Chetcuti and Nathan Xuereb have brought back honors from abroad representing the country as sport shooters….true, they do not shoot carbines, but we do have shooters shooting in competitions abroad in various other disciplines …but unfortunately we dont hear about these as much as other sports in this country.
Sport shooters undergo extensive scrutiny before being issued a license…and unless you have said license you are unable to purchase such a firearm.
NEVER….EVER….has their been an incident concerning a sport shooter….we love our sport and adhere strictly to the regulations stipulated by law because it is in our personal interest that our sport is not compromised.
It is extremely unfortunate that because of this hunting issue, sport shooters are being put into the same pot and looked upon in bad light due to the fact that we own firearems…There is a lot of misinformation on the subject and the shooting community would like to straighten this out…which is why there are a lot of comments below here which try yo separate the hunting issue from sport shooting and gun ownership….We are passionate about our sport and dont want it seen in a bad light as being done
Calm down, lads. I’m on your side, jbondin.
Sports shooters are some of the most level-headed, safety-conscious and disciplined people I have ever met. They are the anti-kaccaturi par excellence. And the anti-injoranza too. Some of them load their own cartridges. This is not some murtali-ejja-ha-mmorru hobby. It requires exact knowledge and a lot of science.
In order to get a firearms licence for a pistol, the background checks are more stringent than even the entry requirements for the Police Corps (we’ve all seen those). There are psychological checks. Even an unguarded comment on a blog can get you disqualified. It’s not just the criminals who are filtered out, but the loonies too.
As for airsoft, the big attraction there is the kit and the crawling about in the mud rather than the weapons.
Malta doesn’t have a ‘gun culture’ problem in the way that the US does. The only gun culture we’ve got is the confounded namra tal-kaccaturi.
Dear Baxxter
Owing to your respected input on this blog I appreciate the clarification you have given on this topic, thus shutting up the ignorance of those who are so misinformed and biased against firearms.
This ignorance includes those here who I used to believe were well educated on any subject, especially if they carried letters behind their names. Dear Baxxter, may we one day meet (probably we already do) on the shooting range or at any of the clubs’ activities. Safe shooting.
They are airsoft guns, toys essentially. Used for target shooting or tag games. At a few cm range an airsoft pellet stings but will not penetrate skin.
They are replica firearms, they use compressed air to fire. It is worrying how many “enthusiasts” there are. FB is full if pictures of young men posing with these replica guns.
Those are Airsoft guns for paintball games and such. Just the sort of thing hunters need to buy so they can have fun shooting at consenting living things in designated areas.
Ever heard of sport shooting, as practised in the overwhelming majority of European states?
An infantile headline.
And for what it’s worth, Manuel Mallia had nothing to do with this. It was during the PN’s time that this sport became possible.
[Daphne – Apparently you have to pass some kind of exam to be able to read this website and understand it. I despair.]
Hehe. What a childish excuse. None of them are sport-shooting rifles or pistols. Otherwise Malta would be first in Olympic sport shooting.
Not to be an anorak, but dynamic shooting, while not (yet?) an Olympic sport, is a sport.
These are not Olympic sports. We never mentioned Olympics.
These are disciplines like IPSC, USPSA, IDPA, I-CORE, Steel Challenge, 3-GUN. Look them up and maybe you will understand.
Also, we are not what we could be in ‘the Olympics’, because we do not have the much desired facilities.
No excuses here.
It is you who are ignorant on the subject and do not know what you are talking about. I bet you did not even know these things existed till today, and since this morning you have an opinion.
Oh and by the way – those are AIRSOFT guns. They shoot small plastic pellets up to 40 – 50 m distance.
They are not used for hunting but for target shooting . Most of the ones you show in the picture cannot even be used Malta.
Dear Daphne,
I will tell you exactly why these guns are sold in Malta. They are sold because law abiding citizens like me have a passion for firearms in general and keep such items under heavy security for collection purposes only.
We go through a rigorous process that takes months to complete in order to obtain our collector/shooter licences.
We need medical certification, police conduct certification, club membership, safety courses and examinations with the police and insurance in order to keep our licences.
We do not shoot at quail or any other animate object, but at paper or steel targets on a licensed shooting range. Ours is a sport recognized worldwide.
Most of these firearms are absolutely not suitable for hunting. We have nothing at all to do with the current hunting arguments and our licences are totally different and 10 times more controlled and difficult to obtain.
The legislation for our sport has been in place since 2005 and there has never been an incident involving anyone of our shooting community, because we adhere to the rules very strictly.
It is in our personal interest that our sport/hobby is not compromised. It is true that gun shops in Malta can provide for both hunting and target shooter/collector customers but that is just a coincidence.
The use of such image on your blog is highly uncalled for and is only detrimental to a shooting community that has nothing to do with hunting.
This has nothing to do with Manuel Mallia either.
Biex tkun tista tiddefendi l-mera tal-karozza.
In all fairness, the weapons in this picture are used for target shooting and one needs a completely different licence to that for a hunting firearm.
These shops sell all kinds of weapons so one needs to make a distinction. Two colleagues of mine are into sports shooting and often get associated with hunters, which is completely wrong.
They are sold in Malta because we are a free country. They are only sold for sport target shooting. Those guns in the pic are all airsoft sport guns. People who use them are all licence holders and have to register their firearm/airsoft gun.
Can civilians own fully automatic weapons in Malta?
No
Those are air guns :- ) shooting small, close range pellets, in dedicated shooting ranges / competitions / etc ….. sporting equipment …… not exactly toys for 6 year olds, but are “harmless”. They are not machine guns :- )
[Daphne – I know exactly what an air-gun is. I learned how to use one when I was around eight.]
“I learned how to use one when I was around eight.”
Illegally therefore as when you were eight, Is-Sur Mintoff had already banned the lot, any legally kept were not to be used (possession of pellets strictly no-no).
[Daphne – Yes, I am more than aware of that. But the air-gun predated Mintoff and both are now long gone. We kept it hidden in the attic, but didn’t bother doing the same with the colour television as it was impractical to carry it up and bring it down every evening.]
Please Daphne, first and foremost those are airsoft guns. Similar to paintball guns used for games. They shoot 6mm plastic BBs or markers.
Let’s not start deviating from the argument of hunting (as this is what I am perceiving) and get the sport target shooters and other similar sport shooters in the mix which in the end many are not even hunters.
It is true that there are similar center fire rifles that are sold in Malta. They are used for dynamic shooting sports or bench rest target shooting (most of which is conducted abroad in licensed ranges). This sport is held in nearly all EU countries and most of the world. In all countries the requirement of a special target shooting license and both medical and character vetting by clubs and the police authorities is a must.
Don’t be put off by the looks, it’s the furniture (the frills attached to the gun) that makes them look like military guns. Most of which is there to make it look cool. What separates civilian guns from military guns is the capability of military guns shooting full automatic. Civilian versions are semi automatic (one shot per every pull of the trigger).
No sport shooter is planning any coup d’etat I can assure you. It is a sport that requires self discipline and a lot of theory before practice. These sports man and woman are too fond of their newly adopted sport when considering that major clubs had been lobbying for having the possibility of practicing these sports since the 80s.
Despite the fact that Maltese shooters are practically new to this sport as the laws changed around 2005/6 and acquiring such guns only became legal after 2006/7 these shooters have already managed to earn a very good reputation abroad in EU competitions. But for obvious reasons little is published in the media (the phobia of guns and who owns a gin is up to no good).
What the clubs are lobbying for is to be granted better facilities so shooters are able to practice certain disciplines like bench rest rifle shooting in Malta and not have to go abroad. Shooting sports is already an expensive sport in itself.
Shooters come from diverse backgrounds from skilled workers to professional people and business people. All they have in common is the love of shooting sports.
Sport shooters are also a minority and this article surely doesn’t help.
Given that my very first comment on this blog, all those years ago, was an anorak comment about revolvers and semi-automatic pistols, I’m with you all the way.
The shooting fraternity and the hunters are as different as chalk and cheese. And the airsoft community in Malta, if my demographic radar is correct, couldn’t be more far removed from your redneck hunter. They are prime AD material: mostly ABC1, young, literate, into the creative arts and are social liberals.
Shooting and airsoft are something of a subculture that dare not speak its name, especially the latter. Unlike hunting, they do not claim to be a “namra”, “delizju” or “tradizzjoni”, and they have no household-name spokesmen to lobby (annoy?) the nation on Xarabank.
If I were the No campaign I’d get the airsofters and shooters on my side.
‘If I were the No campaign I’d get the airsofters and shooters on my side.’
Most definitely.
I would go even further. Were I in this group, I would have distanced myself already from the hunters and spontaneously supported the ‘No’ side.
Six years ago there were about 20 registered guns, including pistols and machineguns, for every 100 people in Malta, according to statistics released in Parliament.
In all, there are about 90,000 weapons registered, including some 12,400 pistols, excluding those owned by the police force.
Among the registered firearms are 52,224 shotguns and 8,373 airguns. The number of registered pistols, revolvers, rifles, machineguns and sub-machineguns reaches a staggering 17,036.
The statistics were given by Home Affairs Minister Carmelo Mifsud Bonnici in reply to a parliamentary question by Labour MP Gino Cauchi, in the wake of a spate of publicised gun crime.
http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20090305/local/20-guns-for-every-100-people.247420
Well put.
This sort of information is necessary to make the public aware that not everybody that owns a firearm is out there to kill.
Sport shooting vary in disciplines, and they are exactly that – disciplines that require dedication to the SPORT.
Those carbines are legally sold in Malta to licensed sport shooters.
Before someone can get his hands on one he has to go through a training, vetting and licensing regime by a shooting club and the Weapons Office of the Police.
Generally, these shooters are not hunters and the two should not be put together in the same pot.
Just for clarification.
I think you are being unfair with this photo. These are not firearms used by hunters. you are attaching the wrong hobby and people. Today with a licence one can buy guns to be able to exercise their hobby. In Malta today there are ranges where one can shoot on clay pigeons (you should know better on this) or to shoot on targets. This incurs having a licence and being insured after following a course.
Manuel Mallia’s guys have other type of suppliers…. the same one that supplied the guy who killed Raymond Caruana.
[Daphne – A groan moment.]
I am not so sure that these fire bullets..they may be imitations firing lead pellets….like air guns..but needs checking none the less
No, they do not need checking as it is perfectly legal for those who have the required licence to buy one.
If you think that illegal firearms are displayed in showcases at gun-shops, you clearly have no idea what you are talking about.
Mr Cachia, when I wrote that they need checking I meant checking if they fire real bullets. Being legal or illegal is another matter.
There again. The ones that fire real bullets DO NOT NEED checking either. I know. I own several of them (not airsoft). They are held in a perfectly legal way, with a yearly renewable licence.
Those are not hunting guns but toys/gadgets for Airsoft … but I guess you know that and you remark was sarcastic.
[Daphne – It’s very tiring having to be literal, but I suppose I should have learned that lesson by now. Sarcastic is the wrong word. It would be nice if people in Malta had a larger vocabulary instead of using one word to serve multiple purposes just as they are forced to do with Maltese. Now that was a sarcastic comment.]
#facepalm
I am no expert but these seem to shoot real bullets, are they toys too?
http://www.fieldsportsmalta.com/rifles.html
The island is loaded with real, actual automatic weapons – unbelievable numbers. Most are fully automatic, which are illegal even in the United States except for maybe Texas.
Malta is really going bananas with some real issues that aren’t even touched in the news. Why would one buy an AK to keep at home in Malta? Cuckoo police, no direction, no policy.
I doubt the veracity of your statement, especially “unbelievable numbers”
Check again. Apparently licensed too.
Please look at the first post and you will understand.
Total BS Mr Wilson. Stick to Woman’s Weekly.
I never got the reason behind these “weapons” apart from some limited use by real law enforcement agencies for training. Basically a fancy plastic pellet gun.
The boy who was shot and killed in the states had one of these pistols with the orange barrel tip removed making it look authentic, leaving the police with little choice at the time but to assume it was a real handgun.
I imagine they are regulated here by some law or other.
‘Weapons’ could be anything from your nylon tights to your kitchen knife.
We civilised gun-owners call them ‘firearms’.
Guns have become so entwined with masculine anxiety that many men seek to find their identity in instruments of destruction.
Reading the article ‘Not man enough? Buy a gun’ helps one understand why some hunters become suicidal and why many have multiple weapons. One begins to understand why they dress up in camouflage and carry fake guns even when protesting in Valletta.
My answer to all this is army conscription.
To their advantage they will wear military gear, carry arms and enjoy the outdoors which they seem to be so fond of.
To our advantage they will be disciplined and trained to cope with situations that combat their own anxiety.
They will not be a risk to the sustainability of certain species but rather they will be of help to others and above all they will learn not to shoot indiscriminately.
‘If you’re anxious about your masculinity, if you aren’t quite sure whether those around you find you sufficiently strong and potent, the Bushmaster corporation has an answer for you. If you buy one of their semi-automatic rifles — like the kind Adam Lanza used to murder 20 children and six adults last week — you may “Consider your Man Card reissued.”
http://edition.cnn.com/2012/12/20/opinion/waldman-guns-manhood/
http://www.williamkwolfrum.com/2011/01/14/scientists-discover-that-no-matter-how-many-guns-you-own-your-penis-will-remain-small-and-insignificant/
[Daphne – That needs a warning for Maltese people: Do Not Take This Literally.]
Attakk fahxi u personali fuq id-daqs tal-ahem chrrm tal-kaccaturi.
Daphne, we know that your post was NOT meant to be ironic. The airgun you had when you were eight looked nowhere near these replicas available today.
When you do another ridiculous flop you can take out the “You morons, I was doing a social experiment!” card.
[Daphne – Dear Roger, you have no idea what I know and don’t know. Did you have any idea that I learned how to use an airgun in childhood? Well, then. People think of me as public property and assume they know me because of the direct style in which I write. In reality, I give away next to nothing. I remember when, years ago, you told me that you had a son in Australia of roughly my age, I was completely taken aback. I’d always had you down as some kind of bachelor when I knew you at The Times. So you see, people are full of surprises. I trust you are enjoying yourself at Malta Today, though in your position I would be enjoying my retirement instead of trying to die in the saddle.]
These are airsoft guns used for war games!!!! They are sold in any shop without a licence anywhere in Europe except Malta where they require a licence.
Give us a break ilek tghid cuccati !!