"Sporting purposes" and Hi-Power

**PhillyAR** · January 30th, 2011, 09:12 PM

The "sporting purposes" clause of the GCA of 1968 has come into the spotlight lately do to the controversy over the ATF's shotgun study. I have a few thoughts here.

In the recent shotgun study the ATF considers only hunting, skeet, trap, and sporting clays as valid "sporting purposes" for shotguns. They go on to say that practical shooting type matches do not qualify as "sporting purposes."

Now Hi-Power DCM matches have been around since, what WW2? The guns used in those matches are not suitable to hunting. Sure you could hunt with them in states that allowed semi-auto rifles for hunting, but that is not the point. So are Hi-Power DCM matches not a SPORTING event ?

My point is how can the ATF decide what a sporting event is ?

**bandit82ta** · January 30th, 2011, 09:52 PM

Interesting point.... Would that logic also apply to 3 gun event participants?

**Hawkeye54** · January 31st, 2011, 12:30 AM

Simple, the Gov rules by executive order, then if we the people don't like the rule we try to go through the courts to change it.

**sleeper78** · January 31st, 2011, 12:55 AM

Just another example of a government bureaucracy trying to slowly eliminate the ability of the citizens to protect themselves from the government. Of course they don't think 3 gun matches and the like should be classified as sporting because it keeps us proficient at combat type shooting scenarios. Hunting, trap, skeet are nice gentlemanly sports that don't promote tactical thinking. Remember this, the government doesn't want us to think tactically, only the army. That's why ex-military is on the list of potential domestic terrorists kept by the DHS. Seeing as the acting head of the BATFE as well as the turd nominated by BHO to run it are both anti gun nuts it's only reasonable to see why they would want to slowly limit us.

The frog always dies when the water temp rises slowly.

Keep fighting the good fight. Someone has to keep this country great. It might as well be us.

**PhillyAR** · January 31st, 2011, 09:03 PM

Originally Posted by bandit82ta

Interesting point.... Would that logic also apply to 3 gun event participants?

That is my point. In their "study" they discount the viability of IPSC type shooting matches because they claim they are military like. In other words, according to them, practical type shooting sports are not sports.

**bandit82ta** · January 31st, 2011, 09:30 PM

I think we (firearms community) need to hire a PR firm....

**RobW** · February 1st, 2011, 03:59 PM

I don't think they ruled either way on three-gun and practical competitions. They decided not to consider them as part of the shotgun study so they would not have to factor in how a ruling might affect rifles and pistols. I see it more as a "scope" issue, albeit one that I am sure they were all-too-happy to make.

--RobW

Originally Posted by PhillyAR

That is my point. In their "study" they discount the viability of IPSC type shooting matches because they claim they are military like. In other words, according to them, practical type shooting sports are not sports.