PESHAWAR: In a city terrorised by target killers and extortionists, no wonder doctors top the list of membership at the country’s first private shooting club located in Peshawar.

Located on the busy University Road in an unusual place, it is not less than a surprise when one enters the basement of SS Shooting Club to see weapons and other facilities there.

The SS Shooting Club is the first registered and licensed private state-of-the-art shooting club of the country, claims Shahid Iqbal, who has developed his hobby into a lucrative business. He says that he always loved hunting and guns and that’s why opening a shooting club was only natural for him.

The SS Shooting Club is frequented by all including women, who feel the need to know about guns and practice firing either to test their new guns or gain the confidence to use a gun for self-defence.

Owner of shooting club says having a gun is no more a hobby as people now buy arms for self-defence

“Preserve our traditions and discourage firing in the air is our logo statement,” says Mr Iqbal. In the backdrop of rise in incidents of targeted killing and extortion, the trend of professionals, mostly doctors, buying guns for self-defence is on the rise in Peshawar.

“They don’ have any other place to go to test their weapons since firing in the air is illegal,” says Mr Iqbal while explaining why there were more doctors and professionals as members of the club. The poor law and order situation in the city has forced people to buy guns, he adds.

“Having a gun is no more a hobby. People are buying weapons for self-defence now,” says Mr Iqbal.

Getting licence for a private shooting club in a city, which has faced violence and terrorism of the worst kind during the last decade or so, was a Herculean task.

Mr Iqbal recalls how he was warned by people that he was promoting gun-culture, violence and some even warned him of training terrorists. He dispelled all these doubts and put all such fears to rest when he assured and convinced the government to issue him a licence to run a shooting club that would adopt all safety procedures and keep registered data of all visitors and members.

This shooting club doesn’t actually train shooters but only is meant to create awareness about safe use of guns and help decrease the illegal practice of firing in the air, says Mr Iqbal. It is a shooting club meant for the general public on affordable fee, he adds.

“Many women come to our club to learn about guns and practice shooting,” he says. He adds that many people have guns at home but housewives know nothing about self-defence while they are the ones who are left alone all day at home while men go to work.

The attacks on educational institutions in Peshawar and other districts have forced professional people to buy guns for their safety. They also like to gain confidence in use of guns and test their weapons at SS Shooting Club since many doctors and professors are among its members.

“Government gives the professional licence to buy guns and they get it but where to test the weapon is a big issue. So this is the place they come to,” says Mr Iqbal.

He says that one of the objectives of the shooting club is to promote the sport as Pakistan has not been producing good shooters nor taking part in international competitions as much as other countries.

The facilities and safety procedures adopted by this shooting club are not less than any international shooting club in the world, claims Mr Iqbal.

Published in Dawn, April 6th, 2016