In one team event of Barbados’ annual GLOCK Shoot, competitors must race to a table and put together a disassembled GLOCK before shooting the course of fire.
BARBADOS, A SMALL ISLAND WITH A
BIG PASSION THIS BIT OF PARADISE IS HOME TO A COMMUNITY OF DEDICATED SHOOTING SPORTS COMPETITORS. ■ ARTICLE BY SEAN CURTIS ■ PHOTOS BY RODNEY GARNES AND FRANCISCO PILGRIM
T
his past October, a group of shooters gathered together on the month’s first weekend to compete in one of the most beautiful settings in the Caribbean—Barbados. This tiny island, some 166 square miles, is home to the Barbados Rifle and Pistol Federation, Inc. It is a bastion for the shooting sports, and one of the jewels in the crown of this island refuge for firearms is the GLOCK Shoot. I spoke with Charles Belle, the club’s Vice President, to learn more about the organization and the GLOCK Shoot. Formed in 1908 as the Barbados Miniature Rifle Club, the Federation is one of three shooting clubs that exist on the island today. At 111 years old, it has helped keep the shooting sports alive in a place most likely to be billed a vacation destination. The club has a 1,500-strong membership, all the more remarkable considering a total island population of around 300,000. While the organization supports Olympic ISSF, IPSC, and law-enforcement shooting, one of its biggest events is the GLOCK Shoot. I asked Belle how the shoot was set up. He
66
The first day of the GLOCK Shoot is for invididuals, while the second day is all about team competition.
G LO C K A NNUA L 2 0 2 0
66-67 Barbados 10-29-19_DD_HY.indd 66
11/14/19 12:27 PM
GLO18262-00_p066.pgs 11.14.2019 12:30
