Marksmanship is inexorably linked to the Olympics. The summer games have a wide array of shooting events, while the winter Olympics have the biathlon — a combination of cross country skiing and target shooting. Now U.S. biathletes competing in Pyeongchang are using their platform to advocate for sensible gun control in the USA.
U.S. biathletes are the elite marksmen who want to see gun control in America
Using their platform in Pyeongchang, USA’s Olympians take a stand.
Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images
James Dator has been covering a wide range of sports for SB Nation for over a decade, with a special focus on the NFL.
Lowell Bailey has competed around the world for USA in biathlon, representing the nation in four Olympic games. This week he was put in a position where the tool of his sport was put under the microscope following the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, which left 17 people dead.
Bailey could have dodged questions related to gun control but he chose to use his platform instead, elaborating on how he feels the topic intersects with his sport:
“I support an assault weapons ban. I really do. Our country needs to wake up. Our country needs to change. There’s just no excuse. I compete against all of these other World Cup nations — Germany, Norway. How good are they on the range? They’re great at rifle marksmanship. Do you know how strict their gun controls law are? It’s a travesty America hasn’t changed and continues to go down this path. It just makes me want to cry.”
Fellow U.S. Olympian Susan Dunklee shared Bailey’s view. While target shooting takes place in a very controlled environment its link to firearms has made participating in the sport difficult for her — especially during a joyous time like the Winter Olympic games.
“Every time something like that happens, it does make me sick to my stomach to think about. This is so far removed from that type of shooting. This is precision shooting. We’re using a .22. We’re working on emotional control. But there is still that association of it being a firearm. And it really takes a lot of the joy I have out of pursuing a sport like this.”
The nature of biathlon sparks conversation among competitors. Biathletes from around the world talk to U.S. athletes and express their confusion on gun laws, and why something hasn’t been done following a series of mass shootings that have made international news.
“They’re absolutely baffled,” Bailey said. “They’re baffled at the political landscape of the United States and how we can continue to put assault weapons in the hands of anyone who wants to walk into a gun store and buy one.”
Bailey, by nature, is a gun owner and an advocate for gun rights — but he clearly draws a line between the bolt action .22 caliber rifles he competes with, and the semi-automatic rifles that are often used to carry out mass murders. He respects hunting and shooting, but not the sale of guns like the AR-15, which were designed and sold to various military services around the world before being marketed to people for civilian use in the United States.
Another U.S. biathlete, Tim Burke summed up his feelings on the issue succinctly.
“Not only am I a biathlete, but I’m also an avid hunter. If locking up all of my sports rifles and my hunting rifles meant saving one life, I would do it.”
Before this year’s Winter Olympics began, the National Rifle Association (NRA) championed the biathlon. Think Progress noted that the NRA published an in-depth breakdown of the sport and a how-to-watch guide leading up to the games — wrapped in advertisements for guns and ammo, all funneling money from arms manufacturers into the NRA. Now premiere shooting athletes are trying to get their voice heard on gun control, and explaining with first-hand experience that limiting weapons won’t hurt sport applications.
