Finally, I felt I needed to pose a question related to guns’ essential raison d’être as lethal weapons. What does the soon-to-depart ISSF President say to those who argue that it is no longer appropriate for a sport dependent on such dangerous weapons to be on the Olympic programme?
"We are an Olympic sport that is practiced in more than 160 countries by millions of people,” he tells me, adding: “Our sport is one of the safest in the world, and it is practiced respecting the law and taking environmental precautions in areas and venues designed specifically for its practice.
"We are subject to controls and safety procedures at all levels, from international authorities down to referees on the range.
"Our guns are not dangerous weapons; they are sports equipment, not much different from a bow or a javelin.”