National handgun championship coming to Taber range

Times Photo by Meg Noguchi. READY TO FIRE: Handgun was one of the 2025 Southern Alberta Summer Games’ categories held at the M.D. of Taber Sport Shooting Complex on July 5.

By Jared Vas
Taber Times
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

The Canadian National International Practical Shooting Confederation Handgun Championship is coming to Taber, bringing 450 competitors from nearly every province.

The event kicks off with registration at the range on July 27, 29, and 30, followed by a two-day pre-match for officials and sponsors on July 28–29 before the main competition opens.

The main match runs from Wednesday, July 30, to Saturday, August 2, with competition days alternating between individual and team shooters.

Sunday, August 3, will be the shoot-off, where the best will compete man-to-man to see who is the fastest and most accurate, followed by a banquet to recognize the top shooters in each division.

This is the largest shooting event Taber has ever hosted, and a significant economic impact is expected.

Walter Hornby, match director for this event, explained just how significant it is.

“As this is the Canadian Championship, it is going to give individuals and teams bragging rights for being the best in Canada,” he said. “As well, the results are used to pick the teams that go to the world shoots held every four years. This year, the World Shoot is being held in South Africa.”

The competition is a dynamic, timed handgun shoot through various courses.

A dozen volunteers have been working for weeks on props and infrastructure for this event, as well as registration.

Three clubs are contributing props and stage building.

Each stage is staffed by one chief range officer and two range officers, with two range masters overseeing overall safety.

Any safety violation will result in immediate disqualification.

Quartermasters will be on-site to facilitate equipment repair.

Spectators are welcome and encouraged to attend the competition, especially on Sunday, for the head-to-head competition.

Spectators will need to bring ear and eye protection and follow instructions from all range officers.

Conceived in the ’90s by the local council, the MD of Taber range is a multi-disciplinary facility serving everyone from local archers to RCMP tactical units.

“The MD of Taber Sport Shooting Complex is my home range and is a world-class facility,” Hornby said. “One of the reasons it was built was to be able to host events like this. So far, it has been great working with the executive to get the event up and running.”

Hornby explained he had hoped to have more vendors but mentioned that many people in the firearms business are struggling to stay afloat due to government persecution.

Ben Elfring, president of the MD of Taber Sport Shooting Complex, acknowledged the stigma of firearms and emphasized the role of education.

“We’ve had people from the bank come out for team-building  –  most of them had never even held a firearm before. They thoroughly enjoyed it. It’s all about teaching safety and proper use. A firearm is just a tool – like anything else, if you don’t know how to use it, it can hurt you or someone else.”

The MD of Taber gun range belongs to the Canadian Coalition for Firearm Rights, and Elfring advocates for recreational firearm use for sport.

“It’s like a car: It could be a race car. If you know what you’re doing and respect it, you can have a lot of fun.”

The range now has visitors from across Alberta, offering memberships for $150.

Unlike many ranges that offer only a single shooting discipline – forcing enthusiasts to join multiple clubs and pay separate membership fees – the Taber range provides access to a wide variety of disciplines under one membership.