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The governing body of practical shooting, in which some participants use military-style shotguns to fire at hidden targets, faces losing its charitable status.

Last night the Charity Commission said that it was examining whether the UK Practical Shooting Association (UKPSA) had a legitimate claim to act in a charitable manner.

Its charitable objective refers to providing firearms training “amongst Her Majesty’s subjects” for service in the armed forces “or any other organisation in which their services may be required in the defence of the realm”.

The commission has set up a compliance case to examine the activities of the UKPSA, which survived a similar attempt in 2014, and added: “Shooting cannot be considered a sport for the purposes of charitable status.”

Critics say that the…