US Olympic shooting competitors hope those watching the London Games do not link their firearm sports with the shooter who killed 12 people and wounded 58 others at an American theatre last week.

But the Olympic medallists said they could see how the horrific incident last week at a midnight screening of the new Batman movie “The Dark Knight Rises” might be generalized with their rifle, pistol and shotgun disciplines.

“It’s going to affect the participants of our sport. It’s going to have an affect on certain perceptions of America,” said Vincent Hancock, a US Army soldier and defending Olympic men’s skeet champion.

“We are one of the safest sports going. Our guys are safety-minded first. There are more injuries in ping pong than there are in shooting.”