Shooting Sports Topic

[GregG]

https://www.ssusa.org/articles/2016/9/1 ... paign=0916

[glen ring]

I agree with this topic 100%.

The growth or death of any shooting sport is the result of individual's actions and for god's sake, NEVER ,EVER tell someone that a sport is difficult.

Good read. Thanks for posting.

[acorneau]

When they ask, "What is NRA Doing to Attract More Shooters Into Competition?" the answer I get from the article is, "Nothing, that's your job."

In the second-to-last paragraph the article is basically saying, "Sure, the NRA will take your money, decide the rules for your sport, control the access to the records, and grant their blessing for which matches qualify as "official" or not, but don't ask us to actually help you grow your sport... that's just crazy-talk."

I may be relatively new to shooting sports but I keep seeing evidence that the NRA wants the power of being the gatekeepers without putting in any effort to participate in what they want to control.




Time for more coffee...

[Jerry G]

I think you hit the nail right on the head acorneau. In fact, they seem to treat competitive shooters as a liability.

[Ken Green]

Maybe it is time for new leadership in the competition division of the NRA. Make it a requirement that the people in the competition division are actual Shooters in that discipline. Active silhouette Shooters should head the silhouette division.

[twidpa]

First I am not a fan of the competitive wing of the NRA. But, they have several events for women and new shooters out there all the time. The problem is the events are not marketed so the new shooter will find them. It seems like current shooters must introduce non shooters to the sport. This is what I do as often as possible. Invite folks to the range, loan them equipment and give lots of safety talk. You guys sound like a bunch of socialist college kids waiting on somebody else to do stuff for you! Have fun and take a kid shooting.
T

[richard]

Wow! I am really surprised that that many people have already seen this article. I just got it this morning. I am a life member of the NRA and support them and the shooting sports but really it is the same old dribble. Yes it is our responsibility to help grow the shooting sports but it is also the NRA's. They left that part out. I know I am preaching to the choir but the NRA has not only not promoted our sport but in fact over the years has hurt it by their actions. I thought about sending yet another letter but I think they have a special file for my letters.

[Jerry G]

twidpa, you have no idea how many people we have put through firearms training in the past 6 years. How about 400+ for our little group of 10?

[BrentD]

I agree with this topic 100%.

The growth or death of any shooting sport is the result of individual's actions and for god's sake, NEVER ,EVER tell someone that a sport is difficult.

Good read. Thanks for posting.

Glenn I can agree with the article and disagree with it at the same time. The NRA does NOT promote the games it regulates. It categorically and w/o exception, removes meaningful participant-led governance of the sports as well.

Yes, mentorship is important. But one has to know what sports are out there and what they are sort of like to some extent before taking the plunge to find help and get involved. The NRA is very poor at that. They also just flat out suck at communication.

I've had their back too many times, only to see them miss opportunities to really change the culture of, "the NRA is out to destroy XYZ silhouette" (sounds like presidential politics doesn't it). While they have changed a few details, they still just don't understand what leadership of the sports really involves. They do not get shooters involved in the ways they could, and they do not foster bringing new people into the games like they could.

When pressed, each individual will pretty dependably pass the buck, from Barry to Dennis. And rightfully so, in many respects. But they also don't express any ownership at all in any part of the problems. At some level, the problem extends to the very top of of the NRA leadership who seem to have forgotten that the NRA was born out of the need for a national competitive organization to standardize and coordinate shooting both nationally and internationally. The upper crust of the NRA brass allow no dimes to trickle down to the competition divisions in any meaningful way, but that doesn't give the smaller officials like Dennis, Barry and Greg carte blanc in ducking out from under their responsibilities.

There are a lot of simple, low cost, or even no-cost things that could be done to improve the relationships between the NRA and the shooters. But I have no reason to believe that they even care to hear what they are, much less actually commit to doing them.

There is a lot of truth in what acorneau says.

[twidpa]

Jerry,
Good job. How many stayed in the sport? We are lucky to have 1 stay with it out of 20 or more. My point is the NRA does magazine and television spots and all that but it is up to us to go one to one with folks and make the sale. Did not mean to imply a single individual was not holding up their end. Just that waiting on the NRA is where this thread seemed to be going.
T

[glen ring]

I am a 24/7/365 recruiter for lever action silhouette. My wife an I were in the bank a few days ago. The teller, a middle aged woman, was very nice and after 5 minutes she wrote down our names and e-mail after we told her about our sport. She said her husband has a bunch of those cowboy guns.

I wear a silhouette shirt often, I NEVER meet a stranger and I'm always recruiting.

30 invitations may only yield 1 person that shows up, but I know if they show they will most certainly come back.

I don't depend on the NRA to mow the range, I don't depend on the NRA to clean the bathrooms at the range and I certainly don't depend on them for financing or recruiting .

I DO depend on the NRA for medals and to advertise the dates of our tournaments. They do that well I think.

Our program really sucked and wasn't promoted well until my dear, patient wife took over the program . She welcomes EVERYONE, we usually furnish them lunch and our other shooters argue over who gets to furnish their gun and ammo to a new shooter.

We just rolled up our sleeves, made our matches fun and don't depend on anyone.

[DavidABQ]

When they ask, "What is NRA Doing to Attract More Shooters Into Competition?" the answer I get from the article is, "Nothing, that's your job."

In the second-to-last paragraph the article is basically saying, "Sure, the NRA will take your money, decide the rules for your sport, control the access to the records, and grant their blessing for which matches qualify as "official" or not, but don't ask us to actually help you grow your sport... that's just crazy-talk."

I may be relatively new to shooting sports but I keep seeing evidence that the NRA wants the power of being the gatekeepers without putting in any effort to participate in what they want to control.




Time for more coffee...

I think you pretty much nailed it!