TargetTalk

In Indian National Champioships there are more than 1700 shooters who participate, that too after a controversial MQS increase from Pre Level.
Its the schools that has changed the scenario altogether.

Scouts is a good idea.
I remember MANY years ago when I wanted my marksmanship merit badge, it was VERY hard to find someone and a place to shoot. The only time and place was the annual summer camp. And if you did not make it (I didn't) you had to wait another year to try again, w/o practice in between. :-(

Maybe do a clinic/training session with a test/competition at the end for the merit badge.

Been too long, I don't remember the requirements for the marksmanship merit badge.

Scouts
Cub Scouts (age 6-11), Boy Scouts (age 12-18) and Venture Scouts (co-ed age 14-21) is a huge untapped resource in most areas. Cubs shoot BB rifle only. Boy and Venture Scouts shoot BB rifle, pellet rifle, black powder (any caliber) and shot gun. BSA does not allow handguns.

All you need do in the US is to go register with several local BSA troops as an "adult leader" and "merit badge councilor" for Rifle Merit Badge with one. This will cost you $10 per year. In my troop (and in probably most) we are so happy to have volunteer adults that we pay the fee for you.

4H
At least in my area, 4H shooting lasts only 3 months. By volunteering to be an "assistant" you can pick up the roster at the end of the season. In my area, under 14 shoot BB's, and over 14 shoot precision pellet (standing only). There is no fee for adults in 4H.

High School ROTC
A few high schools that dropped Army ROTC in the 70's are picking up Air Force ROTC and introducing 3P pellet teams. Call your local high schools that offer ROTC.


Anyone offering to teach target pistol, high power rifle or even 3P will pickup some boys who discover shooting in one of these other venues and want to do more. My son, although full time in Boy Scouts, wanted more shooting and did 4H shooting for 2 years concurrently.

One note, when I went to buy a precision pellet gun to teach the Rifle Merit Badge in my troop, my son advised against it. He said I would catch more boys initial attention with a .22 because of the noise and the fact that they got to keep the shell casings. Although not having a 10M air gun keeps me from shooting at the meetings (with the aid of a bullet trap), so far his insight has proved true. Being able to get the boys away from the distraction of the meetings and onto a real range has spurred a lot of deeper interest.

PS. Oh and YES, pizza does help !!

RF Whatley
BSA Troop 518

My first year and the second year of 4-H Shooting Sports Air Rifle at our club we had 6 shooters. I said to myself, "How can I get more young folks interested in shooting." I came up with always make safety the primary concern and second make their experience as fun as possible.
During the off season, shooters must have told their friends and others about Air Rifle and the fun they had. This year we had 18 shooters which included two first time female shooters and I thank them for breaking the ice. Safety and fun seem to make a good combination. Good shooting. Mike

How safety is taught....

4H
In the 4H program I talked about above, the BB team was 3P and the accent was on safety. A one hour safety course was taught on the first night by 4H instructors. That was followed the next weekend by the State's "Hunter Safety Course" which you had to pass. If you hadn't completed both courses, then you weren't allowed to shoot at all. Then all BB shooting was done with a parent loading the gun and acting as individual shooting coach. No responsible adult equaled no shooting.

(The HSC having been cleared, the boys and girls were free to try hunting with parents if they so liked. So it really opened things up.)

The older 4Hers on the pellet team all came from the BB team, so after a couple of years of BB, safety was second nature. The more mature kids had the more powerful guns, which made complete sense.

Boy Scouts
The BSA takes a slightly different tact. All BSA rifle shooting is what we would call "bench rest". The Scouts shoot only from a bench, with a fore stock support. The only time the rifle leaves the support is to lay it down, action open, after firing their alloted pile of ammo.

Although there is usually a "free shoot" time at summer camp, most of the boys are taking the full Rifle Shooting MB course. You can easily detect the interest in shooting sports when boys already enrolled in the MB class comes back on their own time to bring a buddy to "free shoot".

The Rifle Shooting MB class starts with 2 days of discussion on basics like: safety, dominant eye, sigh picture, trigger control, etc. This is followed by 3 days of shooting, with coaching as required. The object, after the class portion is completed, is to group 3 shots within the diameter of a US quarter (25 cent piece) on a minimum of 5 different bulls over the remaining time. All shooting is done at 50 feet on un-zeroed rifles. About half the boys have completed the MB by the end of the 4th day.

When the Scout earns his Rifle Shooting MB, he can then sign up for Shotgun Shooting MB the following summer. This is the first time the boy actually gets to pick up the gun and gets to practice muzzle control.

All guns used in Scouting must be single shot with no magazine. All the 22's are bolt action, all the shotguns are break-open 20 ga.


The methods vary, but the end result is the same. The pupil is allowed to walk (and only walk) until he/she is skilled. Then, when safety is second nature, then they are allowed more powerful guns and/or greater liberty to practice what they know.

For an additional tip on getting visitors to return, making first visits fun, or introducing something fun for the "regular troops", see my thread on the NSSF Junior USA Shooting Team patch.

We have picked up a number of shooters by local home schoolers group

rfwhatley wrote:Scouts
Cub Scouts (age 6-11), Boy Scouts (age 12-18) and Venture Scouts (co-ed age 14-21) is a huge untapped resource in most areas. Cubs shoot BB rifle only. Boy and Venture Scouts shoot BB rifle, pellet rifle, black powder (any caliber) and shot gun. BSA does not allow handguns.

All you need do in the US is to go register with several local BSA troops as an "adult leader" and "merit badge councilor" for Rifle Merit Badge with one. This will cost you $10 per year. In my troop (and in probably most) we are so happy to have volunteer adults that we pay the fee for you....

Hi

The reason that Cub Scouts is an untapped resource is that Cubs can ONLY shoot at district or Council events / camps. In short, IF you shoot as a Pack, you have to let your whole district show up. Check the fine print in the G2SS. Boy Scouts shoot rifle, shotgun, and black powder. I thought that Venture Crews could shoot pistol, but I'll have to check. In addition, the BSA liability insurance is for $15 million, not just $1 million like in 4H.

Later

Mike
Wichita KS

Get the juniors at your club involved in recruitment. Show the other kids that this is a fun sport that other kids do enjoy.
Make sure the kids and their parents know that you are safe and well supervised. A lot of people think that shooting sports are all about violence and that couldn't be further from the truth.
Hope my sugestions help:)

JrShooter wrote:A lot of people think that shooting sports are all about violence and that couldn't be further from the truth.

I tell my new Scouting parents this way....

"Kids really don't want anything to do with drugs, or sex, or alcohol. They only get into that stuff when they are dreadfully bored. What kids really want is excitement, and to a kid this means 3 things: guns, fires and very sharp objects.

"So we give the kid those 3 things. But here's the catch, what we're really teaching them is gun safety, fire safety, and ax/hatchet safety. They think they're learning to shoot, build camp fires and chop wood. Kids never, ever get tired of shooting, campfires and chopping things, so they keep at it. We never tire of seeing them have fun and we never tire of teaching them the safe way to do these things.

"You don't even own a gun. So why would you even want your son to learn gun safety? The answer is because so many kids get hurt each year playing with the neighbor's guns, the neighbor's matches, and the neighbor's hatchet !

"So the REAL question is this: Who is going to take the time to teach the kids and work with the kids on safety? If not the parent, then who has a program that cleverly disguises useful on-going education as excitement? "



So anyone can take that speech and work it around until it almost sounds mandatory that the parents sign those youngsters up right then and there. And they usually do!

You can show a rifle to any teenage boy and the kid will start salivating. When the parent sees their child's reaction, they know you're right. Then you can go into the other areas of improved concentration, relaxation techniques, and ability to focus.

Hope this helps!

My daughters 4-H shooting sports club uses word of mouth (and a couple newspaper adds). Keeping it fun and get enough kids involved and it grows on it's own. When 40+% of a kids class is in the program, keeping kids coming becomes a lot easier. Last 6 week session (small bore silhouette rifle/pistol - we don't run air rifle sessions) we had a little under 100 kids. Keeping enough volunteer coaches for 40 new shooters is probably a bigger problem.

Oh, kids just love watching the targets fly. Am looking forward to seeing the fall turnout (small bore rifle/shotgun session). Summer was a blast - but I think it was a bit unofficial (time to learn new disciplines rather than teach new shooters - ended up with a lot of muzzle loading)

There are some misconceptions being put out here.
http://www.scouting.org/HealthandSafety/GSS/gss08.aspx

The Boy Scouts of America adheres to its longstanding policy of teaching its youth and adult members the safe, responsible, intelligent handling, care, and use of firearms, airguns, and BB guns in planned, carefully managed, and supervised programs.

Except for law enforcement officers required to carry firearms within their jurisdiction, firearms shall not be brought on camping, hiking, backpacking, or other Scouting activities except those specifically planned for target shooting under the supervision of a currently certified BSA or National Rifle Association firearms instructor.
Cub Scouting Standards

Youth members of Cub Scouting are permitted to participate in the shooting activities named in here only.

Archery and BB gun shooting are restricted to day camps, Cub Scout/Webelos Scout resident camps, council-managed family camping programs, or to council activities where there are properly trained supervisors and all standards for BSA shooting sports are enforced. Archery and BB gun shooting are not to be done at the pack level.

Cub Scouts are not permitted to use any other type of handgun or firearm.
Boy Scouting Standards

Boy Scouts may participate in all activities previously listed for Cub Scouts and in the activities listed here.
Shotguns

1. For range shooting, shot size is determined by the range rules.
2. All shotgun shooting activities must be supervised by a currently NRA-certified Shotgun Instructor and when on the range, must be supervised by a currently NRA-certified Range Safety Officer.
3. Shooting safety glasses and ear protection must be worn on shotgun ranges.
4. Care must be taken to comply with federal, state, and local laws.

Muzzle Loaders

1. Muzzleloading firearms must be of modern manufacture. Firearms made from kits must be certified safe by a licensed gunsmith.
2. All muzzleloader range shooting activities must be supervised by a currently NRA/NMLRA-certified muzzle loader firearms instructor and when on the range, must be supervised by a currently NRA-certified Range Safety Officer.
3. For range firing, each participant must have one instructor or adult coach under the supervision of a currently NRA-certified Range Safety Officer.
4. Shooting safety glasses and ear protection must be worn on muzzleloader shooting ranges.
5. Care must be taken to comply with federal, state, and local laws.

Rifles

1. Boy Scouts may shoot single shot 22lr caliber bolt action rifles only.
2. All rifle shooting activities must be supervised by a currently NRA -certified Rifle Instructor and when on the range, must be supervised by a currently NRA-certified Range Safety Officer.
3. Shooting safety glasses and ear protection must be worn on rifle ranges.
4. Care must be taken to comply with federal, state, and local laws.

Venturing Standards

Venturers may participate in all activities previously listed for Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts and may participate in activities listed below:
Handguns

1. Handgun use is limited to the Venturing program.
2. All pistol shooting activities must be supervised by a currently NRA -certified Pistol Instructor and when on the range, must be supervised by a currently NRA-certified Range Safety Officer.
3. When on the range, there must be a ratio of no more than three shooters per adult coach or instructor. The adult coaches or instructors must be close to the shooters for close supervision. The adult coaches/instructors must be supervised by the Range Safety Officer.
4. All participants must complete an NRA basic pistol marksmanship course prior to range firing.
5. With the approval of the local council, handgun shooting may be conducted on BSA camp ranges, provided the shooting is done under the supervision of a currently NRA-certified Range Safety Officer.
6. Shooting safety glasses and ear protection must be worn on pistol ranges.
7. Care must be taken to comply with federal, state, and local laws.

Rifles

1. Venturers may shoot all rifles.
2. All rifle shooting activities must be supervised by a currently NRA -certified Rifle Instructor and when on the range, must be supervised by a currently NRA-certified Range Safety Officer.
3. Shooting safety glasses and ear protection must be worn on rifle ranges.
4. Care must be taken to comply with federal, state, and local laws.

Cannons and Large-Bore Artillery

Units are not authorized, under any circumstances, to use a cannon or any other large-bore artillery device

RobStubbs wrote:

Nicole Hamilton wrote:

RobStubbs wrote:If you can get a well known shooter to come in and publicise that, that can also help.

Here in the US, the only shooters the general public ever hears about are the ones that kill themselves at the end of spree.

Yeah I guess that's about the sum of the sad state of affairs really.

I also meant one of the shooters say that's shot for the country, in the olympics etc. If you get someone like that you can advertise them as a shooting star, even if no ones heard of them it may help draw in a few extra kids.

Rob.

Yeah if the parents at my school knew about our varsity rifle team we would be shut down in no time.... to many people thet think a gun is the grimreaper's nephew

For what ever reason, people seem to like riffle better than pistol.
All of our pistol shooters started out as riffle shooters.

inventor of BB launcher wrote:For what ever reason, people seem to like riffle better than pistol.
All of our pistol shooters started out as riffle shooters.

Hi

Our 4H group USED to require that everyone take air rifle / BB Gun first. We still at least suggest that kids try rifle first. Now we have new air pistol shooters shoot from the bench for a while first. "A While" being however many weeks it takes to keep them all in the black from the bench. Then we go to two handed for a few weeks and then one handed. It's easier to wave a pistol around than it is a rifle.

Mike
Wichita KS