Shooting Sports Continue To Draw Young Talent

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In recent Washington Times article titled ‘Millennials love guns as shooting sports rapidly gain popularity at high schools,’ Anjali Shastry explored millennials rising interest in the shooting sports.

This should come as no surprise thanks to the firearms industry’s surge in popularity over the past decade. Just look at the all the gun-cenric media, online communities, and personalities in today’s pop culture. You know what also helps? The shooting sports are just plain fun and they’re easy to pick up thanks to programs by groups like the NRA and the Scholastic Shooting Sports Foundation.

Just how easy is it to learn to shoot? The NRA’s network of more than 120,000 NRA Certified Instructors means you can find a basic marksmanship course anywhere in the country. Throw in our 7,200 credentialed NRA Coaches, who work closely with schools and shooting ranges to develop pistol, rifle, shotgun, and high power rifle teams, and any student can receive basic training and be a part of an organized team in no time.

The NRA Collegiate and Schools program plays an integral role in helping create, organize, and guide shooting teams by providing the development materials that schools and NRA Coaches need to get their teams up and running. The program also assists teams with receiving financial aid for guns, ammunition, and equipment through The NRA Foundation, America’s leading charitable organization in support of the shooting sports. For individuals, the NRA Collegiate and Schools program helps shooters take their shooting talents to the collegiate level and receive scholarships to assist with their higher education while enjoying the sport they love.

Each year The NRA Foundation is awarding more grants, more schools are creating shooting teams while existing programs grow, and participation in youth pistol, rifle, and shotgun championships continues to increase.

The Times’s article touches on a very important point regarding the shooting sports’ popularity: its inclusive nature. “…all the kids can compete — heavy, thin, tall, short, fast, slow, boy or girl — it doesn’t make them any different,” a shooting coach is quoted as saying.

In short, get ready to see a lot more articles about the resurgence of the shooting sports. Thanks to America’s rising interest in firearms, the wide availability of training, programs that facilitate the creation and aid of shooting teams, and the fact that competitive shooting is fun, it’s never been easier to get involved.

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CarlCasino

I thoroughly enjoyed my years instructing 4-H youth. 4 of the 5 years I was able our local county sent a shooter to the Nationals. This year Our County had the # 3 Shooter in the Nation. Great character builder and watching parent participation really amazed me in this day and age.