Denver, Colorado – -(AmmoLand.com)- On Sunday, August 22nd, 2021, several private gun makers competed in the first regional event conducted by Guns For Everyone National as part of the Gun Maker’s Match series. The event was hosted at Triple J Armory in Denver, Colorado. Are We Cool Yet? and Second Amendment Organization both assisted with the weekend of firearms fun and learning.
After the success of our First Gun Maker’s Match back in June, we started the process of organizing regional events for private gun makers around the country. This was the first one to be conducted. The event consisted of 3 stages and shooters used both Kit-Built and 3D Printed Firearms. Many of those who participated had never shot in a competition before. One of them even competed with a handgun that he built from a Polymer80 kit the day before. He built it during a Private Gun Making Educational Event that was conducted at the same location. It was an awesome weekend celebrating our gun freedom during National Shooting Sports Month!
“It was incredible to see a diverse group of people enjoy and participate in their freedom,” said Edgar Antillon, founder of Guns for Everyone National, the 501c3 Organization that sanctions Gun Maker’s Match events. Firearms Policy Coalition has backed both the competitions and the educational events intended to help more people get involved in private gun making.
In regard to the importance of these events, Antillon said ” Educating the public about this hobby is essential not only to preserving it, but also to discredit any attempt to vilify it.”
All the builders on Saturday utilized Polymer80 Frame Kits#ad and most were first-time builders. slides & barrels from several sources, including Gun Maker’s Match Sponsor JSD Supply, were used to finish the firearms. Most of them live-fire tested their guns immediately after finishing the builds. One of the builders had never shot a firearm before. She had the amazing experience of her first shots being fired from a gun that she had made for herself!
The competition itself took place on Triple J Armory’s state-of-the-art indoor range and featured multiple shooting positions, targets between 15 and 50 feet away from the shooters, no-shoot targets, and barricades that challenged the shooters to hit their targets from a variety of unorthodox shooting positions.
Interestingly, all three of the top finishers used printed frames, some of which were highly customized.
“Triple J was honored to host the first regional Gun Maker’s Match. We had a great group of competitors that ensured a fun and safe match,” said JD Murphree, the range’s owner. He believes that the educational event will help “spread the normalcy of homemade firearms.”
Personally, I’ve been surprised to learn that many gun owners misunderstand private gun making, some are confused about the legal issues others simply don’t know how easy it can be to get started. Firearms Kit Builds can be safely completed by a novice in an afternoon with common tools and viable 3D Printers can be acquired for less than $300.
The competitions have been fun to run, most of the people participating are new to shooting this way. One of the cool things about the Gun Maker’s Match project is that it is getting the guys who are building, designing, and making guns out onto the range with other private gun makers. The community has previously interacted almost exclusively online. The 3D gun printer space is a lot like the Internet of the 1990s, with all code names and a lot of anonymity. Some of that imagery has been used to suggest that private gun makers are only engaged in the hobby to break the law or circumvent government regulations. I think it is important that more private gun makers take opportunities to publicly show off their builds, shoot at public ranges, and help build the body of evidence that gun making is a relatively common activity in the gun community. These thoughts were echoed by Cody Wilson, the godfather of 3D Printed Guns, while he was at the First Gun Maker’s Match, saying (during an Interview with Michael Bane) that these communities “need to come together, they need to exchange what they’ve done with each other… people need to be here in real space with each other, sharing tips and tricks.”
Many people who knew each other only by internet monikers have met face-to-face for the first time at GMM Events. Even members of the AWCY? 3D Printing Community that have chatted for months or years online have only really met and shared range time through the GMM.
“Events like this have helped pull me out of the shadows and normalize my previously hidden hobby of building custom, privately made firearms,” said Bob Brown, who flew in from Florida to help with the running of this event.
He and other members of the AWCY Development Team were present over the weekend to educate people about 3D Printing and put the competition on. AWCY? Leadership has been working closely with GFEN Leaders and me since the inception of the GMM and has been integral to the success we’ve had.
The Second Annual National Gun Maker’s Match is scheduled for March 19th, 2022 in St. Augustine, Florida and registration is now open for limited competition slots. More regional events will take place throughout the year. If you are interested in hosting a regional competition or an educational event, reach out to Guns For Everyone National!
About Rob Pincus
Rob Pincus has been educating people about defensive shooting and related personal defense topics for over two decades. He is the Executive Director of the Personal Defense Network and the owner of I.C.E. Training Company. He has authored several books, produced over 100 training DVDs, appeared on several TV & Radio shows, and trained military, law enforcement, and armed individuals around the world. His advice focuses on efficiency and practicality based on his own experiences and continuing research of both real-world events and cutting-edge training practices. www.icetraining.us
