Took 40 UT Austin students to the range (update)

[MatthewVanitas]

See my earlier thread for the backstory. Long story, THR member MacPelto and I teamed up to try and get more shooters into the little-used (and little-known) UT on-campus smallbore range.

So Mac made up some flyers, and we spent maybe 90 minutes handing out "Free Shooting Classes" flyers over on the campus West Mall. Handed out 150 flyers in that time.

Class was set for Wednesday at 6:30. We figured maybe 10-15 kids would show up. We had a half-dozen show up 30 minutes early (have you seen a sophmore 30 minutes early for any class?), then fifteen came on time, and then more kept drifting in.

Though we had seven lanes of smallbore and seven lanes of airgun, we ended up with kids waiting in line to shoot. By the time the night was over, we'd hit at least 40, maybe a quarter of them being female. A good eight or more were foreign exchange students. The vast majority of the 40 had never shot before.

The numbers thus far: 150 flyers = 40 students = ? new members

So we'll see how many kids join up. And even the ones that don't ever come back to our club are probably a significant step closer to a Liberty Mentality than they were this morning.

Been a great group effort so far. MacPelto is President of the club and did the main gruntwork with the mountain of paper to revive a dead club (and dealing with the various "cease-and-desist" letters we received), Mrs MacPelto, several shooting coaches, and an ROTC cadet came by to RSO, and a non-shooter graphic artist friend of Mac is making us up a logo to paint onto the range door.

If you know any UT students, send them our way! I'm pushing for us to hold a "Poker Match", shooting playing cards for score, by the end of the semester. Mac is planning for an off-campus Sporting Clays shoot. If all goes well, we should have a pretty solid group of folks to build from next Fall.

Hope this inspires some other students out there to check for a range on your campus. I'd have never known about ours had I not met Mac over at the Austin THR Shoot.

Good luck to all in your proselytizing efforts, -MV

 

[Smokey Joe]

Good on You!!

Matthew--Sounds like you had an Idea Whose Time Has Come! Nice work! Keep it up! Glad there was the student interest--they'll be the best avertising you could hope for, for the next session!

Great Job!!

 

[MacPelto]

Well, MV told it pretty well, and I am BEAT. I was not really prepared to be on my feet the whole time. Ergo, I need some rest. I'll jump back in and tell more about it tomorrow sometime. All that I really want to say is that without everybody's help it would never have come off. Thanks to everybody that helped.

Plus Mrs. MacPelto thought it was a bloody good lark.

Mac

 

[SomeKid]

What was the deal with the cease-and-desist letters? Toothless attempt to cow you, or something else?

 

[MarshallDodge]

That's great you guys! I wish I was nearby to volunteer to help.

 

[MudPuppy]

You guys probably don't see it this way, but you're modern heroes. You're doing more in a day to preserve our heritage and rights than many may do in a year (fingers pointing right back at myself on that point, I'm as guilty as any).

Inspiring!

 

[akodo]

so how exactly does a poker match work?

I remember seeing something like that in that crappy movie SWAT, but then it just looked like they had like 10 cards on a backboard, shooting at them, and somehow it was poker, and your hand was based on what cards you shot.

Well hello, doesn't seem like much of a challenge, just keep on shooting at aces until you run out of bullets.

So then I thought about alternate ways of doing it, and here's what I came up with

set up a backboard, with cards 2-10 in a row, one suit on top of the other, cards basically placed in random order. To claim a card, you have to shoot each suit marker on it, A 2, then would take 2 hits to claim, a 10, would take 10 hits. A shot that doesn't hit the suit marker would nullify the card. hence getting a pair of something would be kinda hard, but getting somethign like all 4 of the 10's would be tricky indeed. 50 shots per setup. Retreive backbaord, place new deck of cards and allow next shooter togo.

 

[MacPelto]

Yesterday was a very productive day, which I consider an unqualified success.

As MattV mentioned, this past Monday we stood out, in light rain,on the west mall of campus (an area designated for student groups to use for recruiting) and handed out between 100-150 1/4 page flyers. I was surprised at the time at how many people came up to our table and asked for a flyer. This is in an area where people frequently refuse to make eye contact with each other for fear of being accosted by 30 people shoving flyers in their faces. All the other student groups recruit here - frats, sororities, social student groups, ethnic student groups, etc.

Tuesday the rain was heavy and we both had classes, so we didn't do anything.

Wednesday was nice, but we had scheduled a meeting with an artist friend to start working on a logo, so no recruiting. The fliers that we handed out said that we would be hosting a beginners class at the range from 6:30 - 9 PM. I showed up at 6 to set up. MV and a couple of the coaches had already arrived...so had 3 new shooters.

We started off with MV teaching a very basic safety and range rules course focusing on the 4 rules and simple range commands, while the rest of us prepped the range. While he was doing that about a half-dozen others showed up, and jumped into the range briefing. When MV finished, those students came out to the range, where the coaches and I acted as rangemasters/coaches.

By the time the first bunch started shooting, there was already another classroomful for MV to go with. It was like this all night. The people who had finished in the classroom but had not handled a firearm yet went to the airgun lanes, rangemastered by Mrs. MacPelto and one of the ROTC cadets.

By the end of the night, we had put at least 40 people through, and each one got to put a box of 22 downrange, and lord knows how many pellets. We expended somewhat more than 2200 rounds of 22. It was a great crowd: no injuries, no complaints, no freaking out, no attitudes. LOTS of first-time shooters present. I estimate about 5 people came through who had shot before. ALL the rest were first timers. They all had a good time.

As MV said, we had originally estimated about 10-15 people would show. When you consider the success rate of flyers on campus, that would would equate to about 1 in 10, which would be on the high side. The best part is, many of the attendees I asked had never seen the flyers - it was word of mouth. I coached classmates of mine, whom I never said a word to (about the event), and who had no idea that I would be there. Lots more people know about us now.

As I said, an unqualified success.


Mac

 

[MacPelto]

What was the deal with the cease-and-desist letters? Toothless attempt to cow you, or something else?

There was a question of whether or not we were officially a registered student organization, and therefore able to use the facilities/name. It was insistent, but predicated on out-of-date information. We were good to go for the event.

Mac

 

[MacPelto]

I should also pitch for this here - As MattV mentioned, we met at the local THR shoot, which he put together just about single-handedly. I recommend that given the opportunity you should try to go to these - they can lead to good things.

Mac

 

[El Tejon]

Each one teach one, or 40!

Way to go, gentlemen.

 

[scout26]

OUT-FLIPPIN-STANDING !!!!

The best part is, many of the attendees I asked had never seen the flyers - it was word of mouth.

Best advertising you can get. But don't give up on the flyers yet.

If I was closer, I'd definitely help out.

 

[Thefabulousfink]

And here I thought UT was full of hippies "wearing orange and sipping tea"

Jk, Had to rub it in a little, my sister is a A&M Grad. Good work to the both of you. Good job particularly on blurring the gender and race lines that the mainsteam tries to draw around shooters. Here's hoping that you get a dynamite shooting team out of the bunch, or at least a bunch of shooters who have fun.

 

[Trebor]

Good job.

 

[waterhouse]

Great job guys. Let me know if you need help with anything.

 

[Standing Wolf]

Well done!

 

[Woodsmoke]

Bravo Zulu

I attend class online and it is sometimes a real battle when the subject of guns is raised. There are really ignorant people in our schools preaching that all gun owners are deranged murderers looking for their next victim. I have often wondered how best to combat that mentality, but it looks like you found a good solution.

Do you guys take donations? I don't have much, but I am sure what is given would be put to good use.

Again, thank you for what you are accomplishing there in Austin.

 

[rbernie]

Good wicket.

 

[MatthewVanitas]

UPDATE for the next day:

We'd only advertised for the Wednesday class, so when I dropped by the range Thursday during a study break, the RSO and I were just twiddling thumbs. So I pick up a bullseye target, write "UT Rifle & Pistol Club" across it in magic marker, and walk out onto the sidewalk in front of the range.

Stood there for about 15 minutes calling out "Free Shooting Lessons with UT Rifle and Pistol Club!" In those fifteen minutes, got seven undergrad newbies to literally wander in off the street.

The RSO got them up and running, and I was heading back out to grab more, but then three folks from the previous night came by and paid dues to join the club, bought ammo, and started shooting. A girl who was there Wednesday brought along her boyfriend and a buddy, so we taught them too.

The aforementioned girl took to shooting so well that the RSO broke out the "red/green lights" and started running her on time trials so she'd stay challenged.

We ended up having to kick everybody out 20 minutes after official closing, partially because we'd run out of ammo to sell them (will get more out of storage for Monday).

My main point: in the right situations, it can be incredibly easy to bring large numbers of newbies to the range. MacPelto and myself seem to have found one of those right situations.

If you have an on-campus range, I suspect it may be quite possible to do the same at your college. The actual marketing and running the club requires active students, but we have quite a few retirees and the like who provide the institutional memory and guidance for the range.

Will update as issues continue. Still bracing for any eventual negative backlask, but is hasn't happened in the first 50 people thus far.

-MV

 

[rayra]

Another double thumbs-up. Fantastic work to all involved.

Seconding the donation idea, if your costs outstrip your dues. I'm sure there's lots of folks willing to keep your shooters in .22lr

 

[Soybomb]

Thats great work guys. People talk about giving the NRA money to preserve shooting rights, but I think doing stuff like that does more than a lifetime of donations!

 

[Dannyboy]

So, what's the logo gonna look like? Bevo on a bullseye?

 

[TexasRifleman]

Be sure and check any local regs on selling ammo, especially the sales tax part. Don't give the antis a reason to be on your case.

Sounds awesome! You guys need anything in the way of donations? Targets or equipment or whatever?

 

[Lumino]

As a Texas-Ex, this is impressive. Great Job.

I don't remember the club back in the early 80's, when I was there.

This may have been asked, but are you fully funded? Does the school chip in any money? Or do you self fund from dues and ammo sales?

Just curious.

Good luck and Hook-em Horns!

 

[MacPelto]

Thanks for all the support, guys. A couple of people have asked about giving us donations, and as of right now I'm sure that we can accept donations, but I have no idea how. There are official mechanisms for it that must be followed, but I am not familiar with them just yet. Breaking the rules will get us shut down in a heartbeat.

We're not giving up on the fliers, either. They're what got us the word of mouth presence to begin with. For those of you who didn't see the original thread, this is what they looked like:


Mac