Wasted Time
In addition to the stuff covered here:
1) The dwindling number of available places to shoot, due to the suburban sprawl in the
Denver-Boulder (and soon to be
Ft. Collins-Denver-Colorado Springs) metro area.
2) Because of #1, one can spend more time driving to and from available shooting ranges than is actually spent shooting at them.
3) Gun clubs that require a "work bond" for membership. I hardly have enough time to actually
use any gun range (partly because of #2 above), much less work at them. Weekends are scarce, and I've got enough projects around
my house that need doing. I don't want to drive 50 to 100 miles each way to spend a day working at the gun range several times a year.
What the hell are the clubs doing with the mebership dues? If there is work that actually needs to be done, then raise dues, and offer a discount to anyone who does volunteer work.
It's certainly a good way to
discourage people with busy lives from getting involved in the shooting sports. But then, I guess that's the way it's always been done.
4) Rifle matches where I ended up working in the target pit.
The first time I participated in a rifle match was frustrating enough, trying to learn the pace of events and how things were done. I certainly didn't pay an entry fee to spend 1/2 of my time doing something that felt like some assembly line jobs I've had. It didn't help that the little plastic markers would fall off every time I raised the target, and I had to worry about whether or not I was doing it fast enough.
It's another way to discourage new shooters, because that was certainly not an experience I would recommend to my friends.