Why is it hard to get the new generation to go shooting?

[Diomed]

Plenty of valid reasons cited above. Around here, I'd suppose a lot of it has to do with no place to shoot. Not many people have enough property to be able to do it in their back yard. Nearest public range to me is two counties away, and the nearest indoor pistol range (public one does not allow pistols) is almost as far.

It's a pain, and traffic/gas prices don't make it any easier.

 

[english kanigit]

Just did yesterday.

The biggest problem I have is that people just aren't familiar with the shooting sports and since most of them have been in the city all their life, they don't know where to go. This is normally easily remedied...

I've heard the phrase "Each one teach one". I think I'm up to 6 or 7 now.

 

[Owen]

OPen Invitation

OK,

I live in Columbia, SC. If anybody reading this has never been shooting and wants to go, PM me. I shoot almost every Wednesday or Thursday evening in the summer, and 3 out of 4 weekends. I can find time if you can.

The only thing you have to bring is appropriate clothing (closed shoes, no low cut or open collars, and a hat with a brim)

I usually shoot at a private club, but there is a commercial indoor range in town, if that makes you feel more comfortable.

We can shoot rifles, handguns or shotguns, but I admit I am not much of a shotgunner.

Owen

 

[Soybomb]

Well I think at 25 I'm starting to lose the ability to call myself younger, but I have no problem taking new shooters out. Even those who disagree with concealed carry or any other anti-gun agenda will often say they have never fired a gun and would like to come along... I'm always happy to bring them. On the down side I live in a rural area and theres really only one public range I know of and its indoors and an hours drive. Theres a closer outdoor private rifle range but I haven't been able to find out more about it. The police dept has a private range at the park that I hear a few of the local doctors get to shoot at but I also don't know how to get access to that. In general I don't find theres a huge warm open shooting community here but more some buddies who shoot at each others places in the country.

 

[James NM]

owen: Very generous offer. If I wasn't old, an experienced shooter, and about 1000 miles away I would take you up on it.

 

[theCZ]

Hillbilly, you said exactly what I was thinkin'! It's more fun to complain about the younger generation than do anything about it. Remember the chain emails talking about how mom did it back in the day and nobody died? Or how about going to the range and hearing the old farts complaining that kids only want to watch tv, and then switch subjects to talk about football games on tv! It is not hard to get the new generation shooting, it's plain easy. This year my local trap and skeet club has more youth shooters than ever.


I voted that there isn't a problem at all.

 

[pdowg881]

I'm a new shooter, 18 years old right now though. Had to wait till I could buy a rifle myself. Everybody is anti gun, guns are evil killing machines, its not the people who use its fault its the evil black gun etc etc.. I basically have to keep it a secret that i own a rifle. Adults think they're evil, and other kids think its a game and have zero respect for firearms. So unfortunately, I'm completely on my own with this. Wish I had people who shared my enthusiasm for firearms. LOl, even in the woods of NH, the only other person I know who doesn't fear firearms is my neighbor, but hes very old, and very retired. Used to hunt though. Lol. I think a lot of it is because of the way tv and media show guns, and people either think of it as a killing machine with a mind of its own, or a harmless toy.

 

[lycanthrope]

Parents seem to be jumpy about letting a friend or neighbor teach the kids to shoot in my area.

All the bad press about kids and guns has poisoned a lot of minds.

 

[Hockeydude]

I'm 17 and live in NYC. Anyone willing to adopt me?

 

[Azrael256]

Dionysusigma and I always like to take new shooters out to the range. Most of them are in our age group (18-25), so they aren't exactly kids, but they have to learn sometime. Usually they'll start pestering one or both of us for a range trip, offering to drive, offering to pay for ammo, etc. within a month of our last trip. It's nice with people our age because the newbies will chip in some bucks for ammo so we can shoot some of the more expensive calibers in addition to the .22s.

Unless I'm remembering it wrong, most of the new shooters we've taken to the range have asked to come along. We have rarely offered to take someone, but we never have a shortage of participants. The few people we've invited have been a little uneasy about guns from lack of exposure, but all have left the firing line with a healthy respect for the sport and that grin first-timers always get.

Right now I'm trying to figure out how to get the neighbor kids (all about 10) and their parents out to the local range with me. I think I'll have to get hired on to the local PD before their parents will be comfortable with the idea.

 

[Vitamin G]

I think I've taken eight new people shooting between this year and last. One of which got seriously into it, joined the NRA, goes with me regularly, and posts here. The others seemed to enjoy it, but did it to say they did it. Maybe just to shut me up. I think its just as important if you live in the city (with a public range that has rentals) to be a responsible, positive ambassador for the sport of shooting, target, IDPA, IPSC, or otherwise. I found out a bit ago that just the enthusiasm with which we talked about it got three people to go to a range alone for their first time, because they were scared of embarrassing themselves, which i guess doesn't say alot for my percieved nonjudgementalism.

 

[Beetle Bailey]

So I guess "young people" means college aged and under? I don't know many people that age, but maybe I'll meet some if/when I go back for a Master's.

I do know a regular at my favorite shooting range. He's got a pretty good collection that includes muzzleloaders, lever actions, bolt actions, EBR's, battle rifles, and an assortment of handguns. His sons know they can accompany him to the range any time they want to. I see him almost every week, but only see his sons with him once every few months.

He shrugs and explains "They know they can shoot these any time, but they'd rather hang out with their friends. . . " However, one time one of his boys came to the range with a few of his friends. The father brought out some EBR's (which he himself rarely shoots) so the first-timers could get some first hand experience with stuff they only see on television.

BTW I agree with Hillbilly. I've only personally taught one person to shoot so far, and I'm not resting on my laurels just yet.

 

[FromMyColdDeadHands]

Just a girl (scout)

Last month the club I belong to was sponsoring a "Teach Kids 'How to shoot Trap' class". We tried to promote the class to both the girlscouts and the boyscouts. The boyscouts had so many kids signed up that we scheduled another date just to accomodate them. And the girlscouts had this to say . .
Thank you for the information but unfortunately shooting sports are not an activity that our safety regulations allow Girl Scouts to participate in. Written by
Heather L. V. Loney
Program Director
Girl Scouts of Michigan Trails
3275 Walker Ave NW
Grand Rapids, MI 49544
616-784-3341 ext 127

When I questioned her on this, she quoted "The Book" to me directly.

I think this is a big problem and sends a terrible message to girls . . . but also to boys/fathers/ etc.

 

[RangerHAAF]

Well one reason that I personally believe is that public and private schools are dominated by women and women have a deep aversion to guns and the anachronistic concepts of masculinity that guns and those who use them represent.

They are producing generations of male geldings in the schools and it's just getting worse.

 

[Heraclid]

I don't have any kids yet, but as for me personally, any daughter of mine would definitely know her martial arts and her way around a firearm. Son too, but daughter most especially.

I started reading this thread considering myself a young shooter. Then I remembered I just turned 30. Which is still young, but it's weird how I seem to have this subconscious mindset that I'm still around 20. I see high schoolers and it blows me away that I am at least 12 yrs older than they are. Seems like that was yesterday. LOL!

 

[rangerruck]

they have been brainwashed for so long on ow bad they are, it is hard for them to get over their initial fear of a gun.

 

[cbsbyte]

the problem is time

From experience most kids today are busy with school, sports, job, friends and other activites. They have little time to themselves and family. Most spend their day away from home even on weekends. It was the same in the 80s when I was growing up. I would not say they are not interested, they are currently to busy to add another activity to the list. My friends who have childern, basicaly have to drag them away from the TV, video game, or phone to the range to shoot.

 

[Eleven Mike]

Kids have been told that guns are evil, so they avoid them, just as they avoid drinking, drugs, sex, pornography, naughty words and violent video games. Speaking of video games, who wants to go to a range and try to shoot inanimate objects, when you can kill badguys with super-automatic-nuclear-grenade-launchers in the comfort of your living room?

That said, the anti-gun indoctrination might keep parents from encouraging an interest in guns.

Also, shooting is much less convenient in cities and suburban areas, where a lot of kids live and where their non-shooting parents grew up.

 

[Heraclid]

Kids avoid drinking, drugs, sex, porn, violent video games and foul language? Wow, I wanna go wherever you are.

 

[Seancass]

im sure its been said before, but speaking as a young person, there is way too much ignorance surrounding guns. some people think guns don't fire without injuring someone. but about every person i have met has enjoyed it when they go shooting. i have introduced several people to shooting and now they cant get enough of it.

also, my parents dont shoot, most of my family isnt fond of guns, but none are anti-gun. just to show you dont have to be 5th generation gun nut to get into this stuff.

 

[14YEAROLDGUNADDICT]

Im 14...soon to be 15 and i first got into shooting when i was about 6 and my dad took me to the range now i love to shoot and im gonna get all my mates into it hopefully because they all already own air rifles and air pistols

 

[LAK]

I think the greatest impediment in many areas is a lack of easy access free fire zones on public land.

There is no public land to shoot on in my area for a considerable distance; ranges generally charge $5 per person per gun. Add the cost of ammunition and gas.

Sure, you take one person, pack one gun, a couple of boxes of .22, and spend an hour on say $20; but it is not quite the same as simply driving to a piece of derelict land and spending a leisurely afternoon outside with everything from a .22 on up for nothing more than your ammo and gas.

I dislike indoor ranges because of the generally poor ventilation and noise factor. Both of these are detrimental to new shooters, and one has no control over the noise which makes relaxed instruction and discussion difficult.

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http://ussliberty.org
http://ssunitedstates.org

 

[danurve]

I take my kids to the range fairly frequently, the ex doesn't mind at all. Anyhow I had an interesting request the other weekend my daughter was wondering if she could bring one of her good friends along. Her friends family isn't anti to what I understand but don't wn any guns either. So I said with permission from her parent(s) it would be fine, and I would prefer to speak with one of them over the phone explaining the plan. ( I typicaly use a 22 for firearms introdution, and provide hearing / eye protection etc. )

 

[ajax]

Because their on the computer at (my space.com) and they don't feel like getting off their asses unless its to go to McDonalds. Fattest country in the world the U.S. of A. and the midwest in particular and I can say this being that I live here in the midwest and know of a few young people just like I described.

 

[Keith Wheeler]

What really gets me are the number of kids who play WWII shoot 'em up games (which I find not just a little bit disturbing, and I was in college when Doom came out) who have no idea that Garands and Carbines are real things that you can go out and learn to shoot.

I think that there's just a challenge getting most people from our society to do anything. My younger brother loves to play race car games, but he never put the same effort into his real race car (SCCA Solo II). He expects it all to be like the game. Now the car is just gathering dust, but the "Box" is used all the time. Games are cheap and easy -- if they're too hard they won't sell. Games are designed to suck you in. A lot of real things -- sushi, scotch, shooting a .30-06 -- require a certain amount of "sticking to it" to find out just how good they are. The current attitude, unfortunately, is "here we are now, entertain us".

Another thing I find strange is how it seems to be the same group of people who claim that kids don't learn anything at school and the media is turning them into murderous immoral outlaws also turn around and claim that its the schools and media's fault they aren't interested in guns.