As I've been shouting from the rooftops, I see exponential growth at all the matches that I attend. More proof that gun ownership is growing. Shooting Sports’ Numbers are Swelling Among Teens Yes, breaking clays and nailing bull’s eyes have gained traction among American teens and young adults. Not long ago, we pointed out a feature the Washington Post did on the uptick of competitive college shooters. Now, of all places, Bloomberg News notes the growth of high school athletes crowding the firing line. As shocking as it might be, the namesake media outlet of one of America’s most notorious anti-gunners (Michael Bloomberg) does a fairly decent job documenting this trend. One of the article’s main focuses is the Minnesota State High School Clay Target League Championship. And this one competition in and of itself shows exactly how fast high schoolers’ interest in shooting sports has blossomed: In 2009, the contest’s first year, it drew 30 shooters. In June there were 5,134, more than 20,000 spectators and sponsors including Benelli Armi SpA and SKB Shotguns. Trap shooting is the fastest-growing sport in Minnesota high schools, and was recently introduced in neighboring Wisconsin and North Dakota. An article in the Minneapolis Star Tribune from a year ago also noted traps growing popularity with teens, as well. In fact, it points out, shooting sports have more prep participants now than hockey in the Gopher State!: …o many kids are involved that about 1,800 were turned away this year, because of a capacity shortage at ranges. A recently approved $2 million legislative grant program is intended to help alleviate the deficiency. In both articles, Jim Sable is pointed to as a catalyst to the resurgence of youth shooting sports. After retiring as an advertising executive in 2001, the Minnesota resident founded what has become the USA State High School Clay Target League. His motivation in creating what has become one of the prime movers in competitive youth shooting was breathing life back into what he feared to be a dying sport. Sable’s work appears to be paying off since the Great North Woods isn’t the only place where a renewed interest in shooting sports is taking root. According to the Bloomberg article, schools in Arizona, South Dakota, Illinois and Kansas are all set to field teams next year. No matter how you cut it, this is incredible news for anyone who loves shooting — competitive and otherwise. These young men and women are the voices and guardians of our Second Amendment Rights in the not too distant future. It is heartening to hear their ranks are swelling. More importantly, this emerging trend is wonderful for these young athletes. There are the obvious benefits of learning sportsmanship, discipline and competitiveness. But also, these youths are picking up an activity, more aptly a passion, that lasts a lifetime.
The Junior Olympic shotgun event that recently took place at the USOTC range in Fort Carson, Colorado had massive increases in participation-and this is the International shotgun events that don't have near as many places for training as standard ATA Trap (for example, there is only one active Olympic trap facility within 3 hours of cincinnati but there are at least 200 ATA traps) a local catholic high school-hamilton Badin has a trap team and our gun club was used for the Badin Trap invitational a few weeks ago and had almost 100 shooters and its only going to be bigger next year. I shot for Yale many years ago and the Eastern Collegiate shotgun championships featured about ten schools back then-Yale, Coast Guard, Army, Dartmouth, Southern Conn. State College, New Hampshire College, the University of New Hampshire, Cornell and a few others. Now that event which was normally held in New Hampshire, has many more schools, I believe Harvard now has a team for example.
I don't even like shotguns. Is there any chance that you guys could get back to shooting real pigeons? I could bring you some.
I'm glad to hear that, I shot biathlon in junior high and high school, I still have my old competition rifle...Unfortunately they have taken shooting sports out of most schools.
Young people are very willing to get involved in shooting sports. Moreover, once they do - they realize that they have no desire to shoot anyone, and thus the state is violating their liberty on the risk that they might become a criminal. Every single person I have ever taken shooting has come out of it with a perspective more in favor of gun liberties than when they went in, even those who were hesitant or scared of the firearm. Nothing blows apart statist myths like the exercise of a liberty.
Why would we want to shoot live pigeons? If I want to shoot at a live bird, I go get a bird licence,and go hunting. Are you going to release 500 live pigeons, that is typically how many clay pigeons we go though when shooting .
The Passenger Pigeon once existed in the billions. It was with them that the sport of "trap" (get it? "trap"?) shooting began and gained popularity. They were really and truly brought to the range in traps. When the shooter would call out: "pull!", he was instructing someone to pull the cord that would open the top of the trap, thus releasing the bird. This is good. It provides sport for people, and rids us of those nasty little beasts. IMO, pigeons are not birds at all. Maybe I'm a bird bigot.
