NSSF Archives - Scholastic Action Shooting Program

August is National Shooting Sports Month

Written on August 3, 2018.

NEWTOWN, CT — August is National Shooting Sports Month®, a time to celebrate one of America’s great pastimes — target shooting — a safe, fun activity enjoyed by millions of people across the country, with millions more wanting to take their first shots.

Research by the National Shooting Sports Foundation® (NSSF®) shows that 24 million Americans are very interested in learning about the shooting sports, making National Shooting Sports Month the perfect time for someone to give target shooting a try. There are dozens of sports from which to choose, from hitting steel targets with handguns and rifles to breaking clay targets in the shotgun sports of trap, skeet and sporting clays.

“The shooting sports truly offer something for everyone,” said Steve Sanetti, NSSF President and CEO. “A day at the range gives people an opportunity to tune out distractions, learn a new skill, socialize and share their experiences.”

LetsGoShooting.org, a new website developed by NSSF, is the place to find information about National Shooting Sports Month and the many target shooting sports available. At LetsGoShooting.org, you can also find a shooting range or firearms retailer near you, learn about shooting and sales events, print targets, watch instructional videos and learn how to safely handle and store firearms.

And don’t forget the Trigger Time Sweepstakes, which is a big part of National Shooting Sports Month. You’ll be able to enter the sweepstakes at LetsGoShooting.org for a chance to win great prizes totaling more than $35,000 in weekly drawings.

NSSF, the trade association for the firearms industry, launched National Shooting Sports Month last year to great success. During that time, recent shooting sports trends, such as more women taking up target shooting and more first-time participants, were obvious at ranges and firearms retailers across the country.

“One of the many people interested in trying target shooting may well be in your family — a daughter, son or spouse — or a friend just waiting for you to ask them to spend a day at the range,” said NSSF’s Zach Snow, Director of Shooting Range Services. “Extend that invitation — you’ll be glad you did.”

Don’t have a mentor? No problem. Shooting ranges work with newcomers all the time and can help you get started with safe, supervised instruction.

Snow encourages the use of the hashtag #LetsGoShooting on social media. “Tell us about your experience on our Facebook page, share your Instagram and Twitter posts,” he said. “It’s going to be fun month, and we want to know how everyone is celebrating.”

Spend a day at the range. Learn more about National Shooting Sports Month and target shooting at LetsGoShooting.org.

August Is National Shooting Sports Month!

Written on August 1, 2017.

NEWTOWN, Conn. — There are countless celebration days and months in America, and now the shooting sports have one of their own. The National Shooting Sports Foundation has declared August to be National Shooting Sports Month, a time to celebrate one of America’s great pastimes — target shooting — and to encourage newcomers and experienced shooters to #LETSGOSHOOTING.

NSSF developed the celebration month to focus the attention of everyone in the shooting sports community — shooting ranges, firearms retailers, manufacturers and recreational shooters — on the fun and excitement of target shooting.

An estimated 50 million Americans participate in target shooting sports, and millions more have expressed interest in learning about rifle, shotgun and handgun shooting, according to NSSF research.

“With so much going on in people’s lives today, the shooting sports offer an opportunity to tune out distractions, learn a new skill, socialize and share their experiences,” said NSSF President and CEO Steve Sanetti. “It’s important to remember to pass on our traditions and to reflect on our unique freedoms that make participating in them possible.”

Experienced shooters are encouraged to introduce family members and friends to this rewarding lifetime activity, and newcomers without mentors will discover a safe, supportive introduction to recreational shooting at a range near them.

To help people find ways to celebrate, NSSF has launched www.ShootingSportsMonth.org. Among its many interactive features, the site contains an easy range search by state, events and sales promotions across the country and many other resources for target shooters of all skill levels.

Safety, of course, goes hand in hand with enjoying the shooting sports. Following safe firearms handling procedures and securely storing firearms when not in use are priorities for shooters. Find more about firearm safety at www.ShootingSportsMonth.org.

“It’s going to be fun month,” said Zach Snow, NSSF Director, Shooting Range Services. “And we want to know how everyone is celebrating. Tell us on our Facebook page, share your Instagram and Twitter posts with the hashtag #LetsGoShooting, let’s make this month one to remember.”

Learn more at ShootingSportsMonth.org.

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About NSSF
The National Shooting Sports Foundation is the trade association for the firearms industry. Its mission is to promote, protect and preserve hunting and the shooting sports. Formed in 1961, NSSF has a membership of more than 12,000 manufacturers, distributors, firearms retailers, shooting ranges, sportsmen’s organizations and publishers. For more information, visit www.nssf.org.

2017 NSSF Boy Scout Grant Program Goes Live

Written on May 9, 2017.

The National Shooting Sports Foundation has announced the launch of its annual grants partnership with the Boy Scouts of America Councils. Through this partnership, BSA Councils can receive a portion of $100,000 in NSSF-provided grant funds to develop or expand their troop activities in target shooting and marksmanship. Target shooting programs continue to rank among Scouting’s most popular activities, teaching firearms and range safety, teamwork building and fundraising skills.

This seventh year of supporting the BSA Council Grant Program in this manner brings with it a new level of excitement. Safety and marksmanship training through the Boy Scouts is a time-honored introduction to the shooting sports. With recreational shooters and hunters alike realizing they’re living in an era of renewed enthusiasm for their sports, we’re looking forward to increased participation from Scouts pursuing badges in these activities and then taking those new skills afield for a lifetime of enjoyment.

BSA Councils wishing to apply for grants should visit the grant guidelines and application procedures at nssf.org/bsagrant. Councils awarded funds through NSSF’s BSA Grant Program must use those grants to purchase of equipment and supplies for their shooting sports activities from an NSSF Member Retailer. The full list of these retailers is available at nssf.org/retailers/find. Examples of qualifying purchases are ammunition, eye and ear protection, firearms, targets and shooting vests. For more information on this special program and qualifications, contact me at zsnow@nssf.org or 203-426-1320 ext. 224.

SSSF, Project ChildSafe® Partner on Firearm Safety Education

Written on February 3, 2015.

The Scholastic Shooting Sports Foundation (SSSF) is joining forces with Project ChildSafe to help promote responsible firearm handling and storage.

“Our shared history with the Scholastic Shooting Sports Foundation makes this partnership a natural fit, and SSSF’s many student athletes are outstanding ambassadors of safe firearms handling and storage for young people and adults,” said Steve Sanetti, president and CEO of the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF), which launched Project ChildSafe in 1999.

SSSF is focused on sharing the tradition of shooting sports with future generations. It encourages safe and responsible firearm handling through its team-based shooting training, which allows student athletes to learn, practice, and compete in programs like the Scholastic Clay Target Program and Scholastic Pistol Program.

“With more than 12,000 student athletes participating on over 800 teams across the country, we cannot overstate the importance of safety education as a component of the shooting sports tradition,” said Ben Berka, SSSF’s President and Executive Director. “By working with Project ChildSafe to pass this education through our athletes to their families and their communities, we can foster safe enjoyment of the shooting sports and take steps that can directly help prevent firearm accidents.”

NSSF, the trade association of the firearms industry, launched Project ChildSafe in 1999 as a nationwide initiative to promote firearms responsibility and encourage proper storage of firearms when they are not in use. Its mission is to help prevent firearm accidents through the distribution of safety education information and free firearm safety kits, which include a cable-style gun lock. Through vital partnerships with law enforcement agencies across the country, Project ChildSafe has distributed more than 36 million firearms safety kits and gun locks to gun owners in all 50 states and five U.S. Territories.

Get a Safety Kit

Click to find a law enforcement agency with gun safety kits available

SSSF joins a growing list of leaders in the hunting, conservation and shooting sports industries that have endorsed and supported Project ChildSafe’ s mission and its message of “Own It? Respect it. Secure it.”

More About Project ChildSafe

Project ChildSafe is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt charity supported through contributions from diverse public sources to Project ChildSafe, Inc. To learn more about Project ChildSafe, visit www.projectchildsafe.org.

About NSSF

The National Shooting Sports Foundation is the trade association for the firearms industry. Its mission is to promote, protect and preserve hunting and the shooting sports. Formed in 1961, NSSF has a membership of more than 10,000 manufacturers, distributors, firearms retailers, shooting ranges, sportsmen’s organizations and publishers. For more information, visit www.nssf.org.

About SSSF

The Scholastic Shooting Sports Foundation (SSSF) is a 501(c)(3) organization supported by contributions from the industry and the public to promote youth development through the shooting sports. SSSF exists to raise funding and other resources for youth development programs in the shooting sports industry. It is responsible for all aspects of the Scholastic Clay Target Program and Scholastic Pistol Program across the United States. To learn more, visit www.sssfonline.org.

Firearms Safety Depends on You

Written on November 21, 2014.

From the time you pick up a firearm, you become part of a system over which you have complete control. You are the only part of the system that can make a gun safe — or unsafe.

Here are 10 basics of gun handling that you must know, courtesy of the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF):

1. Always keep the muzzle pointed in a safe direction.
2. Firearms should be unloaded when not actually in use.
3. Don’t rely on your gun’s “Safety.”
4. Be sure of your target and what’s beyond it.
5. Use correct ammunition.
6. If your gun fails to fire when the trigger is pulled, handle with care!
7. Always wear eye and ear protection when shooting.
8. Be sure the barrel is clear of obstructions before shooting.
9. Don’t alter or modify your gun, and have guns serviced regularly.
10. Learn the mechanical and handling characteristics of the firearm you are using.

NSSF has developed a booklet that explains each of these gun safety rules in detail. You can view or download it here.

NSSF also offers other safety literature for use by individuals, families, or shooting teams. You can find it at www.nssf.org/safety/lit/.

NSSF Report: Unintentional Firearms Fatalities at Historic Low

Written on October 30, 2014.

Click on image to view report

Among the uninitiated, there is a common misconception that where there are guns, there must be accidental discharges and deaths as a result. But the facts could not be further from the truth! Findings of the National Safety Council show that unintentional firearms fatalities remain at historically low levels. In fact, the number of unintentional firearms-related fatalities has declined by 57 percent over the past two decades. The statistics prove that firearm safety training is effective.

Some of the interesting findings in the 2014 Edition of Firearms-Related Injury Statistics, compiled by the NSSF, include:

Firearms are involved in fewer than 1⁄2-percent of all unintentional fatalities in the United States. In a side-by-side comparison, firearms rank among the lowest causes of injury.
Firearms are involved in less than 1.8 percent of unintentional fatalities among children 14 years of age and under and are among the least likely causes of unintentional fatality.
As firearms safety education programs have increased, the number of unintentional firearms-related fatalities has decreased.
Over the past 10 years, the unintentional firearm fatality rate per 100,000 population has declined by 33 percent; since the beginning of record-keeping in 1903, this rate has declined by 94 percent!
Among fatal accidents at home, firearms rate well below poisoning, falls, natural heat and cold, mechanical suffocation, and many other categories.

NSSF has compiled statistics from agencies independent of the gun industry, such as the National Safety Council, to demonstrate the relative safety of firearms ownership and the effectiveness of firearms safety training as a deterrent to accidental discharges. We suggest that you download and print the report to keep handy for those times when you need facts to support your assertions about firearms safety training.

View and download the NSSF report.

NSSF Infographic: The Changing Face of Today’s Target Shooter

Written on September 25, 2014.

A new infographic from the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) tells the story, at a glance, of the growing number of new target shooting enthusiasts and how they’re surprisingly different from established shooters. The report clearly affirms the premise of the SSSF that our programs present equal opportunity to shooters, regardless of age or gender.

Newcomers — defined as those who have taken up target shooting in the last five years — are trending younger and female; also, they are city and suburban dwellers. In these ways, they are quite different from established participants and, as a result, are changing the face of target shooters in America. This influx of newcomers also underscores that the traditional pastimes of handgun, rifle, and shotgun target shooting continue to have a broad appeal to new generations of Americans.

Driven by newcomers, target shooting participation has leaped by 19 percent, from 34.4 million in 2009 to 40.8 million in 2012. That’s a 6.4 million increase; by comparison, golf and some other traditional activities have seen their participant base decline by millions.

Although they may be different in age and gender, newcomers share one important thing with established participants — their passion for firearms ownership and the shooting sports.

Tag: NSSF