NSSA - National Skeet Shooting Association

The National Skeet Shooting Association is the world's largest organization dedicated to the sport of Skeet Shooting.

Tips to Prevent Gun Theft, from Sportsman’s Insurance

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Whether you’re traveling to San Antonio for the World Skeet Championships or National Sporting Clays Championship, or just to your local club, your trip is officially ruined if your gun is stolen! One moment of carelessness can leave your shotgun vulnerable to thieves. We asked our friends at Sportsman’s Insurance Agency, Inc. to share some tips on how not to be a victim of gun theft.

We’re looking forward to your arrival in San Antonio to participate in the World Skeet Championships and National Sporting Clays Championship. Sportsman’s Insurance has been providing insurance to NSSA-NSCA and its members for over 30 years. What follows are suggestions we’ve shared with our customers to help them protect their firearm investment and lower their risk of theft.

Before starting, we’d like to stress that “situational awareness” is the most important concept for protecting yourself as well as your firearms. Situational awareness is being aware of what is happening around you in terms of where you are, where you are supposed to be, and whether anyone or anything around you is a threat to your health and safety.

ONSITE STORAGE:

The safest option is to take advantage of the onsite storage service offered by the National Shooting Complex. The fee is $5 per day, per firearm, which is far less expensive than the cost to replace your firearm.

Secure onsite storage means you have less worries, freeing you to enjoy after-hours activities, eliminating the concern of theft from your vehicle or hotel room.

LEAVING THE GUN CLUB:

The majority of firearm thefts are from vehicles. If you choose not to store your firearms, we recommend that when you leave the club you drive directly to your hotel room to secure your firearms and shooting-related items before attending evening activities.

STORING YOUR GUNS IN YOUR VEHICLE:

If circumstances prevent you from going directly to your hotel, we recommend prior planning for protecting your firearms. For example, we know from experience that your firearm is NOT secured when lying exposed on the back seat of your vehicle. Prior to leaving the club, store your firearms on the floorboard or at the rear of your SUV, where the windows might be tinted. In addition, toss a blanket over the firearms, trying not to make it obvious that something might be underneath.

Note: Your shooting vest is not a good substitute for a blanket.

If eating at a restaurant, we recommend that you try to park your vehicle in sight. Also, choose a well-lit section of the parking lot to park your vehicle. Lastly, don’t forget to remove the NSSA-NSCA hangtag from your rearview mirror.

MAINTAIN A LOW PROFILE:

We recommend that you take an objective look at your vehicle to determine what message you’re sending to thieves, who are looking for crimes of opportunity. We’ve seen vehicles where bumper stickers and decals literally turn the vehicle into an advertising billboard, teasing potential thieves that firearms might be inside.

A thief will view your vehicle as an opportunity for a smash and grab. In as little as 60 seconds, you’ll lose everything.

CLEANING YOUR FIREARM:

It’s not uncommon to see someone cleaning their firearm on their truck tailgate, just before leaving the gun club. While you’re cleaning, this is an excellent time to exercise your situational awareness skills to help you spot potential problems.

Pro tip: It’s never a good idea to clean your firearm in the parking lot of your hotel.

LEAVING FOR HOME:

While it might be tempting to load up your vehicle with as much as possible before you turn in for the night, we recommend you consider an alternative. Load your firearms and shooting-related items just before your morning departure.

Hopefully you’ll find these tips useful no matter where travels take you.

For your convenience, Sportsman’s Insurance Agency agents will be available onsite, in the NSC clubhouse, during each event.
 

Win VIP Package with Purchase of 2 Raffle Tickets

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NSSA-NSCA has two big gun raffles underway, and buying a ticket for each can net you a huge reward! If you purchase both a Kolar shotgun raffle ticket and a Krieghoff K-80 raffle ticket, you will not only be entered to win both of these shotguns, but you’ll also be entered to win your choice of either a 2024 World Skeet Championships VIP Package or 2024 National Sporting Clays Championship VIP Package. Buying multiple pairs of tickets will get your name entered for each pair. If you have previously purchased the pair of tickets, your name will be automatically entered for the event VIP package.

If you select the 2024 National Championship VIP Package, as the winner you would receive the following prizes for next year’s Nationals:

  • Free Main Event Entry (options not included)
  • Free K-Kup Entry (options not included)
  • 100 Practice Sporting Clays Targets
  • VIP Parking Spot
  • 2 NSCA Hall of Fame Banquet Tickets
  • Shotgun Storage for Two Guns for the Duration of the Event
  • 1 National Championship Shirt and 1 National Championship Cap

If you select the 2024 World Skeet Championships VIP Package, you would receive the following for next year’s World Shoot:

  • Mini World Event Entry, All Guns (no options)
  • Main World Entry, All Guns (no options)
  • VIP Parking Spot
  • 10 Rounds of Skeet Practice
  • Shotgun Storage for Two Guns for Duration of the Event
  • 2 NSSA Hall of Fame Banquet Tickets
  • 1 World Championships Shirt and 1 World Championships Cap

Here are the two shotguns you can win in the raffles:

Kolar 12-gauge over/under shotgun valued at $30,000. All proceeds of this raffle will go to the NSSA-NSCA Endowment Fund. The gun is a Regal Extra model with cloisonne pheasant inlaid on the receiver. It has a 32-inch flat-rib barrel. Only 600 tickets will be sold at $100 each, and the drawing will be held on October 5 during the 2023 World Skeet Championships. The raffle is open to NSSA-NSCA members and non-members who are U.S. residents. 

Krieghoff K-80 over/under shotgun valued at $22,745. This is the annual Krieghoff K-80 shotgun raffle benefiting the USA Sporting Clays Team and the Krieghoff All-American programs for both NSCA and NSSA. The drawing will be held during the National Sporting Clays Championship. The prize gun is a K-80 Pro Sporter Parcours Special III with 30-inch O/U Pro Sporter barrels with adjustable rib. It will have an engraved nickel finish and #3FRA/#7 forend Pro Sporter stock of Cat003 wood.

To purchase tickets for both raffles, call Glynne Moseley at 210-688-3371 ext. 270 or Sheri Giles at 210-688-3371 ext. 212. Both gun drawings will be held on October 27 during the National Sporting Clays Championship.
 

10 Ways to Enjoy National Shooting Sports Month in August

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August is National Shooting Sports Month, and America’s firearm owners will find it a great time to spend a day at the range enjoying their favorite target-shooting sports with friends and family members. It’s also a time for millions of first-time gun owners to check out all the shooting sports have to offer.

Developed by NSSF, the firearms industry trade association, National Shooting Sports Month is marking its seventh year of celebrating the great American pastime of target shooting. Whether you enjoy shattering clay targets with a shotgun, hearing the clang of hitting steel plates with a handgun, or hitting a target 100 yards away with a rifle, the shooting sports have something for you. Target shooting is fun, safe, and welcoming to those who have never fired their first shots. More than 63 million adults and youth participate in target shooting sports.

Here are 10 ways to enjoy National Shooting Sports Month:

1. Mentoring/+ONE Movement
It helps to have a mentor show you the ropes when learning a new activity. NSSF’s +ONE Movement asks experienced shooters to guide newcomers and novices on how to safely handle firearms and develop their marksmanship skills. Experienced shooters can help secure the future of shooting sports by taking the +ONE pledge to introduce someone new to target shooting this August!

2. Win a Great Prize!
The #RangeChallenge offers an ongoing series of target-shooting challenges and incentives that promotes firearm safety, mentorship, training, and shooting sports awareness. Shooters can request an official #RangeChallenge target from a partnering range or download one from the website. Read the contest rules, shoot your target and enter to win one of 10 gift cards valued at $500.00 each. Learn more.

3. A Date at the Range
Make it a date! Ask your spouse, partner, boyfriend, or girlfriend to go target shooting with you. You’ll have a great time together. Women are the fastest growing group in target shooting, and more gear than ever has been designed for their fit and comfort. Don’t have someone to go with? Call the range and ask about their leagues and training classes.

4. Rediscover Shooting
Haven’t shot in a while? Dust off your shooting gear — always check to see if firearms are loaded when removing them from storage — and call an old shooting buddy or ask a family member to join you. Clay target sports such as skeet and sporting clays are perfect for socializing.

5. What to Expect at the Range
Safety orientation, range rules, range officers … there are things you need to know about if you haven’t spent much time at a target shooting range, or perhaps you need to refresh your memory. You can brush up on the rules, safety, and etiquette in the NSSA Rule Book and NSCA Rule Book.

6. #LetsGoShooting
#LetsGoShooting is the theme of National Shooting Sports Month. Share the hashtag and your experiences on your favorite social media networks and remind others to head out to the range for a day of fun and socializing. Discover the skill-building and fun other target shooters are having at the range by following the #LetsGoShooting feeds.

7. Cash in on Deals
Retailers and ranges will be offering specials during National Shooting Sports Month at thousands of events nationwide. Find a participating business near you to take advantage of these offers at ShootingSportsmonth.org.

8. Tune Up for Hunting Season
Many people are taking up hunting because they’re interested in harvesting their own healthful food. A trip to a firearm retailer or range can provide answers on how to get started hunting, such as enrolling in a hunter education course and practicing your shooting to be ready in time for the fall seasons. NSSF’s LetsGoHunting.org website has loads of information.

9. Practice Safe Firearm Handling and Storage
National Shooting Sports Month is a good time to enroll in a firearm training course. Need an instructor? You can find an NSSA Certified Instructor or an NSCA Certified Instructor for training. The shooting sports are safe. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. Responsible gun owners safely handle their firearms and securely store them when not in use — at home, in vehicles, and at the range. Thanks to responsible gun owners and programs like NSSF’s Project ChildSafe, fatal firearms accidents are at historic low levels.

10. Celebrate Freedom and Tradition
In addition to passing on the great tradition of target shooting, you can educate others about the unique American freedoms that make firearm ownership and the shooting sports possible. See NSSF’s Proud to be a Firearms Owner pocket card and video and also learn about NSSF’s Gun Owners Care.

Remember, help make others aware of the great pastime of target shooting by sharing your experiences on social media and using the hashtag #LetsGoShooting and #RangeChallenge.

 

Beware: The Heat Is Upon Us

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The heat all across the lower half of the U.S. is outrageously high, and shooters are at an increased risk for heat cramps, heat exhaustion, and heat stroke. This is all a continuous spectrum of heat-related illness. Dr. Dan Fisher of Chattanooga, an NSCA Level 2 instructor, warns us of some risk factors that you might need to consider.

First, your age. Shooters older than 60-65 are at an increased risk. Many shooters this age are not in good physical shape. Second, your overall condition. If you have cardiovascular disease and/or diabetes, you are at big risk. Third, your weight. If your BMI is over 35, watch out. Temperature regulation for you might be a problem. Fourth, your degree of acclimatization. If you are not used to excessive heat, danger could be on your horizon. If you have several of these risk factors, your risk goes up dramatically.

Dr. Fisher has several basic recommendations to keep you out of trouble. First, know yourself. Don’t ask yourself to try to do something that is beyond your physical capabilities. If you get overheated, stop immediately and cool off. Second, if possible, try to shoot in the morning between 8 a.m.-noon. The sun is not your friend. Third, consider eating something for breakfast. Milk is actually a good fluid for rehydration. Fourth, pre-load with fluids. Dr. Fisher feels strongly that the literature on the subject recommends fluids with some sort of sodium supplement — not just plain water. There are many sports drinks on the market, all with different levels of sodium in them. Fifth, drink plenty of fluids while shooting. This might be as much as 12-16 ounces of fluid per hour if it is terribly hot. This also may depend on how much you sweat and the humidity of the environment in which you are shooting. Remember that sweating is the body’s elaborate way to cool down under most physiologic circumstances. Sixth, consider shooting shells with less recoil to conserve energy on a hot day.

Competitive shooters are always looking for a top-notch performance. If your fluid and electrolyte balance is off-kilter, there is no doubt that your mental and physical performance will be affected. Plan ahead for the heat, and with these suggestions, you just may manage to avoid something as bad as heat exhaustion and stroke. If nothing else, you might just see and shoot better. Remember, only you can prevent these potentially life-threatening symptoms.

Shooter beware! An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

Thanks to Dr. Dan Fisher, a physician and shooting instructor, for these valuable tips to keep you safe while shooting this summer.

NSCA Legend Lois Neely Passes

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It is with heavy hearts and profound sadness that we announce the passing of Lois Neely, a true legend and cherished member of the sporting clays community. Lois departed this world on July 10, 2023, leaving behind a legacy that will forever be etched in the minds and hearts of our industry. Lois dedicated her life to sporting clays tournaments with an unwavering commitment to excellence, skill and service to our sportsmen. Her career began with the NSSA in member services in 1985. She moved to the NSCA in 1989, the first staff member to solely focus on the NSCA at headquarters, with member services until December of 1996 when she became the lead of the NSCA as Assistant Director.

In 2000, Lois struck out on her own as WyShotgun and offered tournament administration services to gun clubs throughout the country. Lois stayed on the NSCA Rules Committee and Hall of Fame Committee for another 10 years as an at-large member due to her knowledge of the game. Lois ran registration for every NSCA National Championship held in San Antonio from 1990 to 2022. Her tireless efforts earned her a spot in the NSCA Hall of Fame as a recipient of the Hal DuPont Service Award in 2021.

Our friend’s memory will forever live through the countless experiences, profound knowledge, and exuberant personality she generously shared with us. Funeral arrangement details will be provided when information is available. Let us be patient, understanding, and supportive during this difficult period, granting her family the necessary time and space to heal.

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