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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.

 

August Is National Shooting Sports Month

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National Shooting Sports Month® in August provides the perfect opportunity for experienced target shooters and newcomers alike to head to a shooting range in your area and experience what millions of Americans have long appreciated — that a day at the range is a day of fun!

This 31-day celebration of the shooting sports, developed by the National Shooting Sports Foundation® (NSSF®) in 2017, reminds people that everyone can enjoy these safe, fun and social activities. It’s also the perfect time for an experienced shooter to mentor a newcomer in a sport that can provide a lifetime of enjoyment at every skill level.

National Shooting Sports Month has been growing steadily since its inception three years ago. This year’s celebration includes more than 2,000 events at ranges and retailers across the country — a new record! — and all-new Gearbox Giveaway drawings for some stellar prize packs. Experienced shooters will also discover how they can give the shooting sports a boost when they mentor someone new as part of NSSF’s nationwide +ONESM Movement.

“When you take someone to the shooting range, whether a newcomer or an experienced shooter, youth or adult, you’re going to have a good time,” said Zach Snow, NSSF Director, Retail & Range Business Development. “Whether it’s breaking clay targets, knocking down steel plates or shooting long distance, the shooting sports are exciting, safe and social. A day at the range is a day making memories.”

The information hub for National Shooting Sports Month and its numerous Gearbox Giveaways is LetsGoShooting.org. There you can learn information about dozens of target-shooting sports involving rifle, shotgun and handgun either in a recreational or competitive format. You’ll also find the shooting ranges and firearms retailers near you, learn about National Shooting Sports Month events in your state, enter the Gearbox Giveaways, print targets, watch instructional videos and learn how to safely handle and store firearms.

For those taking the +ONE Pledge and mentoring someone new, NSSF’s Range Safety and Etiquette video is a great way to kick off that first visit to a range for both. “Extend that invitation,” encouraged Snow. “You’ll be glad you did.”

Snow suggests the use of the hashtag #LetsGoShooting on social media, saying, “Sharing your experience reminds others of what they’re missing and encourages them to spend a day at the range,” said Snow. “It’s going to be a great month, and we want to know how everyone is celebrating.”

10 Ways to Celebrate National Shooting Sports Month

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Shooting ranges and firearms retailers are invited to be part of the first National Shooting Sports Month this August by listing their shooting events, programs, and promotions at Shootingsportsmonth.org.

The excitement of having your shot break a flying clay target or knock over a steel plate (clang!) and then sharing the fun of that experience awaits all who participate in National Shooting Sports Month this August.

The National Shooting Sports Foundation declared this 31-day celebration to encourage you to spend trigger time at a local shooting range.

Here are 10 ways to celebrate National Shooting Sports Month. If you think of others, please share them on social media and use the hashtag #LETSGOSHOOTING.

  1. Bring Someone New
    There’s nothing quite like seeing the excitement on a friend’s face after they take their first shots. Bring a friend or family member to the range for the first time.
  2. Try Something New
    Are you a hardcore handgun shooter? Then pick up a shotgun and give sporting clays a try. Are you primarily a shotgun shooter? Then hone your handgun skills or sign up for a local International Defensive Pistol Association (IDPA) match.
  3. Rediscover Shooting
    Haven’t shot in a while? Dust off your shooting gear and head to the range, preferably with a friend. Learn a new game, like action pistol or skeet shooting.
  4. Find an Event Near You
    At Shootingsportsmonth.org you’ll find National Shooting Sports Month events at ranges and retailers across the country. If there’s not an event listed in your area, use the website to locate a range near you to enjoy a fun, safe day of target shooting.
  5. Make it a Date
    Ask your spouse, partner, boyfriend or girlfriend to go shooting. You’ll have a great time together. By the way, women are the fastest growing segment in target shooting (and hunting), and more gear than ever is being designed for their fit and comfort.
  6. Cash in on Deals
    Retailers and ranges will be offering specials during National Shooting Sports Month. You can find a participating business near you and take advantage of these offers.
  7. Practice Firearm Safety
    The shooting sports are safe. As a responsible gun owner, you can demonstrate how to safely handle your firearms on the firing line and securely store them when they’re not in use.
  8. 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 participating possible.
  9. Share it!
    #LetsGoShooting is the theme of National Shooting Sports Month. Share the hashtag and your experiences on your social media networks, and remind others to give target shooting a try.
  10. Win a Great Prize!
    Finally, enter the sweepstakes at Shootingsportsmonth.org and have a chance to win great prizes from National Shooting Sports Month sponsors.

 

 

Clubs: List Your Events for National Shooting Sports Month

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Shooting ranges and firearms retailers are invited to be part of the first National Shooting Sports Month this August by listing their shooting events, programs, and promotions at www.shootingsportsmonth.org.

With a theme of #LetsGoShooting, this coast-to-coast celebration will focus the public’s attention on the fun and enjoyment of target shooting. Newcomers will be shown how they can take their first shots, and experienced shooters will be encouraged to invite someone new to the range or contact someone who hasn’t touched their shooting gear for a while to help them rediscover the fun of target shooting.

NSSF asks ranges and retailers to participate by listing their August events and sales promotions at www.shootingsportsmonth.org so that consumers can find all the information they need to take part in the celebration. Getting noticed is easy:

• Add your planned August events and/or sales promotions to the National Events Calendar.
• Utilize the Promotional Toolkit provided by NSSF to connect your event, sales promotions, classes and programs to National Shooting Sports Month in August. The kit includes promotional flyers, the National Shooting Sports Month logo for your website and print materials, and tips on promoting the celebration through social media.

Manufacturers can participate by helping to promote National Shooting Sports Month through their websites and social media, and through sponsorships, with packages designed to solidly connect your brand with the shooting public — especially the thousands of new shooters who will be heading to the range for the first time. Conservation, hunting and target shooting organizations also are encouraged to help promote National Shooting Sports Month to their members by using the logo on their websites and in their communications.

An estimated 40 million Americans participate in target shooting sports, and millions more have said they’re interested in learning about shotgun, rifle, and handgun shooting, according to research by the National Shooting Sports Foundation, the trade association for the firearms industry. With so many eager to give shooting a try, National Shooting Sports Month is an idea whose time clearly has arrived.

Need more information or help on how to become more involved and spread the word? Contact Zach Snow, NSSF Director, Shooting Range Services, at zsnow@nssf.org; 203-426-1320 ext. 224.

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