On the flip side, the U.S. Civilian Marksmanship Program releases an annual report, and within it is the quote:
This does not strike me as a great number of people for the U.S. The National Rifle Association is affiliated with or sanctions other target shooting competitions—over 10,000 per this link—but I’m having trouble teasing out the total number of competitors (and then avoiding Nth-counting). I don’t know if all of the myriad styles of shooting sports competitions (e.g., Silhouette, Steel) are under the auspices of the NRA, or just traditional, punch holes in paper kinds. I do know the NRA is affiliated with the Bianchi Cup, an “action pistol” or ‘practical’ style of competition. (Though nothing says practical like a race gun with a magazine sticking out four inches beyond the butt or a 3 inch red-dot sight on the top of it…) I do not know whether other organizations like IPSC, USPSA, or IDPA, are counted within the NRA’s totals, and in any event, total numbers of competitors are hard for me to come by. Marketing professionals for firearms and airgun manufacturers surely have better data on the total number of target shooters in the U.S. I wish they’d share.
As to why it isn’t more popular, my guess is that it is due to the lack of affordable shooting areas, compared to the past—as MdCastleman points out—and an overall increase in general cost. I’ll use myself as an example (it is IMHO, after all.). Growing up, I had the opportunity to compete weekly in .22 rifle, four-position shooting, on land that was part of a city park, IIRC. We’d also drive out to a private range for center-fire rifle practice. Even this was more restrictive than my father’s upbringing, where he could literally go off the back porch and go deer hunting or shooting in general. I don’t recall the costs being onerous, though perhaps they were. Reloading centerfire ammunition was a lot less expensive then than now. The components were less expensive: bullets, brass, primers, powder. Factory ammunition also seems much more expensive now than in the past, though I’d like some hard numbers on just how cheap it was back then, and whether the increased prices have outpaced or lagged inflation.
Now, if I want to shoot a pistol, I need to: have a pistol (~$200 for a .22, ~$400 and up for a centerfire. One can also rent at ~$10-20 per pistol, per session.), find a range (most around Houston start at $8 per hour, and many go much higher than that), shoot ammunition that costs ~15 per 100 (.22LR) to 20 per 50 (dirt cheap Winchester White box 9mm) to 30 per 25 (premium 9mm). It all adds up, especially if you shoot 100 rounds or more during a session, which is extremely easy to do with a pistol. High-power’s even worse. The cheapest .223 ammo I can find is around $10 per 20. 7.62 seems to start at a dollar a shot, though you can buy military surplus ammo in bulk for a bit less. It’s just an expensive hobby. Nothing like aviation, or motor racing, but still it adds up. And this doesn’t even get into the governmental costs, for those of you who live in places like IL or MA.
Finally, and maybe it’s just me, but a bit of the decline in shooting sports numbers has to do with the abrasive, snotty attitudes of many of its practitioners and merchants towards newcomers. I have been in the market for a pistol and a CHL, so I’ve recently been visiting more gun shops and ranges than I’ve really wanted to. The customer service attitude is usually indifferent to abysmal. There is very little of a welcoming attitude that I’ve witnessed from I’d say most of the people who sell guns or work at gun ranges. And I like guns! If I feel that way, how do you think a newcomer to shooting sports is going to feel? My GF has been completely turned off to the sport because of a lot of the people within it. Which is a shame.
