Hindsight from The New Gun Week August 1, 1998
New Shooter Program with Follow-Through
by Joseph P. Tartaro
Executive EditorAt the 1998 SHOT Show, a new organization, The American Shooting Club, unveiled a series of creative new programs designed to bring in-and keep-new shooters.
Since that winter press conference, The Club has been moving forward on several fronts, with the emphasis on their "Give It A Shot" program-local events that involve the gun industry, local firearms dealers and gun clubs teaming up to give more Americans an opportunity to see for themselves how compelling and enjoyable sport shooting can be.
Several trial "Give It A Shot" events have already been held, and, as this column is written, a major program was scheduled to be held at the Northside Sportsmen Association range in Wexford, PA, outside Pittsburgh, on July 25.
Of course, The American Shooting Club is not the only group trying to make the shooting sports more inviting to the non-initiated. The NRA, National Shooting Sports Foundation and Amateur Trapshooting Association are among the organizations with new shooter programs. However, there are several aspects of the new program that are unique.
The most unusual feature of the "Give It a Shot" program is the continuity, according to Paul Hartwick, president of The American Shooting Club.
"Getting people to try shooting shotguns, rifles and pistols isn't all that tough," Hartwick told me recently. "Getting them to return-and keep returning-is the hard part. From our marketing and business experience, we know that continuity is the key. What we do is follow through-before, during and after the event. Every new shooter who attends one of our club events, whether or not they join our group, is contacted after the shoot by mail."
The continuity contacts are based on surveys conducted at the beginning of a "Give It A Shot" event, and again at the close.
In a typical American Shooting Club "Give It A Shot" event sponsored by a local gun club, people are invited to attend free. After a preliminary briefing, about 9 a.m., they are surveyed about their experience, ownership and attitude towards guns. Following instruction by qualified instructors provided by the host club, they get to shoot a shotgun, .22 rifle and .22 revolver. Ammo is free during the program, usually donated by the industry or local gun dealers. Experience has proven that frangible targets are best-clay birds, balloons, etc.-because new shooters react to seeing immediate results. The only cost to attendees is a few dollars for lunch, after which the shooting continues to about 3 p.m. At which point, attendees are surveyed again to determine if they enjoyed shooting and which guns they enjoyed shooting best, what they learned and whether or not their attitude about guns had changed. The key question is would they like to shoot again (most grab at the chance the same day).
Attendees are also invited to join The American Shooting Club for $35 a year, which includes a quarterly newsletter, a calendar of shooting events within 100 miles of the member's home, lists of places to shoot, mentoring on shooting disciplines, access to a unique web page and other support information.
Benefits for Everyone
The "Give It A Shot" program provides benefits for everyone involved.
The people who come out for the free event have an opportunity to experience the fun of shooting a shotgun, rifle and handgun in a friendly, supportive and safe environment. Their curiosity about guns and their wholesome, lawful use is satisfied by hands-on experience and one-on-one interaction with qualified instructors. The experience of The American Shooting Club and host clubs in trial events is that most first-time shooters want to keep shooting. At the end of each formal program, about mid-afternoon of the "Give It A Shot" day, they are all invited to continue to shoot any or all of the available guns, get additional coaching and continue the pleasurable shooting experience if they choose, just by staying on and paying the cost of additional ammunition. Most choose to continue the shooting experience immediately. Others make arrangements to return to the club.
The host club enjoys favorable publicity and community exposure, and has a chance to expand its own membership or transient guest base. In addition, the host club earns a premium incentive point for each new member that joins TASC. These points, redeemable for merchandise, enable a club to acquire items such as microwaves, refrigerators, power mowers and chain saws. The premiums become the property of the club and can be used for club benefit or as prizes in fund-raising raffles.
Participating firearms industry companies and local gun dealers who help promote the event gain from the favorable exposure to new shooters for their companies and products. Needless to say, the local retailers that place "Give It A Shot" event announcement posters in their places of business, also build customer goodwill, especially with the pro-gun community.
National shooting, hunting, game conservation and pro-gun organizations benefit from the free distribution of their own promotional materials by The American Shooting Club and its host clubs.
The firearms community as a whole benefits from an expanded base among the general public, with more people having a better understanding of firearms issues and a personal stake in the right to keep and bear arms.
How-To Club Package
The American Shooting Club expects to mail 2,000 clubs in the Northeastern US this fall and tell them about the "Give It A Shot" program for new shooters.
Those who respond will receive a how-to video and premium catalog, as well as detailed information about the program. The video explains every detail a club needs to know to host an event, explaining what kinds of range, parking, amenities and lunch facilities are needed, the entire schedule of an event from welcome and preliminary surveys through the recommended shooting venues and targets, the different types of volunteers involved and what the individual assignments for each will be, the timing for advance promotion, support services, media relations, and the event itself. The video also explains how to encourage the new shooters who attend to return for club-sponsored courses in various shooting disciplines, hunter safety, etc., and how to link to other gun and hunting organizations.
With anywhere from 25 to 50 new shooters attending a single "Give It A Shot" event, most clubs earn enough points to redeem them for a premium like a lawn mower or microwave immediately.
While the initial Club mail will target the Northeast, any club, organization or individual in the US wanting more information about the "Give It A Shot" program, or any of the other programs, such as the corporate "Safe Arms For Everyone (SAFE)," can contact: Paul Hartwick, president, The American Shooting Club, 2180 Noblestown Road, Dept. GWK, Pittsburgh, PA 15205, or call toll-free at 1-888-609-8272.
The New Gun Week is published three times a month by the Second Amendment Foundation (SAF) on the 1st, 10th, and 20th. Hindsight is a commentary written by SAF President and Gun Week Executive Editor Joseph P. Tartaro. This commentary may be reprinted so long as credit is given to the author and the publication. For more information or to subscribe, write Gun Week, PO Box 488, Buffalo, NY 14209, or call 716-885-6408 Monday through Friday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. EST, or inquire on Compuserve to John Krull, Production manager-JohnSAF@Compuserve.com or gunweeksaf@broadviewnet.netAlso, check out the New Gun Week at http://www.GunWeek.com