We’re all familiar with it, but Kevin shows an example of how it’s done. And he’s right. It probably does terrify our opponents.
“That’s the smile you get from a new shooter – Every. Single. Time.”
Yep… and CBS is plastering all over now.
Category: New Shooters
We are the Mainstream
When I see CSGV crying in their cornflakes about Living Social shooting coupons, it catches my attention. I assumed they just swiped a link from one of the many I highlighted last week that revealed more than 11,100 people may have hit up the range due to Living Social bargains.
Instead, they are complaining about a current Chicago deal that treats folks to a wine tasting after they are done shooting. For only $65 bucks, you also get a meal in the deal. The best part is the purchase count. The total as I’m typing? 2,027. And the number keeps rising as I refresh.
UPDATE: As a commenter points out, the deal has sold out since this posted with 2,110 sold. When I initially looked at the deal, it was less than 2,000 sold.
More on Social Coupons & Shooting Lessons
While the coupon I mentioned yesterday sold nearly 2,000 training deals, I decided to see if there was any other data on how well shooting instruction coupons sell through the various Groupon knock-offs.
Buffalo, NY – Current count: 262 people buying coupons to be trained
Charlotte, NC – 442 people trained
Gainesville, FL – 642 rounds of trap shot
Ft. Lauderdale, FL – 567 people trained
New Orleans, LA – 618 people trained
Winston-Salem, NC – 120 rounds of sporting clays shot
Richmond, VA – 351 people trained
Birmingham, AL – 992 shooters took to the range
Miami, FL – 374 people trained
It’s not just the US, either!
Edmonton, Alberta – 894 people trained
This is actually just highlights from one easily searchable site. I didn’t cover all of them, so the numbers are actually far higher than this. But, if you consider that the low number I found was 120 more people getting out to the range on a coupon that’s only available for 1-2 days at a time, these things are actually great for our movement.
It’s also a reminder people truly have fun going to the gun range. It’s much more exciting than the anti-gun range.
Popularity of Shooting Coupon Bargains
I clicked on an old link from a friend for a Living Social coupon offered a couple of weeks ago for an hour of firearms instruction, gun rental, and eye/ear protection in the DC area. Said friend was amused because of the description:
Are you ready for the best firearms deal to hit the DMV since District of Columbia v. Heller? Well, sharp shooter, focus your crosshairs on today’s deal and pull the trigger…
But today, I noticed just how many they sold – 1,957. Considering the coupon applies for up to 3 people with each deal purchased, that’s the potential for nearly 6,000 people to learn how to shoot thanks to this deal.
Raising them Right
In response to a post from yesterday, a friend in Illinois sends this along with the caption, “My 8 year old trying to talk me out of my MAC-10”:
Good finger off the trigger discipline. Looks to be good muzzle discipline. Glad to see some people are raising their kids right these days. I present this to you in order to horrify the gun control folks who I know sometimes follow this site.
New Shooter
New Shooter
Want to Make the Anti-Gunners Cry?
Then buy a ticket to our upcoming Friends of NRA banquet! Seriously, here are the top 5 reasons your attendance at this first year dinner will make Ladd Everitt, Dennis Hennigan, and Sarah Brady shed tears all evening long while you’re surrounded by fellow shooting sports enthusiasts.
1. Let’s face it, we’re putting guns in the hands of the next generation. Of course, we’re training them how to use them safely.
But training doesn’t matter because they see no difference between the girl above and thugs on the street.
2. Because even if we have the bare minimum number of people in the room in order to raise even $1 for the shooting sports, it’s still more people than they can put in a room in downtown DC. Their fundraisers probably look a little more like this:
3. The shooting sports embraced by NRA are perceived to be part of the “insurrectionist” mindset using scary “assault weapons.” Ladd Everitt might need to add Camp Perry to his Insurrectionist Timeline.
4. Because a child riding the NRA tricycle is what haunts their dreams. Kids! Guns! Except not guns! Just letters! It’s scary!
5. If you buy the “Night of Liberty” exclusive print that highlights the Boston Tea Party, Josh Sugarmann might feature you in VPC’s next Googled report on the evils of NRA members. He might even rank you as more dangerous than the person who wears the XXXL t-shirts.
Come on, I know more than a few of the readers here are from Southeast PA and Central Jersey. Let’s get together and make the other side weep as they fall asleep knowing that they are losing the cultural war on guns and our rights. You don’t have to be an NRA member to attend, this is all about showing some love for the programs that help train new shooters, get youth involved in competitions, and help area clubs run successful programs, especially those like Women on Target. This is a celebration of the fun we have on the range and why we all initially got into this movement.
New Gun Owner
Came down to Roanoke this weekend because Bitter’s mom, who has previously not been a gun owner, decided that, being a woman living on her own, it was time to take the plunge. Since she was looking to save money getting a used gun, I decided to tag along to check it out before she bought it. The first shop we went to was Trader Jerry’s in Salem, Virginia. We had planned to visit several shops to do a bit of comparison shopping, but first stop we ran into this:
I know the stereotype of getting the little lady a snub-nose .38, but in her basic pistol course, and after trying a lot of guns, she prefers the shorter barreled revolvers to heavier revolvers or semi-autos. This is a Smith & Wesson Model 36 Chief’s Special. The reason this was such a great find was that we were looking for a used J-frame in .38 Spl. This is a used gun. It was bought by a guy who returned it because he didn’t like the grips, and had not been fired. It looked brand spanking new, based on everything I could see. The price was a good bit less than new. I think it was actually a great find for her.
Trader Jerry’s seemed to be a pretty good shop. Her experience was very pleasant, and comparing to prices back home, they were pretty good in that area too. She had to fill out her 4473 twice because of making a mistake on the first one. After filling out all three forms, she commented “My, this is worse than doing my taxes!” A quick call to the Virginia Instant Check System, and the gun was hers. I got her some .38 Spl Low Recoil Hydrashocks and some snap caps to refresh her on loading and unloading.
Next step for her will be a refresher pistol course, then some range time. Then she wants to do a concealed carry course and get her license to carry.
Keeping Busy
I have been planning to work on the NRA convention protest video, but yesterday I was tied up with Friends in an hours-long meeting. Not friends as in shooting the breeze friends, but Friends as in Friends of NRA. I got word that they were looking to restart a committee locally, and now I’m co-chair. It’s kind of amazing how that happens.
Anyway, Jason from NUGUN happened to accompany the Eastern Pennsylvania Field Representative out to the NRA Youth Education Summit here in Pennsylvania, and captured a few action shots to illustrate just what the Friends of NRA program supports.
If you happen to read this blog and live in Southeastern Pennsylvania, I’d like to invite you to attend our dinner in September. To get an idea of the gear we’re going to give away in raffles, games, and auctions, follow us on Facebook. We’ll be posting updates on prizes and programs running in the area that benefit from the generosity of gun owners who want to recruit more to our ranks. (Example: Know a woman who wants to learn more about shooting? We have a Women on Target clinic coming up on May 14 in Green Lane that will cover handguns, rifles, shotgun, and archery.)
You can buy a regular banquet ticket here. Or, if you have a little more money burning a hole in your pocket and you want some extra goodies such as a knife and a chance at some special gun raffles, we can send you information about our higher end ticket packages that give you a tax deduction & some good gear. (Sorry, I can’t tell you about the exact gun in the special raffle because, well, we haven’t picked it yet. That should be done at our next meeting.) Just email the committee at BucksNRAtickets@pagunrights.com with the request, and I’ll make sure someone gets back to you as soon as possible.
If you happen to own a business in Southeastern PA or want customers from the area, email the same address above for sponsorship & ad opportunities in our program. We’ve got bargain rates for our first year, and we’re working on a possible incentive program for our attendees to visit our advertisers.
So if you’re reading anywhere near the Bucks County, PA area, just remember that I’m asking you to come out because it’s for the children. And for the women. And for the gun clubs that host events supported by NRA Foundation grants. And for the Boy Scouts who earn their shooting merit badges. And for the 4-H kids who benefit from the programs. You get the idea. If you want our shooting & hunting cultures to grow, supporting the Friends of NRA program is a great way to have a good time while ensuring those legacies are passed on.
As a side note, if you’re in the Lansdale area, the Montgomery County Friends of NRA banquet is on May 19, and they still have tickets available. Their upgraded ticket packages include entries into a special raffle for a Remington Model 700 SPS. Just email or call the contact on the linked page and ask about their Gold & Silver packages.