Need help convincing the local gun club

[Clay1]

What a inspiring account of what happened at your club Gabe. Almost gives a gun guy shivers. I read your writting and at every turn identify with: "I have that same person" at my club. Funny saying this, but it makes you feel like you are not the first one to go through this stuff. Obviously we are not, but it just feels like it. I'm on a mission and I see that I need to gather the supporters while educating the BoD. Thanks for the help everyone.

[cking]

Wish I could find where I read it, but IPSC shooting is safer than basketball, tennis, hockey, football, soccer, bicycle, on par with golf, table tennis. That is percentage not just raw numbers. Golf has high death rate, seems they can't figure out why standing in middle of open field with a metal pole in your hand is dangerous.

[GRD]

...but it makes you feel like you are not the first one to go through this stuff.

It's the same all over, Clay. Plus you have just plain old inertia to deal with - people resist change.

For us, the key was demonstrating safety in practice and a commitment to safety in theory that could not be impeached. Associating ourselves with an existing sport that had a real tangible track record that can be called on as evidence was also a real help. This is why we made the decision early to affiliate and not move to run 'outlaw' combat-style pistol matches, but to run 100% by-the-book affiliated shoots. That also went a long way to putting people at ease.

You're really not trying to convert those who are dead-set against anything like this, you're trying to reach the people who 'aren't sure about all this stuff'. Those are the people you want to convince. The 'true-believers' are not going to jump in your camp. The best you can hope for is that they see the way the wind is blowing and that your heavy emphasis on safety and accreditation can answer enough of their fears that they sit back and say "OK, show me."

For me personally, (as way of advice for you) the key is having like-minded people around interested in making it happen, seeing each other through when you're typing up emails at night with your head in your hands saying to yourself "holy crap is this not worth it" (and eventually saying the same to your team...who then convince you that yes, it is worth it and we're all in this together), and then all plugging forward as a team through it. The crew we have is really fantastic and the support we gave each other in the beginning was invaluable. Even more amazing when you realize that I've been shooting seriously for only a couple years, and the rest of the team was introduced to practical shooting only months (literally) before we decided to put the club together - which is a testament to how powerfully addictive and fun this sport is). My best advice: get yourself a team you love working with. If it had been just me alone, I would have chucked it when it got really ugly. Everyone on the roster made it happen as a group. You'll need that support.

cking: I can't remember where I read it, but practical shooting is safer than bowling. I guess I should find a cite for that, seeing as I have it on our web page...(www.scarfg.org/idpa)

- Gabe

PS: I wanted to clarify the "it's teaching people to be murderers" statement: we got that one in specific reaction to the fact that in practical shooting stages, you are charging targets. This was seen as an inherently offensive move and that's where we got the opposition from (and from some fairly senior people at the club, too.)

PPS: I should also point out that now, at the end of our first season, we have much more widespread support. We are seeing an average of 25 or so shooters at each match, we don't hear people giving us grief, at least not to our faces, and we see people signing up at every meeting answering the question "So, why do you want to be a member of the club?" with "To shoot IDPA".

So the tough times do pass

[IPSCDRL]

Get forum member DavidWiz to speak to them.

No, on second thought, that may not work...........

[GRD]

One more thing: when you 'come out of the closet' with this, there will be people who will find you at the end of the meeting and say "I've done a little of this before" or "I've always wanted to try this" and offer to help. You should solicit their contact by any time you speak publicly at a meeting ending it with "and if you'd like more information on the practical shooting sports, see me after the meeting and I'll answer all your questions as best I can."

We found that the opposition was very vocal and visible, but there was lots of quiet support beneath kind of watching to see what was going to happen - they wanted it to happen, they would vote, they would talk to us, but they weren't 'into it' enough to get into arguments with anyone or jump in politically. Get the names and emails of everyone you meet that expresses anything even remotely approaching acceptance and make a list of them. When it's voting time, make sure to let them all know you need their support at such-and-such a meeting and to bring their friends or anyone they know interested in seeing the club move forward.

- Gabe

[TractorTed]

He told me that they eject folk from the range that shoot a two-handed hold of any kind because it's "dangerous."  When I actually went up to check out their range no one so much as spoke to me.

I heard one of those old bullseye pricks say, "It's a handgun, not a handsgun."

No reasoning with people that close-minded.

Next time, ask him if he uses a toothbrush, or a teethbrush. (unless, of course, he only has one tooth, in which case the irony would be lost on him. hehe.)

Ted