Wonderful World

Shooting sports can bring out the best in all of us.

Some time ago, in a conversation about this industry of ours, a dear friend told me, “the shooting sports world is wonderful. No, make that beautiful. The fellowship and heritage make it comforting for those of us who were not initially raised in that world. It made me see life differently.”

Over time I have come to know what many of the real truths are— and to understand that human beings have different beliefs and opinions. I have also learned that there are some who have the vision, passion, fairness, and grit inside them to make things better. Our industry has many such folks who have helped create, mold, and provide the bigger, better, and healthier world we find our industry in today. The magic they have created has attracted millions of new folks to the sport.

Visionary leaders who meet and address issues in a logical, rational way, based on factual evidence, are important for our continued growth. They are sprinkled across our industry, and you’ll find them at ranges, retailers, manufacturers, distributors, buying groups, and marketing firms, among other places, where they engage in bringing about positive change. Their abilities and dedication are inspirations for all of us. These folks are part of the magic of the shooting sports, and everything they do impacts millions of individuals and countless communities. 

We often talk about “passing it on” in our industry, and learning to pass on the purpose, responsibilities, and passions that are inherent in the shooting sports is part of the magic and the beauty of what we do and who we are. Your job, as an owner or manager, is to inspire your team to uphold these ideals and pass them along to the next generation of shooting enthusiasts. It is especially important when dealing with those who are new to the sport. Remember, they want to be embraced, not rebuffed, by their new community. Do your job and you’ll pass this magic on, where it will live forever. That may be the greatest gift of all.

I agree with my friend who said that the shooting industry is beautiful. It truly is. It’s also incredibly fragile, and we can easily lose the magic if we take it for granted. And, make no mistake, that magic can slip away slowly, almost imperceptibly, by a careless attitude toward a customer or a snarky comment to a new shooter at the range. Don’t be that guy.

Slaton White, editor of SHOT Business, related to me the following story of how to encourage a new shooter or hunter. He was hunting in Montana with an old industry friend. They were watching a high-school freshman, the son of a neighboring rancher, try to hunt elk. A small band had moved out of a copse of fir trees and were moseying through a recently harvested field on their way to bed down.

“We could see the kid’s orange jacket appear as he came out of a shallow ravine,” White told me. “He walked upright, straight at the animals, and we were not a bit surprised when he pushed them right out of there.”

“The kid had a long walk back to us, and while he did so I asked my partner why he had asked the teenager to join us.

“‘He’s a good kid, and the only one in the family interested in hunting. He asked if he could tag along. Hey, we’ve all got to start somewhere.’”

As part of the debriefing lesson, White listened as his partner tactfully told the youngster what went wrong and how correct it.

“Frankly, it was great hunting advice delivered in a way that didn’t crush the young hunter’s spirit.”

Spirit matters. The Simple Truth is the shooting sports industry is deeply interconnected by such spirit. We need to make sure our actions, whether they are represented by lobbying on a national scale or an interaction over the counter at a local store, demonstrate that spirit in word and deed. That’s how we preserve this wonderful world.