Golf Meme

It's been making it's way around the gun blogoshpere lately, so I may as well jump in.  The Firearm Blog linked an article from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, and being a semi-local paper (same state at least...) I figured I'd jump on that.

It's more about the "First Shots" clinics that National Shooting Sports Foundation set up a few years ago, but in the middle of the article they do break out some numbers:

According to a study conducted by Responsive Management, 34.4 million Americans went target shooting in 2009.

For comparison, 28.6 million Americans golfed (a minimum of one round) in 2008, according to the National Golf Foundation.

 Yup, more people are target shooting than playing golf. Yet:

And unlike golf, shooting carries a negative stigma in much of mainstream America.

Oh well, little bit of work to do yet I guess.  But it looks like the program's headed in the right direction.

According to the NSSF, more than half (56% for handgun, 53% for shotgun) of the program's participants are first-time shooters.

Nationally, about 45% of attendees are female.

The leading reasons for attending the programs are to learn skills for target shooting and personal protection, tied at 68%.

Forty-three percent have subsequently purchased shooting-related equipment.

And nearly all (93% for handgun, 86% for shotgun) participants said they are likely to continue shooting.

Especially that second one, a widely noted trend I sure hope continues. (especially since a girlfriend that shoots is way up on the list of wants...)