Robert’s Question of the Day Post yesterday had a description of the NRA convention as “the world’s largest gathering of gun-loving old fat white guys.” This got me thinking about a question that had been rolling around in my mind for awhile but only crystallized when I read that line: Where are all of the young guys (and gals) at the gun clubs?
I belong to two gun clubs here in NH and have been to a few meetings of both and I have generally seen older white guys (not all of them are fat) as the dominant demographic. I’m no spring chicken myself (let’s just say it’s been more than a decade since I saw my 20′s), but it seems that most of the members of these clubs are older than I am. Statistics tell us that more people than ever are getting into the firearms game and not all of these folks are going to be older men. So where are they?
Interestingly, I also have a membership at a public range near my house and I see largely the opposite clientele there. Many of the folks at that range are younger than I am, but I suspect that many of those folks are coming for the thrill of renting a gun or even a full auto gun and going to town for an hour or so.
I’m just curious – do the younger folks not join the gun clubs? Is this demographic more likely to be anti-gun? If so, then we have our work cut out for us because if we don’t change some minds pretty soon, these younger folks will get older, run for office and then start passing much less favorable laws for our community. Are there fewer people in their 20s and 30s getting into guns than we have been led to believe?
After reading the other posts here, I got to thinking about the various gun clubs I have belonged to. All of them were private, with private ranges, and none of them had hunting priveledges. The first one was pretty good, we had access to an indoor 50 foot range with 6 stations that was available pretty much from 6:00 AM to midnight. They also had an outdoor facility at a different location with 25 yard, 50 yard and 100 yard ranges that was available from 9:00 AM ’till sunset (no lights). At the time I was a member I was in my late 20′s and the membership was majority guys in their 40′s, but we had several wives, and girlfriends also members. Also had a youth program to help boyscouts earn their marksmanship badge. No hunting land, just ranges and the dues were minimal, maybe $20-25 a year. I used to shoot there at least twice a week for a couple of hours each night over a period of 8 maybe 10 years. This was in northwest NJ and I am not sure they even exist anymore
The next club I joined was in PA, They had a very active youth program, with certified instructors for the PA firearms safety course to get a hunting license, and also the boyscouts. At the time I was a member there, they were having range problems (noise, lead, neighbors, etc) I shot there maybe a dozen times over a period of 3 years. Again, dues were minimal (I seem to recall they were like $20 a year) They still exist and have a very active membership, but I haven’t been there in over 20 years, so I can’t say what their demographic is.
The last club I joined is also in PA and has a limit on membership. They have outdoor ranges and have strict rules on shooting times in an effort to keep peace with the neighbors. When I joined the initiation fee was around $100 with a $50 family plan for yearly dues. I spent more time there fixing the roof than I ever did shooting, and after 5 years, let my membership lapse. Membership was limited to 175 plus imediate family members for those that bought family memberships. They also had an active youth program, teaching Hunter safety classes, and also the boyscouts. I saw a few women come to the meetings, but seldom did I see anyone but old fat white guys at a scheduled shoot. It’s been over 5 years since I have been there (money got really tight about then).
None of these had a strong “Had to know someone to get in” attitude, you basically had to show an interest in shooting, and show that you were going to be safe on the range. I understand hunting clubs are very different. Because of the scarcity of open hunting land in the suburban areas I have lived, all the hunting clubs I was aware of required land ownership to be a member. And it was MUCH more of an “Old boys” group where you indeed had to know someone to be considered, and membership was quite a bit more expensive.
So in my experience, yeah, it is gonna cost you some money to be a member of a gun club. Probably no more than if you bowl in a league, or play golf, or softball, unless you want to add hunting in addition to having access to a range. My brother and his wife wanted to get involved in SASS and spent about $4000 on guns and gear, only to have their local range drop their SASS affiliation to free up time for “tactical” events. That seems to be the current fad in shooting here in the northeast. So what does all of this mean in relation to young people going out shooting? Gun clubs require an investment of time, time to go to meetings, to participate at events, to score targets at events, clean up the ranges after an event, to do maintenance at the range. Probably stuff that younger folks, especially those with families in this economy don’t have time to do. I know that I don’t have time to do it right now. Wish I did.
I am 21, and most definitely one of the youngest members of my local gun club. IMO, most guys my age are off chasing girls or at college and feel like they don’t have the time.
*applauds Tarrou*
Also, I recommend everyone think back to your 20s. You were balancing school, dating, trying to break into a good career, and for some folks: learning to be a parent.
I’ve collected a modest few guns, but all are fairly inexpensive: a lever action .22, a CZ-75, a Rem870. The larger purchases take months to save for between student loans, medical bills, and living costs.
The sinking economy and rising inflation is hitting those younger persons who have to make their own way hard. Employers are getting picky, requiring years of experience; years of cheap credit and the numbers of people now defaulting on loans has caused tuition prices to soar; food prices are inflated; and gas is still twice what it was in the 90s.
Fun times to be trying to set the framework for the next 40 years of your life. When your average lunch is a cup of ramen, it’s hard to justify buying a $20 box of ammo very often.
This post nails it pretty well. Shooting sports are expensive. Many younger adults lack the funds to justify a membership at a private range. Rather than pay for a membership, I shoot at friends’ homes in rural areas or I even go to forest locations to set up my own range. State and National Forests are great places for this sort of thing. Other than the mileage expense to get there, they are free!
Money and time are certainly factors for younger folks at lots of private clubs. Do you go to a golf club and ask worry that the lack of youngins means golf is dying? No. They are playing at public courses…less often..because they have kids, work, bills, and getting laid to tend to. When I have time to shoot, I go to the club with my dad. He is retired and has plenty of time for shooting, reloading, and putting in volunteer hours. He joined a sailing club and a shooting club AFTER he got the kids out of the house and retired.
OMG, have you been spying on me?!
I turned 25 in January and I’m proudly holding up the rear in regards to age. I’m constantly trying to recruit people to my range.
It must be because younger guys such as myself are embarrassed of our arsenals that only contain .22 LR. It’s cheap and I’m working my way to bigger and better pistols and rifles.
I’m working on it okay! Cheers,
Mike
Hmmm, an iGun. The mind reels.
If it jammed, you’d have to ship it back to Apple to clear it.
Actually, you’d have to send it back to Apple to field strip it, otherwise you’d void your warranty.
It’s simple – we AREN’T in gun clubs, because they cost money. And for 20-somethings in college, working entry level jobs, and trying to get their lives going, setting aside the money for a gun club membership (and attending meetings and events) is a lot to ask for.
If you live in most parts of the country, finding a quiet spot on the prairie or in the hills is free shooting. Why join a club? And if you live in a police state like I do (New Jersey), the clubs have very high rates. Public ranges are an option, and if you go to any of the big ones here (Range 14 on the grounds of Fort Dix is a good example), you will note half the people there are 25 and younger. Many of them have one nice gun, or a few of cheap surplus ones, because that’s all they can afford. Joining a private club is not an option.
When I finish college in a few months, get a good job, and move out of here I will be able to indulge in the shooting hobby more, but joining a club is likely out of the question until I’m settled down and (hopefully) financially secure.
I would have to disagree with the idea that young people are not a part of clubs. Young people are a part of Greek organizations, activity councils, martial arts clubs, civic and progressive clubs. In some places, young people are even a part of some gun clubs.
The issue with why older white guys are the ones going shooting can be traced back to the fact that younger people do not prioritize gun ownership in the same way. My generation cannot partake of what they are not aware exists. Until I took two of my close friends to the range they thought I was just a stereotypical gun crazed veteran. Once they both found out how much sheer fun it is to shoot they both changed their views,and the girlfriend of my pal even went to her dad for more lessons on shooting afterwards.
My generation was growing up during the Clinton years when the Assault Weapons Ban was in place and gun control was ‘en vogue’ so to speak, and after Clinton left the Oval Office September 11th happened.The culture of shooting that many of you old timers grew up under is completely dead in urban America and on life support in the rural sectors.
50 years ago it was expected that a young child-male or female-would be taught the use of arms, as my mother was taught by my grandfather the use of a .357 magnum and his 12 gauge shotgun .My grandpa was no Special Forces troop, but a 20 year factory man who knew what it took to defend his way of life and family. Today passing on the tradition of shooting to a young kid is a good way to end up in bracelets in some parts of the country, including where my family grew up in semi-urban Illinois.
Had I not joined the Air Force, I wouldn’t be writing this now.Growing up in Illinois with zero exposure to firearms I was the picture next to the dictionary term ‘liberal’ . I look back on my days of ignorance with the shame of ages. The first time I pressed the trigger on that M-16 at Lackland during BMT I instantly wondered why I waited 20 years to do that. A decade and change of leftist programming died when that 5.56mm NATO round left the barrel. Assault Weapon? Heck, that was fun!
Sadly, my story is an exception to the rule. Even in rural parts of America political correctness has taken the rifle out of the hands of our youth.Catch is during the meantime the kids are still being bombarded with leftist indoctrination in the meantime , so the only story anyone has of firearms is the one MSNBC broadcasts.
This might be an extreme statement to make, but like clockwork *every single time* I present my weapons for a young person to shoot for the first time they always ask if my guns are “licensed”, or wonder if its illegal for them to shoot because they think they need said “license” to step to the firing line.My generation is so desensitized to big government involvement that we assume regulation when there isn’t any.
This malaise of 20 something people who have never been behind the trigger represents a direct threat to our rights in the next 20 years.All who call themselves gun owners NEED to take a young person to the range , even if they are the most anti-gun person you know.They may never spend their own money on a weapon, but when a proposition comes down to take away our freedoms such people will think twice about selling our way of life down the river.
“Greek organizations, activity councils, martial arts clubs, civic and progressive clubs”… frats are clubs? Wow, now I’m really glad I never joined one! Activity councils? What the F is an activity council? MA clubs? Are you just grabbing terms you heard on 20/20? Other than a frat, I don’t know a single person in my undergrad or grad courses that are in any type of club (with the exception of maybe Sam’s Club). OK – so these “clubs” may be around, but I can guarantee that there was a MUCH higher club participation rate 30 years ago…
I’m almost 34, so I assume I’m straddling the line a bit. I’m technically Generation X but have many friends that are Generation Y. I don’t consider myself an OFWG, although I may have a few of those attributes. My insight is that it is not only video game culture and competing technological hobbies that are to blame. I think it starts with how you were raised. Then your priorities and other life processes have an effect on your ability to spend your discretionary income and how much discretionary income you may have.
For me in specific, I was raised in a family that did not have guns in the house. The closest thing was a starter pistol my Dad kept in a drawer. I went in the Marines at 18 did my four years and then got out. At that time I knew I wanted to have my own firearms at some point. Since I wasn’t a hunter, that point fell behind some of my other hobbies like motorcycles, drinking, and chasing women. There was also the time and money spent going to college to better my career opportunities.
I got married and had my first kid at 30. That mostly ended the two latter hobbies for me and I was done with school. So I have started to return to the concept of a firearms related hobby. I’m nearly a decade out of the military and I miss going to the range. I bought my first pistol a few years ago now and have added a few more weapons. I recently went to a local gun club and shot a IPSC style practice round and had a blast. Joining the club is prohibitive though because of both time and money. While I have more time than I used to I don’t have regular free time to devote. Especially, when shooting more requires me to spend more time away from my kids. They are not old enough (3 years and 7 months old) to partake at this point and my number one priority before hobbies is making sure I meet my obligations as a parent. The local club that I shot the IPSC round at is open to the public on practice dates, but regular membership is $250 to start and $150 annually after that. I don’t pay that much in a year of range fees at the other public ranges I go to, but those other ranges don’t allow you to practice from a holster or move and shoot.
I know there are many people at and below my age level in similar situation. They are young either pre-occupied with other life situations or starting a family and range time isn’t a priority. Maybe we will start to see more of the current 20-30 year old folks at the range as the Gen Y population gets closer to 30.
As an aside, I belong to a non-profit group and we have a really hard time getting people my age and younger to actually join the club. You can get volunteers for a day of work on a project that is organized by a group like Habitat for Humanity, but joining a group to participate in an ongoing basis of charity is really difficult.
Here to say the same thing as the other 20-somethings. It’s hard to justify the costs of club membership when guns & ammo is expensive enough already (and the savvier ones around my age are also trying to save for retirement or at least have cash in case we lose our jobs in this economy. Add to that all the other things like starting families, car payments, rent, and so on, and you end up with all the older, wealthier, people as the rank and file of most gun clubs.
Gun clubs and ranges should offer discounts or loyalty programs for younger customers – at least some measures to bring in the younger crowd.
The people that go to the range I frequent are mostly younger people. I used to belong to a private gun club with older folk but a lot of them were Fudds. Why should I pay 160 a year to get contemptuous glares when I begin practicing with my WASR-10?
The older gentlemen that were obsessed with shooting $3,000 souped up .22LR bolt action rifles were the worst. They complained when I shot my Yugo M48 at the far end of the firing line just to avoid disturbing them too much! Gimme a break. I’m not gonna put up with that.
I’m very fortunate to have found a range with friendly staff my age who are all shooting enthusiasts and very knowledgable.
When I was younger and in my early 20s I had a Nylon 66 which I bought at 18, a Model 12 shotgun Grandfather gave me, a Marlin 39A that I bought when I was 20, a .22lr Colt Peacemaker I bought when I was 21.
I shot mostly .22lr and really still do.
You can have fun with guns on a beer budget!
I try to keep my 2 Gen Y girls into guns, even if it just plinking with a .22lr. They seem to really like my Nylon 66.
Still think a .22lr rifle is best to introduce newbies to the sport.
I am a member of the gun club at my college (Washington State), but they never really appeal to me. Honestly the only reason I am in the club is because I can join the facebook group online, or on the University website. I actually go shooting more often with the members of the Tabletop Gaming Club (Dungeons and Dragons club), and we have a blast, and I have introduced many new people to shooting, people not interested in the sport usually.
Other people have said it, money is a problem, my roomate lives on about $6,000 a year and is home about 3 of his waking hours (School mostly), but what I see to be a big deterrent for younger (<30) people in terms of gun clubbing, is that a gun club offers very little. I would assume (I am 22 myself) that in years past you would go to a gun club and shoot, meet new members, and share your thoughts on guns. But now we have the internet, I can browse thousands of fourms and blogs about the subject, chat with far more people than I could ever meet, and never leave the comfort of my bed. If I get the gun community already, and can go shoot in the various wild gravel pits for free, why would I ever want to go to a gun club?
Also most formal ranges are static and seem to be more targeted at bench shooting, which I assume (again, I am young) is more suitable to the elders. The young folk like the action of close quarters shooting. They see it in their video games, on DVDs, and on youtube. I would assume a good perportion of YT videos of "tactical" stuff is about how to do a CQB better. So the kids like the fancy stuff, and not so much the long range patience based disciplines.
Build a shoot house CQB theme park and have full auto MP5s that fire simunition only, make millions.
here is an honest answer…
im 28, ive been shooting since i was a kid. when i was about 22 i inherited my father’s rifles and shotguns and i began to buy my own. i have a few old bolt rifles, and a few of the newer more affordable “staples” for my age i guess, an sks/cetme clone/ak clone, i dont even own any handguns… and honestly i cant go anywhere to shoot them. most of the nicer(safer) places to shoot around where im from are clubs, and i don’t know anyone there, so no one will vouch for me for a membership. so i have to go to the dangerous public ranges around that are overcrowded and full of people who look down their own barrels, then i hide in the last stall and hope no one sees me(or lazes me).
so why dont i go to meetings and meet the members, you say? because, im constantly viewed as the new young kid who looks like hes just here because he played to much modern warfare 2 and bought a rifle. in all sincerity its happened so many times to me i cant count. i call a range, or go to a range, or email someone, and as soon as im seen in person im brushed off, ignored, sent around in circles, or just plain old told,”were not taking new members”(that was at a range that had one person there… on a sunday).
i know it cant be my safety practices that put people off because most of the time i cant even get as far as to unpack a firearm. its very frustrating because people start looking at me like i have a horn growing out of my head the minute i walk into the place. i was a member at a very small community range for a while but the caretaker honestly watched me like i was a criminal, and even went so far as to tell me he was going to alert the ATFE because i was firing an “illegal weapon”(it wasnt an illegal weapon, it was a century ak clone, but he said the barrel looked short and he wanted to “teach me a lesson just in case i got accused again”, i have no plans to experience that again)
so there you go, i know its not the ONLY reason you don’t see 20 somethings at the range, but im sure im not the only one with this problem. by the way if anyone knows a range with young folk in pittsburgh where i can shoot my new rem 700 let me know.
I am 33 and have been into guns for most of my life. There are 3 public ranges within a relatively short distance of where I live. There are at least 2 gun clubs within a relatively short distance of where I live. I have looked into joining each of the gun clubs, but have not done so for a couple reasons. First, is the cost. Over the course of a year, I can shoot at the public ranges for the same or less as it would cost to join a club. Second and more importantly, the “politics” of the gun clubs are a major turn-off. I think it is a hassle to have to apply for membership and have an existing member sponsor me. I think it is a hassle to have the existing members vote on whether or not I can be allowed to join “their” club. I do not like the idea of having to volunteer a certain number of hours per year for the benefit of the club. One of the clubs stated that to become a member, one has to go through an “indoctrination course.” To me, this conjures up images of a bunch of whackos. Basically, in a nutshell, the gun clubs are now reaping what they have sowed. They wanted to be exclusive and limit who could belong and participate in their sport. Consequently, new shooters have decided that the clubs and their exclusiveness are not worth the hassle.
Perhaps some of us are failing in our job as dads?
This no-longer-young (albeit still not fat) White Guy spent last weekend shooting with his 20-something son. While said son is a responsible young man with a good job, mortgages and car payments limit his disposable income.
Lucky for him he has a saintly father who supplies all the ammo.
I’m 26 and I don’t join the gun clubs because the OFWGs just seem to hate the young guys. OFWGs always stare at the young people like we’re idiots. There are a few OFWGs at my range who are very nice, but they are the exception. And since I’m not white, I cannot tell if they hate me because I’m young or because I’m not white.
I’d love to be a member of a shooting club with a bunch of OFWGs. OFWGs are the best at everything. They’re the ones smashing it on the tennis courts, they’re the ones that get the best lap times at the race track, and they generally have much knowledge to pass around. I’ve made a few OFWG friends from calguns.net that taught me how to reload, but that’s not enough. Can we get some OFWG mentors for the younger people?
If the OFWG’s at your local gun club are anything like the OFWG’s I know, they are not hating you, they are just checking you out to see if you are safe, have a genuine interest in whatever shooting sport you are involved in and if you have any talent. The more thoughtful ones might be remembering what and how they were shooting when they were your age. But then (the following is said with a smile!) if you have a 12″ high purple Mohawk hair cut and 6 pounds of metal hanging off your facial piercings (remember I have no idea what you look like) , then maybe they might be just looking at you out of shock. If you are in northeast PA, I’d be willing to spend some time coaching or just hang out and talk guns.
I’m not a spring chicken but I still consider myself to be in the younger section of gun enthusiasts. I’m 28 and the reason I am not a member of a gun club is pure economics. Why pay for a club when i can go to public land with targets I build all cheaper than going to a club. Plus hanging out with guys who scoff at guns that are “made of plastic” gets really old. No pun intended.
I’m 27, own several guns, and have no intention of ever joining a gun club. Why? Well the $200+ fees are a turn off when I can pay $25 a year to go to the range at the local state park, but the biggest reason is the attitude projected by the people at the clubs. If you don’t already know a member, you have to attend a meeting and spend hours kissing people’s ass hoping that you’ll get lucky enough to find someone to sponsor you. Then you have to have joined the NRA (I’m already a member, but the fact that they expect you to pay another organization a yearly fee just to pay THEM a yearly fee is asinine). If you happen to get in, you still have to show up and spend time cleaning and doing other crap, not to mention the bigotry against people under 40 and against non-US guns.
If I’m going to pay you $200 a year to shoot at your range, then you’d better treat it like a damn business. Anyone can become a member as long as they pay. Other than putting brooms around to sweep up their area, you clean your own damn range. No one should have to kiss your ass for the “privilege” of paying you money for using the range.
I prefer to just go with my girlfriend to her parents farm (longer drive though) and shoot there. No jerk range officers who hate anyone under 60 and any gun made after 1950, no waiting for a ceasefire to set up / check your targets, no yearly fees while still being expected to clean the place like it’s free to use, etc.
The real problem is that we need some ranges owned and run by younger people (under 40) – I think if we had that, then you’d see plenty of young shooters going to those ranges.
I recently turned 18 and went out and bought a mosin-nagant. I’ve gone 3 out of five of the weeks I’ve had it.