Post Comment Programs give boost to female shooters
BY LAUREN O. KIDD
TOMS RIVER BUREAU
JACKSON — Fifty percent more women are target-shooting now than were
involved in the sport five years ago, according to surveys conducted by the
National Sporting Goods Association.
The statistics from the Connecticut-based trade association for the
shooting, hunting and firearms industries show that of the 22 million people
who target-shoot more than once a year in the United States, about 5 million,
or 23 percent, are women. The surveys were conducted from 2001 through 2005.
More than 1.2 million women in the United States target-shoot at least 20
times per year, the surveys show.
"More and more women are discovering that hunting and shooting sports
are great family activities," said Doug Painter, National Shooting Sports
Foundation president.
Painter said the boost in female participation was caused in part by
"programs introducing females to these traditionally male sports" and
an increase in "manufacturers who design products especially for, and
retailers who cater to, women."
According to the NSSF, over the past five years, the numbers of women target
shooting with air guns rose by 55 percent to 866,000; with rifles, up 53
percent to 2.7 million; with handguns, up 33 percent to 3 million; and with
shotguns, up by 16 percent to 1.4 million.
Participation in the National Rifle Association's Women on Target events —
which introduce women to target shooting — has grown with the sport.
The NRA started sponsoring the clinics in 2000. Thirteen events were held
across the country that year, with about 500 women participating, said NRA spokeswoman
Mary Sue Faulkner.
This year, more than 6,800 women took part in 229 Women on Target events,
including the one held at the Central Jersey Rifle and Pistol Club in Jackson
in September.
Lauren O. Kidd: lkidd@app.com or (732) 557-5737