How old are you?

[zzr1100]

44 today.. My daughter shoots with me too .. She's 12

[TomH]

So old that the first Nigerian Scam letter I saw came off a Telex Machine. :)

[drocto]

Voted.

I'm 40 and will never stop :-)

[Hubert]

Age 40. Shooting for 4 years and still counting. Old punx and shooters never die.

[mullen7]

23, been shooting in total for around 15 years. But only got properly into it this year, used to plink with my fathers rifles

[bofor]

74 today.......Been shooting since the Navy gave me a gun at 15.5, luvlly jubbly !!!

[Mgi]

I am 41 and enjoy the shooting together with my 10 years old daughter :)

[Triffid]

I recall an NRA survey on membership age a few years ago. Their conclusion was that the majority of active members were 40+. What seemed to be happening was that people would get the shooting 'bug' when exposed to it as a youngster or teenager, but then careers & families would intervene and they would drop-off the shooting scene. However twenty years with more time available, the infection would recurr and they'd rejoin our ranks.

So it emphasises the importance of exposing as many youngsters to shooting, but clubs need to expect a twenty-year incubation period.

Triffid

[Martin]

I recall an NRA survey on membership age a few years ago. Their conclusion was that the majority of active members were 40+. What seemed to be happening was that people would get the shooting 'bug' when exposed to it as a youngster or teenager, but then careers & families would intervene and they would drop-off the shooting scene. However twenty years with more time available, the infection would recurr and they'd rejoin our ranks.



Triffid

That's exactly what happened to me, started small bore at age 14 with Ilkley Sharpshooters, as it was known then, extended myself into clay target shooting with Wharfedale GC then a 20+ year break. Shooting was always a thought in the background. Finally managed to resume once the kids were grown up + almost grown up, house settled, etc etc....and now shooting full bore on the other side of the world.

Martin

[rattlesocks]

I took my GF's 20 yr old son and her daughter's 25 year old fiance full bore shooting one day. They are both avid first person shooter computer game fans - and they really enjoyed shooting actual examples of guns they had used in their games.
They never asked for another go though and never took any steps toward finding out more about shooting as a pastime / hobby despite me often bringing the subject up (not in any way nagging - but just chatting about my activities).

I asked them whether (as seems to be a fairly popular opinion amongst shooters) shooting in computer games scratched the itch sufficiently - leaving no need / desire to actually shoot real guns - albeit in less dramatic environments.

I was told that peer pressure was the problem. It is apparently OK for them to blast away at innocent pedestrians in Grand Theft Auto but if their friends found out they were shooting ACTUAL paper targets with circles on them they would be in social difficulties. They would run the big risk of not fitting in anymore.

I believe the media is the most powerful influence on how most people in this country think and what (black / white) opinions they like to think they hold.
I know they (the media) used to be down on the odd violent computer game - but the job they have done on (I think demonising is the word) shooting in the UK is pretty effective I would say.