More good news for SC shooters

National Shooting Sports Foundation Awards $245,000 in Grants to Shooting Facilities


NEWTOWN, Conn.-To encourage the development of new marketing strategies that will motivate people to go target shooting and hunting, the National Shooting Sports Foundation has awarded grants totaling $245,531 to 12 shooting facilities around the country. This is the second year that NSSF has distributed funding to qualifying target ranges through its Range Partnership Grant Program.

"Research tells us that millions of Americans would like to try target shooting and hunting, and the place to get started is at one of the thousands of shooting ranges across the country," said Steve Sanetti, president of NSSF, trade association for the firearms industry. "These grants will help shooting range managers implement creative marketing strategies that will introduce newcomers and reactivate former shooters so they can enjoy lifetime activities that are fun and can be shared with family and friends. Time and again we see that when newcomers go target shooting, they like it-a lot. We just need to help get them started."

Said Melissa Schilling, NSSF's manager of recruitment and retention, "These grants will help to test measurable projects that, if successful, will be shared with shooting facilities around the country."

Thirty-eight proposals in all were submitted by shooting facilities nationwide. Some of this year's grant recipients proposed projects in partnership with organizations and agencies associated with recreational shooting and hunting.

The 2009 Range Partnership Grant Program recipients are as follows . . .


Mid-Carolina Rifle Club, Rocky Creek, Harris Springs Sportsman's Preserve and Little Mountain Gun & Supply, Inc. (partnering with South Carolina Department of Natural Resources), Columbia, S.C.--$67,000

Project: Develop model methods for improving public awareness of, and accessibility to, shooting ranges in South Carolina.

There you go.