Shooting a firearm the first time is exciting but it can also be intimidating.
With that in mind, the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation provided funding to assist the Permian Basin Young Guns of Midland, Texas, to host more than 60 women and 40 youth for basic pistol training. Many of the participants were first-time shooters.
The focus for the youth was more of an introduction to property safety and function of pistol shooting that will allow them to safely participate in recreational shooting and possible future competitive events. Some of the women chose to continue on to a more advanced level of pistol training including a license to carry.
Participants of all ages may also transition from recreational shooting to hunting various types of birds and big game. Introducing new hunters into the field means the purchase of guns and ammunition. An 11 percent excise tax on pistols, rifles and ammo, whether for hunting or recreational shooting, automatically generates funds that are put back on the ground for conservation work in Texas and across the nation.
More than 95 percent of RMEF’s 227,000 members are hunters.
Funded and supported by hunters, projects like this one highlight how Hunting Is Conservation.