Reality ----

[braud357]

I have been following many of the recent posts concerning IHMSA - especially those containing ideas to increase membership and participation. While I hope that these efforts succeed, I am afraid that these efforts will not garner any noticeable increases. We had our 3rd match of 2015 scheduled for today at Ascension Silhouette in Gonzales, LA. The weather forecast was bleak - 100% chance of rain. We loaded up as usual, and went to the range. The rain never materialized, but we cancelled the match anyways. We really did not cancel because of the weather - we cancelled because only one shooter showed up ! This would have been out 3rd match of 2015, and we have had a total of 3 shooters attend out matches so far this year. One per match !! Can we continue at this level of participation ? I am beginning to wonder if we can ! Charlie and I have stated that we will continue on - even if we are the only shooters present. We are both beginning to bend a bit on our commitment. It is tiring to go through this much effort for so little participation ! But, we also realize that without this effort, IHMSA will cease to exist here in Louisiana. Our prospects to shoot Big-Bore are also very poor. With the closing of the silhouette program at Magnolia Rifle & Pistol Club in Jackson, MS, our nearest Big-bore range is about 330 miles away - ONE WAY ! Attending this match would entail a long drive, an overnight motel stay, and considerable expense. We are not giving up, but our resolve is beginning to crack a little. This is just our story here in Louisiana, but please look at this as a warning - if you have a local club, offer to help run these matches before they go away ! Your local participation is imperative to the survival of your local match, and it is vital to the survival of IHMSA ! Philip Braud # 13794 Louisiana State Director

[19 Turkeys]

Amen Brother Philip! Couldn't have said it better. & I do wish you all the best old friend. Keep up the good fight. IHMSA is a hill worth dying on.

Steve W.

[260 Striker]

Lets hope when the weather improves that match attendance will also improve. I'm sure that one shooter really appreciates you and Charlie's effort. Do you have any gun shops or gunsmiths in your local area that would let you post some match flyer/info? That might let some new shooters get info on your matches. We only have one gun shop in our area and several small gunsmiths but we plan to post some of our 2015 match flyers if they will let us. I wish you luck and know how dedicated you and Charlie are to IHMSA. We have our first match of the year here in OH on March 28 but we got 5+ inches of snow today so we have a lot of melting that needs to happen in the next few weeks. We will see what type of turnout we have then.

[braud357]

We have tried the local print media, and a local shooters forum (Bayou Shooter.com) with little response. We are planning to set up a table one weekend at our local Cabela's and see if we can drum up some "business" that way. We have lost a lot of our "regulars", and have not found anyone to replace them.

[LOCKHART]

Phillip, when I ran the matches in New Braunfels, Texas, I tried getting
the Austin newspaper sports editor to come to one of our matches. He never
even replied, even though I sent him a stamped return envelope. The Austin
paper is owned by Cox enterprises, a notoriously anti-gun news organization.
I dont know what the solution is to getting more publicity for our group, but
that didnt work out for Central Texas Silouette Association.

[braud357]

Our local metro newspaper (Baton Rouge) prints a local outdoor calendar every Friday. I ran our match notice there for about 5-6 years. During that time I received about 5 inquiries - and had only 2 people ever show up and shoot. One came for 2 matches, and the other maybe 3 matches. Neither could be persuaded to join IHMSA. As Charlie has stated in many previous postings - the shooter demographic has changed DRASTICALLY over the past 35 years. The "typical" handgun shooter of today finds what we do , and I quote - "boring, difficult, and too slow paced". This is our problem, fellow members - a rapidly-aging and dwindling membership, and no one interested in replacing them !

[LOCKHART]

Well, if our game has to be "more exciting" to appeal to the young folks, I just
hope nobody suggests RUNNING between relays, because I'm way too old for that
stuff!

[260 Striker]

Maybe we need to change match procedures and have two minutes to load and 30 seconds to fire five rounds. That would really make it challenging for us single shot guys/gals. A local shooter years ago used a High Standard semi for .22s and would shoot one bank in about 20 seconds.

[19 Turkeys]

Well, if our game has to be "more exciting" to appeal to the young folks, I just
hope nobody suggests RUNNING between relays, because I'm way too old for that
stuff!

How about automotive creepers for Creedmoor & flop shooters? Just push them from one bank to another.

Steve W.

[braud357]

There are some that subscribe to the notion that we should change IHMSA to meet the desires and wants of the current demographic of shooters. I wholeheartedly DISAGREE with that idea. I am sorry if I sound old-fashioned and set in my ways. I love IHMSA and handgun silhouette. If I want to shoot the tactical games, F-class, or whatever - I will seek out one of their matches ! What breaks my heart is the loss of places to shoot within reasonable driving distance. There was a time when the furthest match I attended on a regular basis was 104 miles away. For the past several years, my closest Big-Bore range was 168 miles away. They have discontinued their IHMSA matches due to lack of participation. Now I am looking at about 300 miles - one way. Another problem we have with our match in Gonzales is the fact that we have access to the range 1 day a month. All of the prospective shooters I have talked to in the past had the same question - "when can we come and practice" ? Well - "never" ! And there they go - never to be seen again ! We will "endeavor to persevere !" - but I am getting a bit discouraged !! Another point is this (and this is my opinion) - if former members were interested in shooting IHMSA, they would be doing so ! I have spoken to several of our former attendees, and they have all moved on to other things. I wish I had a solution, but I do not !