BSA Getting it Done
Lots of people don’t know, but the Boy Scouts of America is, for many kids, their introduction to gun culture and safety. My son and I participated when he was in the program and I volunteered as a certified firearms instructor and range safety officer.
In 2015 alone, 43,196 Boy Scouts earned a Marksmanship Merit Badge, which is available in rifles and shotguns. Older Venture Scouts also can take smallbore pistol marksmanship as well.
As noted by Michael D. Faw in The Outdoor Wire:
Scouting holds title to more than 400 summer camps across America and every camp has a range that promotes various firearms shooting programs. For many Scouts, this can be the first introduction to the shooting sports. More than 300 of those camps have rifle ranges, and nearly 300 camps have shotgun ranges. Many have both.
Shooting venues are popular at Scout camps and those attendees shoot—and shoot often.
During 2019, Scouting shooting programs at those camp ordered more than 5,130,000 rounds of .22 ammunition, more than 850,000 20-gauge shotshells and more than 360,000 12-gauge shotshells from the national headquarters supply center. Ironically, not all camps order their ammunition supplies through the national headquarters supply program or those numbers would be significantly higher. Several camps have programs with local suppliers to secure ammunition and save shipping costs.
“The shooting programs offered in Scouting camps are one of our most popular programs,” reports Rob Kolb, Scouting Range Program Director. “Adding to those camps in 2019 was the World Scout Jamboree that came to The Summit (a Scout adventure camp) in West Virginia. There were more than 42,000 participants from more than 150 countries, and the shooting range was open and it was one of the top visited sites. For some of those Scouts, this was the first time they had shot any firearm—and for some it was the first time they had ever seen a firearm.” 2019 was the first time the World Scouting Jamboree had been in America in 50 years.
