NSSF's First Shots® Learn-to-shoot Seminars Excite Miami and Sacramento Area Residents

Big Turnout on Second Stop of Program's National Tour

NEWTOWN, Conn., Feb. 14, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Super Bowl is over, March Madness hasn't begun yet and the Republican primary season is a muddle. What is one to do for excitement?

Sacramento and Miami area residents have figured it out. No, they're not going to Disney World like New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning. They're going to First Shots® seminars to learn about firearms ownership.

The 20 filled-to-capacity seminars in these two areas are yet another demonstration of the growing interest in gun ownership across America. A Gallup poll from late last year revealed that 47 percent of Americans reported owning a firearm, an increase from 41 percent the year before and the highest recorded level since 1993.

On Saturday, March 3, nearly 400 people residing in or near Sacramento and Miami will fill First Shots seminars co-sponsored by the National Shooting Sports Foundation® and three target-shooting facilities in each area. NSSF is the trade association for the firearms, ammunition, hunting and shooting sports industry.

This is the second leg of the First Shots program national tour to help big-city residents learn about their local and state procedures for handgun ownership. Last November, residents of Madison, Wisc., and Chicago also packed First Shots seminars to capacity.

"I am finding that people everywhere are eager to learn about gun ownership," said First Shots Manager Tisma Juett. "And why shouldn't they? Target shooting is fun and can be enjoyed with friends. Owning a gun also provides security for individuals and their families."

Miami, Fla.,-area residents will visit the following ranges:

Hollywood Rifle & Pistol Club--two sessions
Arizona Shooting Range--three sessions
National Armory--five sessions

Sacramento, Calif.,-area residents will visit these ranges:

Sacramento Valley Shooting Range--five sessions
El Dorado Shooting Range--three sessions
United Revolvers Club--two sessions

Each seminar covers laws and regulations, emphasizes the value of proper training and puts participants on the firing line with certified instructors so they can experience the fun of target shooting.

"The response from the host ranges has been unbelievable," said Juett. "They are enthusiastic, excited, willing and capable of making these two points of our First Shots national tour awesome."

The seminars are open to men and women 21 years of age and older. A parent or legal guardian must accompany anyone between 20 and the minimum age of 18. Those attending the Sacramento and Miami area seminars will learn about revolvers and pistols and will fire .22-caliber ammunition.

The First Shots program has provided a supportive introduction to firearms ownership to thousands of people in hundreds of seminars nationwide. According to program research, half the individuals who have attended the seminars go on to meet their local requirements for handgun ownership and have introduced another person to their newfound sport of target shooting.

For more information about First Shots, contact Tisma Juett at [email protected] or go to www.firstshots.org.

About NSSF

The National Shooting Sports Foundation is the trade association for the firearms industry. Its mission is to promote, protect and preserve hunting and the shooting sports. Formed in 1961, NSSF has a membership of more than 7,000 manufacturers, distributors, firearms retailers, shooting ranges, sportsmen's organizations and publishers. For more information, log on to www.nssf.org.

SOURCE National Shooting Sports Foundation