Latest News

• O. F. Mossberg & Sons
  5/28/2009

  O.F. Mossberg & Sons supports "Donate Your Gun"!

• Interview with Joe Murfin
  5/4/2009

  Murfin, from Daisy Outdoor products, brings spirit to the industry.

• Savage Sports Corp.
  4/22/2009

  Savage Sports Corp. gets the Ball rolling with "Donate Your Gun"!

• Interview with Steve Sanetti
  3/22/2009

  Get to know The NSSF's Steve Sanetti.

• Interview with Ron Coburn
  3/9/2009

  Check out what our first Icon has to say about the Industry,

• Taurus International Mfg. Inc.
  2/22/2009

  Taurus International Mfg., Inc., Miami, FL, has generously donated Rossi matched pair 20 ga./.22 LR guns in support of ...

• Savage Sports Corp.
  2/17/2009

  The Savage Sports Corporation, Westfield, MA, a long-time supporter of youth shooting sports programs, recently announced...

• Blackpowder Products, Inc.
  2/7/2009

  Blackpowder Products, Inc. (BPI) enthusiastically answered a request from the Youth Shooting Sports Alliance (YSSA) to provide muzzleloading rifles and accessories in support...

  
  More News!

YSSA Outreach

CALHOUN COUNTY 4-H APPLAUDS YSSA SUPPORT

Trent Barnett, 4-H Youth Agent for Calhoun County, MS writes “The Calhoun County 4-H shooting sports program has had a very successful year.  The YSSA grant items were very helpful to our youth programming success.  We had 20 youth participate in our county practice sessions and county contest.  We had 34 individuals attend the multi-county contest.  Our youth then qualified to advance to the Mississippi 4-H District competition where we had 12 compete in air rifle, archery and skeet shooting.  We have youth already asking when is the next club meeting!”

DONATED FIREARMS PROGRAM UPDATE

As we end the second month of our Donated Firearms Program, we have auctioned 60 items (firearms; rangefinders; knives/cutlery); netted $21,702.22; and recorded 95,017 viewings of prospective bidders.  All shipping fees have been paid by the buyers of these items.  GunBroker.com does not charge YSSA for commissions or listings of any items.  Feedback from our buyers has resulted in 25 out of 25 A+ ratings to date.

MT. DIABLO SILVERADO COUNCIL, BSA HOSTS SHOOTING SPORTS AWARENESS COURSE

Following YSSA’s provision of needed shooting sports equipment, Jason Lewis, Program Director for the Mt. Diablo Silverado Council, Pleasant Hill, CA writes “Our new Shooting Sports Awareness Course for Scouters and parents was a huge success!  Our goal was to attract adults with no knowledge of shooting sports and adults with anxieties to come see how we operate the youth program, use the exact same youth equipment, experience the safety training, go through 6 different shooting sports ranges (shotgun, rifle, pistol, archery, BB and black powder), get comfortable with our staff and ultimately sign up their Scouts for our shooting sports programs.  And we hit that target right in the middle, reviews wanted more of everything, but of course, that’s for the Scouts!

ALASKA GOVERNOR SARAH PALIN THANKS YSSA

David Baron, President of the Youth Shooting Sports Alliance received a letter of thanks from Alaska Governor Sarah Palin for YSSA’s support of the Fairbanks Hunter Education Indoor Shooting Range.  The YSSA provided 12 Genesis compound bows, 5 dozen Easton-Truflite 1820 aluminum arrows, 11 Leupold Sequoia spotting scopes, 12 Henry Mini-bolt .22 cal. youth rifles, 6 Avanti Elite competition rifles, 5 cases of 20 ga. Winchester target loads, 5 cases of Winchester .22LR target cartridges and a case of .177 cal. pellets to this first-class educational and recreational facility.  “The noteworthy support by the Youth Shooting Sports Alliance will enable the Fairbanks Hunter Education Indoor Shooting Range to introduce more youth to the joys of shooting and hunting” stated Governor Palin.  Primarily used for hunter education and training, the facility provides youth-oriented shooting programs to 5,000 kids each year.

GATCO SHARPENERS/TIMBERLINE KNIVES EXPANDS THE SCOPE OF PRODUCTS OFFERED ON YSSA’S DONATED FIREARMS PROGRAM

In the movie “The Untouchables,” the character played by Sean Connery chided one of Al Capone’s hoods by saying “You brought a knife to a gunfight!”  Well, so did John Anthon, President of GATCO Sharpeners/Timberline Knives.  John generously donated an inventory of new Alaskan Canoe Hatchets, Alaskan Skinners, Gut Hook Skinners and Fillet and Steaking Systems to the YSSA’s Donated Firearms Program.  These beautifully-designed cutlery items will be auctioned on GunBroker.com and the proceeds will be used to acquire equipment and supplies needed by priority youth shooting sports programs.

SOUTH CAROLINA 4-H GETS A PROGRAM BOOST FROM YSSA

“This gift is incredible!  Your generosity will impact hundreds of SC 4-H youth and volunteers” stated Kellye Reinbert, 4-H Youth Development Director at Clemson University.  The YSSA provided quite an inventory to the South Carolina 4-H Shooting Sports program to include 24 Genesis compound bows, 25 dozen Easton-Truflite 1820 aluminum arrows, 20 shooting glasses, 10 Avanti Champion training rifles, 2 Avanti Legend competition rifles, 7 savage Model MARK I .22 cal. rifles, 5 Mossberg Model 930 12 ga. Automloader shotguns, 2 Do-All Aerial Assault automatic trap machines, 20 shooting mats and 20 cases of Winchester target loads.  James F. Barker, President of Clemson University added “Clemson is pleased to have the Youth Shooting Sports Alliance as a valued partner in our mission.”

MOBILE AREA COUNCIL, BSA TREATS 700 SCOUTS TO THE JOY OF SHOOTING

The Mobile Area Council, Boy Scouts of America, had 700 Scouts participate in rifle shooting, shotgun shooting, archery and clay shoots with equipment provided by the YSSA.  The YSSA provided 30 Daisy BB guns, 5 Savage MARK I .22 cal. rifles, 4 Mossberg Super Bantam 20 ga. shotguns, a Do-All Aerial Assault automatic trap machine, 6 Arrowstp 32” round targets with easels, 35 dozen Easton-Truflite 1820 aluminum arrows, 5 Cabela’s canvas gun storage cases, and 2 cases of Winchester .22 LR target cartridges to the Council.  “All of these items have been used at the Boy Scout Summer Camp, Cub Scout Family Camps and Cub Scout Day Camps” said Cary Wilson, Assistant Scout Executive.  He added “On behalf of the Mobile Area Council, BSA, we salute and thank you for your kindness.”

 

Meeting the Challenge of Retaining New Shooters

Introducing young people to the pleasures and responsibilities of shooting is our most important task in ensuring that our shooting and hunting traditions remain intact. The Youth Shooting Sports Alliance (YSSA) was organized to address two important challenges regarding the recruitment and retention of new shooters:
• Identify and support the needs of successful and safe youth programs
• Provide leadership in the development and promotion of family-friendly shooting range facilities to encourage continued participation in the shooting sports

The Youth Shooting Sports Alliance (YSSA) received a certificate of incorporation from the Commonwealth of Virginia’s State Corporation Commission effective July 25, 2007. Upon relocation to North Carolina, Articles of Incorporation of the YSSA were filed with the North Carolina Department of The Secretary of State. Certification was received with an effective date of April 4, 2008.

The Internal Revenue Service informed the YSSA on May 12, 2008 that the organization had been determined to be exempt from Federal income tax effective July 25, 2007 under section 501 (c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code and that the YSSA was classified as a private foundation.

The United States Patent and Trademark Office issued a Certificate of Registration (Reg. No. 3,620,067) for the service mark “Youth Shooting Sports Alliance) on May 12, 2009.