Diversity is a big buzzword nowadays. To some it’s a shining beacon of what we should strive for or what is sorely lacking in certain circles. For others, it’s a boogeyman–a sign of everything wrong with our country, and something to be scorned. Don’t worry, I’m not talking about diversity as a social construct today. Rather I’m talking about diversifying our activity within the shooting sports. From USPSA to Sporting Clays, Cowboy Action, NRA High Power, and more. Let me tell you why we need diversity to promote shooting sports growth.

Try Different Disciplines for Shooting Sports Growth

If you’ve been shooting seriously for any amount of time, you’ve probably been faced with burnout. I know I’ve gone through several instances of “F- this,” resulting in unexpected sabbaticals from the range for indeterminate amounts of time. This has happened when chasing various goals such as a sub-5-second FAST drill or moving up a classification in USPSA. Maybe the folks at the local club are less than stellar to interact with, making every range trip a chore.

Whatever the reason, it’s not uncommon to just get tired of it all. This is especially true when your practice is extremely similar day in and day out. One way to help avoid burnout is to change things up. Novel, isn’t it? Jokes aside, changing up my range time does a lot to keep me invested.

Shifting Gears

In early 2024 I started shooting trap after each pistol practice session. I’d tried trap as a teen, and largely found it tedious. As an adult, it was reinvigorating, especially once I got the rust knocked off. Soon I found myself excited to go the range to powder some clays at the end of my practice. This is just one way to spice things up. Dabbling in Cowboy Action Shooting (CAS) in 2018 was another great break from the monotony of drills.

Go try something different; it may be what saves your interest in guns in the first place.

New Passions

This dovetails nicely with avoiding burnout. Trying something new may show you a love that would’ve never blossomed otherwise. I used to be staunchly anti-IDPA, until I tried IDPA and found it far more enjoyable than USPSA. Similarly, I’ve really developed a passion for trap, which is pretty far removed from my typical “defensive”-style shooting.

Not only am I avoiding burnout by trying diverse things, but I’m coming to appreciate new things more than I ever enjoyed old hobbies. With this in mind, I’m far more open to trying new disciplines, though I’m not hopping around much either. Don’t treat it like speed dating, give yourself time to learn and adapt. We all have a lust for something new, but don’t let that stop you from truly enjoying what you’re doing now.

New Insights from Diverse Interests

Shooting is shooting, except when it isn’t. Surely a CAS match is far removed from Steel Challenge, right? Maybe not as much as one with first think. I’ve learned a lot by trying new disciplines over the last decade. Those lessons don’t always transfer across domains, but there’s often more overlap than not.

Trap and skeet taught me to lead targets, which is a big help with movers on an action shooting stage. USPSA showed me how to stage plan, which helps me develop my own courses of action in virtually every discipline I try. This diversity of experience keeps paying off, but it’s only something you’ll see if you nurture it.

Helping Others Enter the Firearms World

If you’re reading this, then there’s a pretty good chance you’re the “gun guy” in your circle. Often that means you will have people asking for your help when they’re ready to start exploring the firearms world. Just because you like some aspect of this world doesn’t necessarily mean that they will too.

I tried getting my dad into 3-Gun during my brief fling with it back in 2016, and that was absolutely a mistake. It immediately turned him off to any competition for several years until we tried CAS together. Similarly, my older suggestions for defensive firearms were lacking to say the least, when my experience was more limited. That absolutely turned some people off to guns, and the blame largely rests on my younger self.

Having a diverse knowledge of the firearms world can only serve to help you and those around you. This can help you guide people towards tools and experiences more inline with their goals and capabilities. That in turn can help them grow to love our world.

Wrapping Up The Importance of Diversity in the Shooting Sports

Diversity is one of our greatest strengths. Diverse interests help maintain our commitment to shooting sports, training, and other aspects of firearms ownership. Increasing our knowledge can improve our ability to aid newcomers to both individual disciplines or to the firearms community as a whole.

If you’re starting to tire of your typical range time, consider changing things up a bit. Go take a lesson in some aspect you’ve never tried before, or accept that invite that a buddy keeps extending. If you see someone starting to flounder, tell them what you think of diversity, and maybe they’ll give it a try too!