“This is fun!” That’s how one of GSL Defense Training’s new instructors described her first time volunteering at one of the nation’s longest-running NRA Youth Shooting Camps in Bloomington this past weekend.
Before COVID came along, the Darnall’s Youth Camp was a huge undertaking with typically 130 to 150 young people ages 8-16 participating. There were also another hundred-plus adults volunteering to handle the logistics behind the scenes and still more instructors and coaches to ensure all the kids were safe while they learned new skills and had a great time.
This year, in its post-COVID debut, the camp shrunk to a one-day event with about 30 young people, but we still had a lot of fun as we helped lay the foundation for future growth in the coming years. After all, monster enrollments of 150 kids didn’t happen overnight.
Watching the young people gain self-empowerment and confidence shooting handguns gives me plenty of satisfaction. Helping these kids learn a life skill that might someday save their lives brings a big smile to my face.
Not only that, but we inculcated them with the fun and excitement of shooting sports. They won’t grow up scared of and/or intimidated by guns. Even ten-year-old kids saw they could handle center-fire handguns including 1911 .45s when they used good fundamentals in grip and stance.
This session marked the 26th year for the event and I’ve been there for about twenty-two of those as an instructor on the pistol line. Our company, GSL Defense Training has run the line for about ten years now.
We made sure these young men and women stayed safe while having fun and learning some life-skills.
As much as I love teaching manly skills to young men (while instilling toxic levels of masculinity), I love empowering women even more. After all, while God made men and women, Sam Colt made them equal (1 2 Lots more).
We make it fun for participants with lots of shade, fans, music and a great time for all. This year, we had more than a one-to-one instructor to participant ratio so the kids got lots of individual coaching and instruction.
They did well. After an introduction and dry-firing (above), we had them shoot about 50 to 60 rounds in practice with instructors coaching all the while. Then they shot ten rounds for score.
The top five shooters in each relay then got to shoot their choice of (mostly) center-fire “pistols.” That kept the competitive spirit in high gear to get a chance to shoot the “big” guns.
Here are some additional photos from the pistol line. Pro-gun organizations wishing for higher-resolution images for pro-gun promotion can contact us here at TTAG.
NRA? But they don’t do anything! Watch them take credit for this shooting camp after it’s all over.
Awww, man! There goes my plan to conquer Illinois and replace all the government schools with charter schools. I never would have guessed that THAT state would have a “well regulated militia”.
As for the NRA part; I’m glad the NRA still has youth programs. But they’re STILL doing things in the wrong order. Secure rights first. Train people second.
Part one isn’t done yet!
Blaming NRA for your gun rights now?
Why not crack on the folks who wrote the 2nd?
COOL! 1st shot gunz at the NRA range near Kankakee,Ill. Fun times🙂 As an aside we setup at an antique market(3rd Sunday) in Bloomington years ago. And my son graduated from ISU years ago. And got married near Bloomington 19 years ago…
Youth shooting camp? Aren’t they shooting enough youths in Chicago?
Offered without comment :
“Philly Mass Shooting Suspect Identified As 40 Year Old Black Lives Matter Supporter”
https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/five-killed-mass-shooting-southwest-philadelphia-monday
Looks like Ruger may have made a lot of fans here — they are a great pistol to start on!
THIS is training. Too many people think the class they attend for their concealed carry license is training when it isn’t. But these kinds of things actually ARE.
This is exactly what young people need.
I remember when the NRA and the Illinois Sporting Goods Association had a shoot over at a range in Carpentersville Illinois. this had to be some time in the mid 80s. The range was called Fox Valley rifle range and gun shop.
I was a volunteer helping out, and I brought a bunch of my own 22s and they (the NRA and the Illinois gun dealer Association) me several bricks of Winchester high velocity which kept my guns going pretty much all day.
The range had a little plinking Pond, which is basically a man-made body of water that we would throw marshmallows and pieces of balsa wood and shoot at.
I had the time of my life helping out those kids, and I would do it again any day of the week.
Hmm…I could be wrong but I seem to think Todd VanDemyde has an association with Fox Valley. Currently fighting for gun rights in ILLannoy🙄 Seen on Freedom’s Steel YouTube channel…
plink pond sounds cool. might the projectiles skip?
Remember 5 dead and many injured a few days ago in Philly?
Search the ZeroHedge for this article :
“Philly Mass Shooting Suspect Identified As 40 Year Old Black Lives Matter Supporter”
This is my not-in-any-way-surprised look… 🙂
Are leftwing chickenshits emboldened by the Peterson verdict?
Police fired zero rounds while trailing a shooter who was actively searching and destroying – arrested a citizen who “fired back” at the shooter – the commish praised their “restraint” – and now we hear from the execrable Krasner who was primed and ready to roll…
Maybe more details will erase this ugliness, but right now it is looking like a disgusting return to the ‘let them kill to they are tired and take a break’ policy.
Examples: VT, Parkland, Uvalde…
They charged Peterson with the wrong thing, but that was all they had criminally because not doing his job would be a civil matter.
The task really before the jury was to determine if Peterson was a ‘care giver’ under Florida law. Under Florida law if one is a ‘care giver’ they have a duty to protect and if Peterson was a ‘care giver’ under law then he would have been found guilty of the child neglect charges. So basically, the Jury had not other choice but to find him not guilty because he was not a ‘care giver’ under Florida law. The not-guilty verdict does not mean the Jury did not think him guilty, it only means they followed the law as written and their instructions to follow the law in arriving at a verdict.
But on the civil side… its being obvious he did not do his job, because as a law enforcement officer his job was specifically assigned with a duty to protect (which is one of the few exceptions to the SCOTUS ruling that law enforcement does not have a duty to protect).
The thing about didn’t know where the shots were coming from was complete misdirection by his defense. In reality the jury knew it was too but could not do anything about it because they determined IAW law that he was not a ‘care giver’.
A police officer who arrived on scene in response to the shooting testified that he encountered Peterson. He asked him ‘Hey brother, what do we got?” and Peterson told him “Gunshots second or third floor.” indicating the building where it was happening – so Peterson knew where the shots were coming from.
The radio thing was also misdirection buy the defense.
All this is just putting stuff on the record for an ‘excuse’ so the media would pick it up and trying to invoke sympathy for their client like he too was a victim. They knew the key lied in showing that Peterson was not a care giver under law, and they knew if they could show that to the jury that the jury would would have no other choice but to return not-guilty on everything because all the other charges derived from the child-neglect charges.
Cross-dressing gunman behind July 4 Philly bloodbath that left five dead is BLM supporter who made chilling Facebook posts about ‘black massacres’ and ‘evil spirits’ > https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12264195/PICTURED-Cross-dressing-gunman-July-4-Philly-bloodbath-left-five-dead-BLM-supporter.html
Armed Las Vegas worker stopped likely mass shooter in his tracks but received little attention > https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/armed-las-vegas-worker-stopped-likely-mass-shooter-in-his-tracks-but-received-little-attention-expert/ar-AA1doYWT
Gun-toting dad who thwarted mass shooting despite being shot in head now training others on self-defense > https://www.foxnews.com/us/gun-toting-dad-thwarted-mass-shooting-despite-shot-head-training-others-self-defense
In GOP victory, judge restricts Biden officials from contacting Facebook, tech companies > https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/in-gop-victory-judge-restricts-biden-officials-from-contacting-facebook-tech-companies/ar-AA1dq9Be?ocid=ansmsnnews11&cvid=f4337c5041494e57a3ede7de866c333d&ei=36
I guess celebrating the 4th of July holiday means drug use to the Biden administration – these are the people who help Joe let his tyranny freak-flag fly > White powder found at White House identified as cocaine (note: according to the article Joe wasn’t there when they found this) > https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/white-powder-found-at-white-house-identified-as-cocaine-source/ar-AA1dquIj?OCID=ansmsnnews11
But, but, but the democrats promised to legalize marijuana, they promise to.
The one man Biden wants out of the way – and it’s not Trump > https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/the-one-man-biden-wants-out-of-the-way-and-it-s-not-trump/ar-AA1dpYR9?ocid=BingHp01&cvid=cb0eed5230a246ab9824725f863883c8&ei=20
The liberal woke’ism mental health illness gone even more wild > Cancer trust suggests calling vaginas “BONUS HOLE” to not offend TRANS INDIVIDUALS > https://theindependent.co/cancer-trust-calling-vaginas-bonus-hole/
Hunter Biden Demanded Payment from Chinese Businessman Henry Zhao: ‘I Am Sitting Here with My Father’ > https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2023/06/22/hunter-biden-demanded-payment-from-chinese-businessman-henry-zhao-i-am-sitting-here-with-my-father/
Joe Biden Has Finally Lost It > https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/opinion/joe-biden-has-finally-lost-it/ar-AA1dqp2I?ocid=BingHp01&cvid=33239e4fca734db28a3e92ef54c0bae0&ei=53
More than 6 in 10 say Biden’s mental fitness to be president is a concern, poll finds > https://www.npr.org/2023/05/23/1177617666/more-than-6-in-10-say-bidens-mental-fitness-to-be-president-is-a-concern-poll-fi
The liberal left-wing woke’ism mental health illness is spreading and creating all sorts of new ‘categories’ expressing this this mental health illness, now its a new one called ‘Transableism’ which is a new way of referring to BIID or “Body Integrity Identity Disorder,” which is characterized by individuals identifying as handicapped > https://theindependent.co/transable-woman-blinds-herself/
A Democrat has a moment of clarity, I guess that ‘anti-hypocrisy’ medication worked for a moment > Rep Hillary Ronen begs for MORE police after supporting DEFUND the police > https://theindependent.co/rep-hillary-ronen-begs-police/
Tyranny and rogue government agencies and a dementia ridden president have their effects, who knew, right? POLL: Very few Americans have confidence in the US government > https://theindependent.co/americans-confidence-us-gov/
This is what I thought my NRA dues were paying for. In all 50 states. But I was wrong. I’m glad to see this is still happening in the Land of AL Capone.
It doesn’t happen in California, not even at boy scout camp, after the State passed a law making it illegal to introduce youth to anything having to do with firearms, including advertising, magazines, and youth shooting events. I have to declare my age to see anything about guns, ammo, NRA publications, etc etc.They are trying to kill the “gun culture.” As if.
Michigan New Law Misgendering a Felony & $10,000 fine.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QLxnC33VnEY
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The return of the Central Illinois NRA Youth Shooting Camp is not only a testament to the resilience of the shooting sports community but also a sign of the importance of providing opportunities for young individuals to learn about firearms in a safe and educational environment.
I think the NRA Youth Shooting Camp in Bloomington is a great program. It provides youth with the opportunity to learn about gun safety, basic shooting skills and the fun of shooting sports. I’m so happy to see this show return after its COVID hiatus.
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