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Gold Medal GunslingersCombat Shooting Targets the Olympic GamesSection Three: "GunGames Kids"Many Americans first learned about combat shooting after the March 1998 massacre of children by children at Westside Middle School in Jonesboro, Arkansas. In that horrifying tragedy, 13-year-old Mitchell Johnson and 11-year-old Andrew Golden ambushed their classmates from a wooded hillside after setting off the school's fire alarm. As the students left the building, Johnson and Golden opened fire, killing four girls and a teacher, and wounding 11 other children.In the investigation that followed, it was revealed that Golden's father, Dennis, was the founder and head of the Jonesboro Practical Shooters Association and had begun teaching Andrew combat shooting.21 News reports focused not only on the young ages of the shooters, but also on how Golden had apparently played out the "shoot-to-kill" fantasy of combat shooting in chilling reality. While many would be shocked by the idea of putting a real pistol into the hands of a pre-teen and setting him loose in a lurid fantasy scenario, the USPSA is actively recruiting children to join its ranks. The organization's web site (www.uspsa.org) contains an entire section (www.uspsa-juniors.org/main.html) headlined "USPSA's Junior Program: Dedicated to America's Finest Youth." The web page offers combat shooting role models for children. A "Photo Gallery" section features the "GunGames Kids," three boys armed with holstered handguns, ammunition clips tucked into their pants. The caption reads:
Julian, Izak and Chase are just your regular pre-teens who love to shoot. As the official members of �GunGames Kids�America's Youth' team, they will be touring the different major shooting events across the country to promote more youth participation in the different gun sports.22  Julian, Izak, and Chase, the "GunGames Kids"
Another 17-year-old recounts how he began combat shooting:
I started shooting competition when I was 8� years old! Yep, I started with a S&W [Smith & Wesson] model 19 and shot 38 [S]pecial loads. At first I had to pull the trigger with both index fingers. But after 6 months could just use my right index finger. At 9� my dad bought me a Springfield Armory .38 Super. Of course it was all tricked out, but at that time the optic sights hadn't caught on. Oh yea, I got this gun because I made a bet with my dad. He told me if I got straight A's he would get me a race gun. Ha ha dad, you lost on that one! That summer, at the age of 10, I competed in my first USPSA match.23The web site also contains information on "Camp Shootout," which is described as a "practical pistol camp for USPSA Junior Members" ages 12 and over. This year's Camp Shootout will be held July 27th to 31st in Princeton, Louisiana. The "main objective of the Junior summer camp program is to teach young shooter[s] the basic techniques and skills required to successfully compete in USPSA style practical pistol matches."24
A year after the Jonesboro massacre, the USPSA web site features a section titled "IPSC Needs Its Juniors." In it, IPSC sales and marketing representative Annie Lory Bachrach urges junior members to help her in gaining Olympic recognition for combat shooting:
Having considered many arguments and listened to many 'adults,' it has become apparent to me that YOU are the very best representative of IPSC. YOU kids are the truth behind the sport. If I can show these committees just how great YOU are, then I can sell the truth about IPSC. You kids represent the success of the IPSC structure, discipline, training and support for bright, athletic young people who are committed to a dynamic shooting sport within the healthiest of environments. You are the promise for a better future. Please help me by sending your 'story,'...a resume of sorts...how you started, where & how you trained, who influenced you...why you like it...your successes and your failures...all the cool stuff. I appreciate your effort in this. Remember, we're all in this together! Thanks a million!26A comprehensive study of gun ownership in the United States, published in 1996 by the Police Foundation, found that "those whose parents kept guns are three times as likely as others to own one themselves. In fact, 80 percent of all current gun owners report that their parents kept a gun in the home." 27 These statistics presage a giant marketing disaster for the gun industry. As gun ownership shrinks, the future customer base for firearms erodes. Ensuring that young people are familiar and comfortable with guns�so that they will buy them as adults�has become an industry imperative to which companies and trade groups devote significant attention and resources. With the decline of hunting and the end of universal military service, two traditional introductions to guns for young people, this effort has required increasing creativity. Many within the industry see combat shooting as one way to attract the wandering attention of children in an era of video games. This argument was baldly stated by Wally Arida, one-time publisher of the magazine GunGames. In a web site article entitled "Our Children Can Play With Guns," Arida bragged that his 10-year old son "won the world speed shooting title for competitors 12 years old and younger." He continued, "We must involve our children into [sic] our gun games. As an industry, we must build the structure for various youth shooting programs."28 By sponsoring and supporting combat shooting for children�and involving them in the campaign for Olympic recognition�the firearms industry has signalled its agreement with Arida's call to action.
Go to Section Four: A Combat Heritage Back to Gold Medal Gunslingers Table of Contents
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