We must all do our best to reach out to new shooters.  I'm sure most people here do, but I'd like to point out how important grass roots, new shooters are.  

This is a primary reason Forest and I try to hold a shoot every month, just to bring new shooters into the sport.  I typically get 2 totally new shooters everytime that sign up for club membership and end up purchasing guns.

Most new shooters here in Maryland are adults that are TOTALLY new to shooting.  They don't know a thing about weapons, how to procure them or where to shoot them.  Being in Maryland, this is a VERY tough state for new shooters to get started.  The gentleman I helped today had tried to find a neighbor, tried to get help at my gun club, all with no success.  Now factor in that he is Korean and has been in the USA for only 10 years, and you can see the difficulty.

A few hours at the range, a couple hours at lunch helping him buy a weapon, and a few hours helping his sight it in and get familiarized is worth more than any amount of money I can afford to donate to the NRA or GOA.

As an added bonus, I'll end up with a new shooting buddy.  Virtually all my friends I have now have come from shooting.  It really pays.

i am constantly annoying friends, co-workers and accquaintances with the suggestion that we go to the range. if they dont have their own, i offer use of mine. i also make sure that parents with kids and guns have trigger locks.

this weekend i had the pleasure to teach a teenage girl (her father was present) to shoot rifles. she was a little hesitant with the bolt gun, but emptied the ar magazine without a pause.

eventually we will be too old to shoot (dead), so bringing in new people is essential.

Got to teach the youth. They are the future. I too shoot with a group with a Mens class, childres class, and one for the women. ( IDPA )

i am proud to take rank with you guys! what you are doing is the most important part of combatting the antis! (i personally "changed" 3 fence-sitters, and converted 1 complete anti)

do it for the future, do it for Christoph!!!

I couldn't agree more.  I got my brother-in-law into shooting by buying him a Ruger 10/22 for his 14th birthday (with his parents consent, of course).

Just this past Sunday my brother and I took a 'new' shooter to the range.  Said he hadn't shot a gun in 14 years.  On Sunday he got to shoot two different AR's, a Glock 21, Colt Combat Commander, Walther P99, Ruger 10/22 and Mossberg 590.  He was giddy!

Too bad we live in CA since every new shooter we let shoot the AR's asks where he can get it and how much...where were these guys two years ago when we could have used the voters!?!

AmeRican,
I hear ya man.  Almost all the folks I take shooting ask about getting themselves an AR...which is when they get the stick (Vote early, vote often).

F4yr:  Cool.  I still think the best way to make gun owners a more successful bunch is to convert everyone you possibly can. I'm working on #7 and #8 right now and I've only been doing it since late last year.  
I could not agree more about taking kids, neighboor's kids, friend's kids, etc., out to shoot in a safe enviornment.  
Keep up the great work! [:)]

It pleases me that today, convert #7 is going to the range to try out his new piece.  #8 is right now attempting to find a dealer who sells the 22/45 ruger 22 pistol so he may buy one of them.  Ahhhhhhhhh......such a happy feeling to know there is one more responsible firearm owner out there.  Especially in my state.  

When I first started getting interested in guns a lot of people helped me out with instruction and advice.  Now I always use every opportunity to do the same.

Bump.