The First Shot
Everybody in this sport has a first shot, and almost everybody remembers it.
Mine, like most people’s, came because somebody took the trouble. That is worth pausing on, because it is the whole mechanism by which this sport continues to exist.
76,000 front doors
We spend a great deal of time talking about how the sport grows, and the honest answer is that it grows one person at a time, through somebody they already trust.
That makes every member a front door. Seventy-six thousand of them in this state. The association can run programs, build ranges and produce material, and all of that helps, but none of it substitutes for a member saying come along on Saturday and I will show you.
It also means growth is not somebody else’s job. If you have ever wondered what you could personally do for the future of the sport, this is it, and it costs you a morning.
Rarely does somebody join a sport because of a brochure. They join because a friend asked.
What the first day is actually like for them
It is worth remembering, because we forget fast.
A first timer is usually nervous, often more than they will admit. They are worried about looking stupid, about doing something dangerous, about whether they will be welcome. Everything is unfamiliar: the noise, the language, the equipment, the fact that everyone else seems to know exactly what they are doing. Many of them have been told their whole lives that this is a dangerous activity, and part of them is checking whether that is true.
What settles all of that is not a good explanation. It is being looked after. The moment a newcomer realises somebody has them, the nerves drop away and they start enjoying themselves.
How to run a first day well
| Keep it short | An hour of shooting is plenty. People leave wanting more, rather than tired and overwhelmed. The most common mistake is generosity, giving someone a whole day when they needed sixty minutes. |
| Start small and easy | Something light, something close, something they will hit. Success early is everything. Recoil and difficulty can wait until they already want to come back. |
| Explain why, not just what | “Action open” means little on its own. “Action open so anyone walking past can see at a glance that it’s safe” makes sense immediately, and it teaches them that our rules have reasons. |
| Do not coach too much | Resist the running commentary. One or two things to think about, then let them shoot. Nobody enjoys being corrected continuously on their first morning. |
| Introduce them to people | Three or four members by name. Whether they come back has more to do with whether they felt welcome than with how they shot. |
| Let them hold on to something | A target with their hits on it. It gets stuck on a fridge and shown to people, and it does more recruiting than anything we could print. |
| Invite them back specifically | “Come again sometime” gets nobody. “We’re here next Saturday at eight, I’ll bring the gear” gets people. |
A note for branches
If a newcomer’s first contact with your club is an unanswered phone and an out of date website, you have lost them before anyone got near a firearm.
The clubs that grow are not the ones with the best facilities. They are the ones where somebody answers, where a first timer is met at the gate rather than left to find their own way in, and where there is a spare set of gear that does not need to be arranged three weeks ahead. None of that requires money. All of it requires somebody to have decided it matters.
Who to ask
Most members, asked to think of someone to invite, draw a blank. So here is a prompt.
The workmate who asked you a question about it once. The neighbour who mentioned pigs on their property. Your adult kids, who you assumed were not interested and have never actually been asked. The friend who is at a loose end since they stopped playing sport. Someone who has just moved to the area and knows nobody.
You are not selling anything. You are offering somebody a morning out.
One person
That is the ask. Between now and Christmas, take one person shooting for the first time.
If even a fraction of our members did that, it would be the largest single piece of growth this sport has seen in years, and it would have been achieved entirely without a strategy, a budget or a meeting. Just members doing what somebody once did for them.
Until next week: keep ’em on target, in the field and on the range!
Jai Rowell
President — SSAA NSW
A Quick Reminder on Mandatory Participation Requirements
Members are reminded that mandatory participation requirements apply for the reporting period 1 July 2026 to 30 June 2027.
Why mandatory participation requirements matter?
Mandatory participation requirements apply under Part 10 of the NSW Firearms Regulation 2017. These requirements apply according to the genuine reasons on your NSW Firearms Licence, regardless of firearm ownership.
How many attendances do I need?
- Target Shooting: 4 shooting activities
- Hunting: 2 hunting activities (completed either at a range, or by attending a hunting meeting). Attendances apply only to members whose membership to an approved hunting club is the sole basis for their hunting genuine reason.
- Collecting (Category G): 1 collectors meeting
How to record attendances?
Please ensure your attendance is recorded through the SSAA NSW Electronic Attendance System (EAS) or the attendance book at SSAA NSW branches. You can also submit your attendance by email to attendances@nsw.ssaa.org.au. Please remember to include supporting evidence and your membership number.
Check where you stand
Members are encouraged to review their participation status well before the end of the reporting period. You can view your recorded attendances online by clicking here.
For enquiries regarding your mandatory participation requirements, please contact 02 7900 1555 or admin@nsw.ssaa.org.au.
