Four years of sustained growth have propelled the United States Practical Shooting Association (USPSA) to another all-time membership record, breaking 16,000 members as of June 2007.

USPSA started bounding ahead starting in June 2005, and has posted 1,000 new members in 12 months.

Long-Term Memberships Up

USPSA represents the largest, and perhaps fastest-growing slice of the practical shooting pie. Here shooters are signing up for that coveted indicator of institutional health — long-term memberships. USPSA’s 3- , 5-, and Life memberships are their major growth area, with new Life-memberships-per-month a standout. These shooters are loving USPSA’s stability and professionalism, and they’re here to stay.

Why the Change?

Currently, the practical shooting world enjoys unprecedented solidarity. While USPSA represents the top of the ability and prestige curve, USPSA and its competing organizations increasingly work together, sharing an overlapping membership base. For example: two years ago USPSA launched a provisional “1911 Single Stack” division, joining forces with Richard Heinie to put on a USPSA “1911 Single Stack Nationals.” Heinie’s “Single Stack Classic” had a strong history, but under the USPSA banner Heinie has overseen the two biggest “Classics” ever.

Today crossover shooters enjoy USPSA one weekend, then return to Steel Challenge, IDPA, GSSF, or SASS the next. Seasoned USPSA competitors are doing the same thing in reverse, donning “concealment garments” or cowboy duds to play the same game under a different set of rules. While the various organizations still compete for sponsors and “name” shooters on specific weekends, the lowering of social and technical barriers has encouraged cross-fertilization and net growth.USPSA’s six divisions provide ways for most any defensive handgun owner to participate, regardless of equipment type.

Go to http://www.uspsa.org/ for additional information.

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