Family Membership Continues to Grow Across the Islands

Slowing down enough to figure out the next step and finding the necessary information that another club member would need to safely go there, whether it’s to attend a meeting, visit a shooting range, read about updates in state legislation affecting shooting sports, reading about how to safely store firearms and ammunition for kids, or learning about the history of the association, is key to good guidance. The reader should be able to clearly understand the responsible thing to do and it shouldn’t become more confusing as you read on.

Even more important is consideration of the great distance between shooting locations on different islands as well as other physical and schedule-related characteristics of different family members. The standard should be explained in simple terms and members afforded the greatest flexibility in fulfilling it as is pertinent and reasonable. Simple safety and useful services are facilitated by clear explanation and corresponding accommodation.

Read the notice as a starting point

It helps members to know what changes are happening and when they will matter, and what steps members can take in the interim. It helps to note the background information on a particular announcement, in order to understand the association’s work and how the announced action affects it. And it helps to distinguish important information from mere administrative details that members can put off reading until later.

Keep the islands connected

Because Hawaii is comprised of a multitude of islands, it is essential that all members be able to access information pertaining to their respective clubs and activities. As mentioned previously, Summary Updates are designed to house important, information-gathering summaries. This information will help bridge the gap between events and help distribute the info to all members as necessary. Club representatives will continue to distribute information, and take notes at various events, and follow up with members and contacts as necessary.

Turn information into participation

Mark the date, send one simple question, volunteer for one task that is defined by another and pass along announcements to all of your fellow club members. All of these simple actions to help another create more opportunity for that person and thus to create more opportunity for yourself and for the club as a whole.

A short checklist for members

• Verify date, location and current information source before distributing the information.
• Ask one specific question when a detail is unclear.
• Safety, courtesy and local rules should be the main consideration when deciding anything that has any bearing on shooting sports.
• Record what you learn so another member won’t have to go through the same process to find out.
• Check back with the Club, Committee or Association Contact as specified.

Closing note

So remember, good association work is typically quiet and can include a good briefing, some notes, an introduction or two to some members or possibly even some activities or functions. By engaging in such activities and services members can build great trust with each other and the association over time. Thus, use the above information as a good starting point and adapt it to fit your club, self, and island as necessary, and be conservative in case things go wrong.

What this article adds

More households are joining together for range days with supervised introduction to shooting for their younger family members. The Club’s family membership has become one of the fastest growing categories of membership as these families seek out safe Youth Safety Education. The way members describe range days is as time spent together with a clear purpose. Members report that the formal range procedure of an organized Club provides a structure to a hobby that might otherwise be practiced in an informal unsupervised manner.

More families are becoming members, seeking out organized activities such as range days where they can engage in activities together. Within these households, families are introducing their children to marksmanship and are looking to the Association for support in teaching youth safety. Family memberships include access to materials and courses for youth safety as well as supervised introductory shooting lessons for the youth of Family Members, taught using the same fundamentals as adult students. Contact the association for the most current membership information. Members are provided with the most accurate and current information for membership with the Association.