Biggest shift has been the bump up to 12ga. She shot last summer at a local waterfowl club for the first time, and did really well with a 20ga. There’s one or two kids who bring their own 20ga guns, but the Team owns all 12ga, and most others who bring their own are also using 12ga. So, although the Team supplies the ammo for competitions, they only buy 12ga, so anyone swinging a 20ga has to buy their own.
The kids served at a big banquet and auction held locally by California Waterfowl Ass’n; these people blew us away — they made a $15k donation to the Team, which covered all the ammo buys for every competition event for the entire year. On top of that, they were tipping these kids — after collecting it all and dividing it evenly, every Team Member who was there waiting tables walked out with $100.
So here in the belly of The Beast, so to speak, there’s a thriving hunting/sport shooting community who have each others’ backs and are actively supporting the succession of these kids to responsible, skilled participation.
Or there was. Now that you've posted this for the FBI to read, that will change.
Oh, and FBI agents, could you have your care turn off its headlights while they're staking out my house? Thank you.