After the entire country has been holed up in their homes due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s nice to see that states are finally allowing restaurants, venues, shops, and events to open up again. Luckily, shooting ranges and gun shops were allowed to remain open as part of essential services, but most competitive shooting matches weren’t able to go on.
But now, the Civilian Marksmanship Program is allowing sanctioned shooting matches again. This is great news for fans and participants of rifle and pistol matches.
All of the new shooting matches are going to have specific cleaning and social distancing measures in place to protect people that are attending these clubs. They will also be screening anyone who is entering these clubs for health issues.
There will be limits on the number of people watching and competing in the shooting matches as well. Spacing will be increased between firing points so the shooters have proper social distancing. Masks will be encouraged to cover both the nose and mouth area of each shooter.
Finally, there will be extra disinfecting of high contact areas that everyone will be around at each club. Hand sanitizer and hand washing are also encouraged with signs being posted around as friendly reminders.
The CMP says it will continue to monitor developments in coronavirus cases to make sure that these shooting matches can take place safely. They will also abide by the state government’s requirements and recommendations.
Some states have been faster than others in reopening up their shops and businesses again. Make sure you call ahead to check and see which clubs are fully up and running again in your area.
You show your support of this honorable organization by going to their donation page on the website and making a one-time or monthly monetary donation. If you would rather give some time to the CMP, they also need National Support Team Members that help with matches all around the country.
After being home for two months, volunteering sounds like a great way to spend a weekend around a shooting sport you would love to see.
There are Civilian Marksmanship Program (CMP) associated clubs all around the United States. Their main goal as a non-profit organization is to promote the safe use of firearms and to aid in marksmanship training. They sponsor many different shooting competitions throughout the year. Due to COVID-19, they shut down these matches back in mid-March.
To find a club near you, all you have to do is go to their website and plug in your zip code. You can also search by specific club type, like “junior club” or veteran associated organizations.
