Lucho,
Like you, I've been giving that one some thought and I'd guess that we're not the focus of the message. It's pretty cryptic but it seems to me that it's mostly aimed inward.
Al,
Agreed. We really are in a situation where anyone trying to foment some sort of schism is not helping the game. I don't know what it will take to move participation along -- or whether that's possible -- but, like you, I'm not going to support anything that will dilute the requirements just to increase attendance.
That does, however, bring up another point:
SSUSA may not be perfect (even if they do allow me to write the occasional article for them! :wink: ) but it's the only printed 'voice' that comp shooters have. Even so, the subscription rate is only around 15% of the total number of registered competitors! Let's face it; the days when the Rifleman was seriously competition-oriented are gone and won't return, and that makes it pretty obvious that, no matter what game we play, those of us shooting competitively need our own magazine. I can't believe that anyone is stumped by the $10/year cost -- we probably all spend more than that on lunch at a match! -- so, if that's not the problem, how do we improve the readership level?
With the understanding that only about 2.5% of the NRA membership are competitive shooters, that most of the organization's money is directed toward Second Amendment issues and that the magazine budget is limited, is there any input? (Nobody 'up there' asks my opinion on much -- OK, they not only don't ask me anything, they barely take my calls!
-- but I can certainly forward suggestions to where they belong...)