NRA Launches New “MRA” Activities Program for Millennials
At its upcoming Annual Meeting in Louisville, Kentucky, the National Rifle Association (NRA) will launch a new activities program for Millennials — young Americans in their 20s and early 30s. The new MRA (Millennial Rifle Activities) program will include a series of special events for Millennials held throughout the nation. These MRA “gatherings” will be unique among NRA competition disciplines. First, all participants in MRA events will receive a participation badge or trophy for showing up. Second, though shooting at targets will be encouraged, no actual gun-handling is required. Millennial participants can choose to watch instead. Finally, for those who do choose to shoot at MRA events, scoring will optional. Actual scores will be kept confidential, and there will be no published rankings. “At MRA events”, promises an NRA news release, “all participants will be winners.”
The NRA’s new MRA activities program targets “Millennials” — the young Americans raised on video games and the internet. If you’re not familiar with the term “Millennials”, this refers to Americans born between 1980 and 2000. They represent “the first generation that grew up with the internet and the first to have truly incorporated technology into their daily lives.” READ More.
Scoring Optional at Millennials Matches
Creating a competition program for Millennials has been challenging. With short attention spans, Millennials are easily distracted and they lack motivation to prepare or practice. Very self-absorbed, Millennials were raised on “instant gratification” and see themselves as entitled. These personality traits seem to run contrary to the focus, self-discipline, and mindset required for serious competition. Accordingly, the NRA has taken a whole new approach to MRA matches — scores won’t count and the focus will be on participation. Said one member of the NRA Competition Committee: “These were the kids who got ‘participation trophies’ for playing soccer. We are offering the same kinds of rewards. At our Millennial Matches you’ll be acknowledged just for showing up. Scoring will be optional. The emphasis is not on winning, but on participating.”
An NRA spokesman told us: “We’ve done a lot of research into the Millennial group. This demographic is very different than older generations. They expect to be rewarded for participation and they don’t want to be judged by objective standards, such as numeric scores. We’ve also learned that they like to do activities on the spur of the moment and without preparation. That’s why actual shooting will be optional at MRA events. We expect that many participants will arrive completely unprepared — without a gun or ammo. But they can still participate, and be acknowledged… and that’s what it’s all about. We want to get more Millennials involved, whether they actually shoot or not.”
NRA Millennials Outreach Follows Success of NRA Programs for Women
The NRA’s outreach programs have enabled the organization to grow its membership base successfully. For example, in recent years the NRA has significantly expanded the ranks of female members. The NRA now offers a wide variety of programs expressly for women, including self-defense training and women’s wilderness retreats. The NRA also maintains a media channel for women, NRAwomen.tv. This broadcast/web channel promotes women’s activities and recognizes top female shooters.
Millennials Create Unique Challenges for Match Directors
Dennis Santiago is a seasoned match director with decades of experience running NRA matches. He said that finding a formula for the new Millennials Match “gatherings” has been a challenge: “Designing a competitive course of fire for the new MRA Millennials discipline is not as easy as you would think. Millennials have short attention spans and it is difficult to draw them away from their digital devices. You have to come up with range commands that can attract their attention. We are thinking of sending commands via Twitter, or possibly streaming match instructions over Spotify.”
Dennis also noted that a shooting competition with “optional scoring” is something new and different for the NRA. “The concept of recording and reporting scores was hotly debated. Ultimately we decided to make scoring optional. We concluded that mandatory scoring would probably discourage participation by Millennials. To a generation that has been rewarded for simply showing up, we wanted to create a ‘safe space’ and a non-threatening environment for this new class of competitor.”
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… getting the pajama boy types on board would be a big win for the pro-2A cause.
I don’t think it’s fair that these poor kids have to participate to get a trophy. Can’t the NRA just email trophies to any millennial that requests one?
That is hilarious. We beat up the millennial generation a lot in my household, because it is personal to us. My wife and I are only a few years ahead of these kids, but the differences couldn’t be more stark.
Yes Erik, I agree. It is a microaggression to even suggest that anyone who wants a trophy has to get a job, spend thousands of dollars to buy a rifle and show up to receive one. Why can’t we just redistribute rifles from those of you who have too many to those who have none? That would be the fair thing to do. You all need to check you “shooter privilege” at the door. Where is the safe space on Accurateshooter.com?
https://www.nrablog.com/articles/2016/4/meet-the-nras-first-ar15/
NRA even made a gun for this,
Happy April 1st (AFD)!
I agree that trying to involve millennials in shooting sports is a good thing, but catering to their “short attention spans” and structuring range commands that “can attract their attention” just floors me.
Firearms and shooting are rewarding and fun, but if you cannot pay attention to what you are doing and stay off the d**n phone while you are engaged in handling and firing a weapon, stay the hell away from any range I frequent.
I will invade your “safe space” in a heartbeat if you have your head up you a** and are not practicing the 4 rules rigorously.
Insofar as participation trophies and no scorekeeping, I’d better just say nothing. It might forever damage their fragile psyche.
As a younger shooter myself. I can say that of all the “millennials” I shoot with, none have this kind of attitude. They all work hard at there respected discipline and do not want special treatment. Its rather disappointing to see that many share this view point.
Oh, and maybe make scopes optional for service rifle! Oh wait…
I know I know, April fools!
Weren’t the kids of the 60’s a “bunch of damn hippies “?
This is no different, they’ll get it figured out. How do I know? I’m a tech ed instructor and I see them every day. These kids I see are awesome and they work so hard, it makes everything you read on the Internet so obviously false it’s comical.
If you think the kids are a bunch of weenies, then maybe your generation shouldn’t have coddled them so much. Aren’t we a product of our environments? The coaches have to decide to give everyone a trophy, right?
I guess I just get the outliers then? I doubt it.
OK, is this an April Fool’s joke? If so, good one. You got me. If not, my first comment stands.
I think that the MRA matches should use a graduated approach. The first step, of course would be to create an app. In stage 1, the IPhone would be mounted on the end of a selfie-stick. It is critical that the Participant be able to view him/herself while saying “Bang.” I do not know if some phone attachment would be required to ensure that the participant hears his/her own voice clearly through the earbuds.
I will let the experts among us develop series of events that would eventually result in the use of actual firearms.
Oh, and I forgot to mention that there should also be some sort of program that would allow the Millennials to come together and “give back” something to Nature. This one is obvious. There are a number of NRA members that shoot skeet. There should therefore be a “restore the skeet habitat” project. You know, something like Ducks Unlimited.
Holy Smokes. I get back to the ‘puter after actually working for a little while to help pay everyone’s medicaid, and my email blows up!
Did I really need to add a “SARC” tag on accurateshooter?? and on Fools Day??