American Legion Junior Shooting Program

The American Legion Junior Shooting Program offers organized air rifle competition and gun safety education for high school age youth across the nation. It's a structured pathway from local club competition through state championships to the national tournament.

Young shooters compete through Junior Shooting Clubs sponsored by American Legion Posts. There's no cost to affiliate a club. Competitors must be active members of a sponsored club, and must be under 18 or a high school graduate (class of 2008 or younger).

The competition structure runs in phases:

Competitors choose one category and stick with it:

• •Precision Air Rifle - Factory telescopic sights permitted, specialized shooting clothing allowed
• •Sporter Air Rifle - Iron sights or simple optics only, factory issue sights, soft flexible clothing (no special shooting jackets)

Precision rifles cannot be modified to compete as Sporter rifles.

• •Individual Tournament entry: $5.00 per target set
• •Team Tournament entry: $20.00 per target set
• •Target sets ordered through American Legion National Headquarters (Indianapolis, IN)

All matches use the 10-meter air rifle target (AR 5/10) at these distances:

• •20 rounds prone position
• •20 rounds standing position
• •20 rounds kneeling position

State/regional championships fire 60 rounds total (3×20). Later rounds consist of 20 per position.

The National Championship Individual Tournament fires at the USA Shooting Facility at the United States Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colorado (August 5-10, 2008).

15 competitors per category are invited based on qualification round scores. Winners receive:

• •$1,000 college scholarship for national champions (both Precision and Sporter)
• •Financial grants for travel and living expenses
• •Participation awards and trophies at regional levels

Integrity matters. Postal tournaments rely on competitor honesty. Cheating results in automatic disqualification. State shooting sports chairs investigate suspected rule violations.

Contact The American Legion to affiliate a Junior Shooting Club at your local Post:

The American Legion Junior Shooting Sports Program P.O. Box 1055 Indianapolis, IN 46206

Target sets are ordered through postal mail (orders postmarked by January 18). Fired targets return via USPS, UPS, or FedEx with tracking recommended.

• •Competitors may participate in both Individual and Team tournaments on separate target sets
• •Cannot compete in the same National Championship category in successive years (unless moving from Sporter to Precision)
• •Cannot repeat in Sporter category after competing in National Finals
• •Each competitor fires on only one set of official targets per state/regional championship phase
• •All fired targets must be returned or entries are disqualified

Texas is in Region 6 (includes Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Mexico for match purposes).