The 59th annual Daisy National BB Gun Championship is taking place at the Rogers Convention Center, bringing together young shooters from across the country to compete in precision shooting, gun safety, and scholarship opportunities. Participants, ranging in age from 8 to 20, fire from four different positions, take a gun safety test, and compete for national titles and scholarships.
Building Confidence and Responsibility
Organizers say the event is about more than just competition, emphasizing the personal growth it fosters. “It teaches kids a real practical lesson that you start out at one level, you’ve gotta practice and they can see their improvements with their shot getting better and better. So that leads to a more confident kid,” said Lawrence Taylor, public relations director for Daisy Outdoor Products.
For some, the championship is a unique and personal experience. Carly Liddle, who is competing in air rifle, shared her perspective on the event. “It’s unique. Not everyone does it. That’s what I like about it, because you don’t just like walk up to me like, hey, what sport you do? Oh, basketball, football, softball, baseball. No, I do shooting sports. And they’re like, they don’t know anything about it. So you can explain it in detail about it. And it’s like everywhere you go, you don’t get to do that,” Liddle said.
Organizers and participants also highlighted the broader impact of the competition. “What the kids get out of this is not only gun safety, but, just the confidence to go through life and take, you know, take control and take a shot,” Taylor said. “There’s no other competition like this. Maybe because there’s just so many people from everywhere. You get to know so many people, so many different cultures and everything. There’s no negativity anywhere. That’s what I love about it,” Liddle said.
The competition runs through Monday at the Rogers Convention Center, culminating in the Top Gun Finals, where the best shooters will compete for thousands of dollars in scholarships.
Original reporting: 40/29 / KHBS (NW Arkansas) — read the source article.
