Junior Shooting Sports


​The American Legion Junior Shooting Sports Program is a marksmanship program encompassing the basic elements of gun safety, education, enjoyment, and competition. Male and female shooters age 18 and younger learn from NRA-trained instructors and compete using the .177 caliber air rifle. Both males and females can participate,

Through Legion sponsorship, disabled youth are encouraged to join, as competitive shooting is a sport that creates an equal playing field for all competitors.

Contact your local Legion post, Sons of The American Legion squadron or Auxiliary unit for information about affiliating as a club or individual.Junior Shooting Sports is a three-part program that combines the Basic Marksmanship Course, Qualification Awards and Air Rifle Competition into a well-rounded activity.

2018 Department of Indiana Junior Shooting Sports Winners

​Prone Position 
  • 1st Tabit, Claire – Hancock 4-H - Post 182
  • 2nd Kleber, James – Screaming Eagles - Post 241
  • 3rd Hamilton, John – Young Gunz - Post 42
 
Kneeling Position 
  •  1st Hofmann, Levi – Marion HS JROTC
  •  2nd Hamilton, Josia – Marion HS JROTC
  •  3rd  Holt, Maggie – Versailles AL Jr. Shooting Sports – Post 173
 
Standing Position  
  • 1st Higgins, Luci - Screaming Eagles - Post 241
  • 2nd Block, Richard - Versailles AL Jr. Shooting Sports – Post 173
  • 3rd Teeguarden, Hailey -  Marion HS JROTC
 
Individual Overall Champion
  • 1st Kleber, James - Screaming Eagles (Fort Wayne Post 241)
  • 2nd Hofmann, Levi - Marion High School JROTC
  • 3rd Block, Richard - Versailles AL Jr. Shooting Sports – Post 173
 
Team Results 
  •  1st Marion High School JROTC
  • 2nd Versailles AL Jr. Shooting Sports (Post 173)
  • 3rd Screaming Eagles (Fort Wayne Post 241)
  • 4th Young Gunz (Floyds Knob Post 42)
  • 5th Hancock County 4-H (Post 182)
  • 6th Southern Indiana Sharpshooters (Jasper Post 147)
  • 7th Jr. Sharpshooters (North Webster Post 253)
  • 8th Seymour Post 89

National champions in two categories receive $5,000 college scholarships



National Championships held at the Olympic Training Center, Colorado 



​Become an NRA trained and certified Junior Shooting Sports coach and mentor


​
Teach youth gun safety through education, enjoyment and healthy competition
​Basic Marksmanship Course
The Basic Marksmanship Course, given to Shooting Sports participants, offers comprehensive instruction for beginning shooters with little or no marksmanship experience. Designed for an instructor’s easy use, the course teaches gun safety and marksmanship fundamentals, using short lectures or discussions, followed by hands-on activities. The package includes:

Instructor's guide
Detailed information for teaching the course. Download from the JSSP Resources page, or by clicking here.

Student handbook
Now in its third edition, a comprehensive reference text for beginners that thoroughly covers the fundamentals of position shooting. Download from the JSSP Resources page, or by clicking here.

Learning tools
Six quizzes and a final exam.

Qualification Awards
Graduates who want to keep improving their skills can enroll in air-rifle qualification courses provided by the National Rifle Association and the Civilian Marksmanship Programs. These courses offer personal skill-development ladders for shooters to achieve established performance standards.

Air Rifle Competition
​The annual 3-Position Junior Air Rifle National Championship is a tournament that begins with postal matches. State and/or regional champions are determined and advance to a qualification round (also a postal match) to determine the athletes who will earn expense-paid trips to compete in the national championship. The national championship is a shoulder-to-shoulder match held each August at the USA Shooting range facilities at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs.