Firearm Injury Prevention Strategies from a National Shooting Sports Competitor

By Jaden Zhang, Junior National Pistol Team Member

What is the first thing you think of when someone mentions the word “gun”? The average person might correlate it with topics like violence, shootings, and other negative connotations. This viewpoint was clearly shown when I was not allowed to wear a t-shirt to class that promoted a national pistol competition hosted by USA Shooting. As a middle school student at the time who never got in trouble, I was confused when my physical education teacher pulled me aside and told me that my shirt was inappropriate based on the school dress code. Looking back on the incident, this is no longer surprising as our country has been constantly plagued with firearm injury and death, whether it is through homicides, mass shootings, or suicides. Even though my shirt did not promote gun violence, the simple shape of a gun was classified as a threat to the school. I probably would have this same mentality toward guns if I was not involved in the Olympic sport of pistol shooting and not a member of the Junior National Pistol Team. 

Due to the violence associated with firearms, it is natural for people to be wary about shooting sports. When I first became involved in the olympic pistol shooting sport in 7th grade, I felt very conflicted inside. The topic of firearms was controversial due to the large number of mass shootings that had happened across the nation. I tried not to talk about the sport with anyone because guns were a sensitive topic and had a bad connotation to them. Other people also did not talk about it for the same reasons. As a result, this limited non-gun owners’ exposure to firearms because they did not want to understand or be associated with them. This could produce dangerous outcomes because if people were ever in a situation with a firearm, they would not know the best course of action to take. The political debate about firearms is centered around regulating gun laws to reduce gun violence. Although I fully agree with the need to decrease the number of firearm deaths, I do not think of it as a political issue. Banning firearm ownership, as proposed by some politicians, may not be a plausible solution because of its practicality and the heritage of bearing firearms in the US. 

I believe that a better approach to firearm injury prevention is through a public health perspective because it is non-partisan and favors both gun and non-gun owners. What exactly does this mean? There is not a set definition, but one illustrative example is how the US has tried to limit deaths due to car accidents. Researchers identified the causes of car accidents, which included drug usage, immaturity and recklessness, inexperience, and more. Then, they developed ways to address these factors, including more education on the effects of drug use, requiring drivers under 18 to obtain a permit first, increasing the required amount of driving hours to get a license, etc. Instead of decreasing our use of cars, these strategies increased people’s driving time while also helping them become safer drivers. When applying this method to firearm injury prevention, the public health approach can similarly provide safety education for people. In addition, it can identify people who are most at risk of firearm injury and help neutralize that risk.

Like the example of car accident prevention, firearm injury can also be prevented using a similar concept. Shooting sports can contribute to this approach by informing participants of how to safely handle a firearm and what to do in certain situations. Before I was allowed to handle a pistol, my coach taught me all of the safety techniques and procedures necessary to prevent injuries and accidents. This included understanding the parts of the pistol, how it works, how to store it, and other important information. He also explained what people should do in different emergencies, like when you see a firearm by itself or when you see someone wielding one. Additionally, he always emphasized that safety should be everyone’s number one priority in every scenario involving a firearm. At shooting sports competitions, rules are even stricter, and violating safety protocols could cause competitors to lose points or even become disqualified. Overall, I found that shooting sports helped familiarize me with firearms and educate me about their safe use, and I believe it could do the same for others.

In addition to teaching people safe practices for firearms, shooting sports have a multitude of other positive influences. First, it encourages people to be more physically fit and healthy. For example, to score well in the sport of Olympic pistol shooting, one must be able to hold the gun steadily and consistently for two to three hours. When I first started the sport, I was physically very weak, so during the beginning of the training session, I had a stable hold. However, during the latter half, my arm became very sore and my accuracy decreased drastically. To become physically stronger and improve my endurance, I did arm workouts daily and cardio exercises frequently. Another major aspect of shooting sports is the mental game. At many of my first competitions, I was very nervous and as a result, was not able to shoot normally and my scores dropped significantly compared to ones during training. To address this issue, I had to use different breathing techniques and a better thinking process during normal practice sessions and real competition matches. This has helped me to stay calm during high-pressure situations and maintain focus on my shooting procedure. These concepts have also helped in the other parts of my life, like test-taking and other competition-related extracurriculars. Before important exams like Advanced Placement tests or finals, I usually feel nervous and stressed about it. However, I can counteract those negative thoughts by employing the breathing techniques and other methods I learned from my sport. During the exam, I am able to maintain my concentration and remain calm because I focus on trying to solve each problem rather than worrying about my potential exam score. This is similar to how I treat a match in an Olympic pistol shooting competition because I focus on the execution of each shot rather than the result that it produced. In summary, I believe that participating in shooting sports has helped me become more physically healthy and mentally tough.

Firearm injury, in its current state, may not be an issue that can be solved soon. Instead of limiting exposure to firearms to try to avoid the problem, we should try to solve it through the public health approach consisting of research-based methods that not only help prevent firearm injury but also preserve people’s right to handle firearms. Shooting sports can play an integral role in this idea by educating people about firearms and also familiarizing them with how to safely handle one. If more people participate in the sport and realize its benefits, it can help shed the negative light surrounding it while also bolstering the movement of preventing firearm injury and death.