Why does the US suck at Shooting in the Olympics?

[SteelPenguin]

Seriously. If we love our guns so much, and we're so armed to the teeth, why do we not clean up, or at least compete at the level of other countries in the shooting competitions? You'd think we'd be good at that with all our sport shooting, no?

[wilt the stilt]

1. we only shoot well if it's a semi automatic n/t

[benEzra]

14. Olympic pistols ARE semiautomatic.

we only shoot well if it's a semi automatic

Olympic competition pistols ARE semiautomatic, just like any other pistol.

Olympic class pistols:





http://www.carlwalther.com/osp.htm

[DinahMoeHum]

2. We only shoot well if the target is a living, breathing thing. . .

:evilfrown:

[NorthCarolina]

3. We're better with Bombs

eom

[trumad]

4. LOL

[erpowers]

5. We Are Good At Fencing

It seems we are pretty good at Fencing. The country has gotten three medals and they all came in Fencing.

[Awsi Dooger]

8. I really enjoyed the women's fencing

The winner pulled an upset again, seeded 4th in '04 and 6th this time. You could tell the silver medalist was annoyed and stunned, expecting the gold. She didn't smile at all during the national anthem.

The American bronze medalist was also beaten by the eventual gold medalist but I was impressed with her energy during the bronze medal match. She overcame a 7-1 deficit vs. a Russian, including the decisive point at 14-14. That's very rare, a winner-take-all point, no requirement to win by 2.

Anyway, I do remember an American shooting champ named Darrell Pace. Maybe we prefer arrows.

The Winter Olympic shooting is awesome, skiing penalty laps.

[erpowers]

9. I Like Winter Biathlon

I think Winter Biathlon is really cool. I would actually like to get into it. If I have a chance this year I will try to learn to ski and get into Winter Biathloning.

[Odin2005]

6. I know, that has always suprised me.

I wonder if we did better in the past when there were more people, like my step-dad, who grew up in rural areas and learned to use guns from an early age.

[Indenturedebtor]

7. If the targets were brown people we would be unstopable n/t

[SoxFan]

10. Russia and Georgia

I noticed that in one of the shooting events (women's air pistol, I think), Russia and Georgia received the silver and the bronze.

Now, that's a scenario with the potential for quality television...

[PVnRT]

11. Sport shooting isn't big in the U.S.

Guns in the U.S. mostly revolve around hunting or "home defense." Personally, I would love to get a good shotgun and try out competitive skeet or trap.

[benEzra]

12. Much bigger than you realize, probably.

Olympic-style shooting, however, is not.

The same basic skill set is used in both American target shooting and Olympic style shooting, but if you're allowed to shoot real guns (as we are), then 1000-yard F-class competition or IPSC pistol/carbine are a lot more interesting than shooting ridiculously priced airguns at 10 meters.

I dabble in IPSC, FWIW. It is fun, challenging, and practical.

[PVnRT]

15. That makes sense

It seems most of the Olympic events are air pistol stuff.

[benEzra]

16. There are a couple of events using .22 Short pistols and rifles, but still.

My wife thinks even .22LR firearms are boring as heck; a .22 Short might as well be an airgun.

Aren't .22 Shorts what they used to use in the old shooting galleries at fairs?

They're also pricey.

http://www.carlwalther.com/osp.htm

[Lasher]

23. I have a few .22 short rounds.

I'm not sure where they came from but I think I inherited them from my grandfather. I shot a couple of them just for grins. I used a revolver that I normally load with .22 long rifle cartridges. It sounds kinda like a cap pistol but I wouldn't mind using them for target practice.

But just for shooting at targets, black powder muzzle loaders are lots more fun. I'd like to see them used in one Olympic event. Maybe vintage flintlocks and not those newfangled hunting guns.

[MaineDem]

13. At least one is pretty good at it

http://www.nbcolympics.com/shooting/news/newsid=199078.html#american+eller+wins+gold

BEIJING (AP) - American Walton (Glenn) Eller won the gold medal in double trap shooting Tuesday, building a solid lead during qualifying and then hitting 45 of 50 targets in the final round.

Eller set an Olympic record with a total score of 190 - and with a qualifying score of 145. Francesco D'Aniello of Italy won the silver, and HU Binyuan of China took the bronze.

[Doctor_J]

17. If they ever have Saturday Night Speical or Uzi events,

We will sweep

[benEzra]

21. Olympic shooters already use "assault weapons"...

Olympic target pistols:


Hammerli SP20 (semiautomatic)


Pardini HP (semiautomatic)

Both are classified as "assault weapons" by most proposed bans here in the USA, because the magazine is located outside the handgrip.

Defensive-style handguns (including a few "Saturday Night Specials") are indeed used in international practical shooting competition (e.g. IPSC), but that is not an Olympic event yet. There is considerable interest in making it one, though.

http://www.ipsc.org/

[jakefrep]

18. We've never sent Ted Nugent or Charlton Heston to the Olympics?

The next thing Ted Nugent does for this country will be the first.

[MaineDem]

19. Hello, we won a gold the other day

http://www.nbcolympics.com/shooting/news/newsid=199078.html#american+eller+wins+gold

[underpants]

20. Guns Beer and Love

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=3789096&mesg_id=3789096

[Xenotime]

22. The US just sucks at the olympics period....but I see your point.

[benEzra]

24. Have you been watching the same Olympics I have?

We're doing pretty well. If you want us to clobber everybody in every event, maybe not, but damn, the swim teams have done remarkably well, the womens' gymnastics team took the team silver and 1-2 in the individual all-around, etc. It's been quite a show, IMO.

[Up2Late]

25. Because Deer Hunting isn't an Olymplc sport...

...if you can't kill it, our gun nuts don't want to participate. If the NRA would spend just half as much on Olympic shooting as they do on keeping assault rifles legal, we'd have a great team.

But hey, a guy from Georgia (the U. S. State, not the country) won Gold in Skeet Shooting a few days ago, that's nothing to sneeze at.

[benEzra]

26. "Gun owner = hunter" is a media myth...

Because Deer Hunting isn't an Olymplc sport...

...if you can't kill it, our gun nuts don't want to participate.

"Gun owner = hunter" is a media myth, and one that the MSM loves to wield. Only ~1 in 5 U.S. gun owners hunts. More discussion here, if you're interested.

If the NRA would spend just half as much on Olympic shooting as they do on keeping assault rifles legal, we'd have a great team.

FWIW, Olympic target pistols are "assault weapons" (as I pointed out upthread), as are the most popular civilian target rifles.

Olympic semiautomatic target pistols:







"Assault weapons," all.

[erpowers]

27. Send in the Snipers

My question was why did America not send any snipers to the Olympics. I guess if we had sent out military snipers we probably would have won in every event.

[benEzra]

28. Not likely. Long distance shooting is a lot different than Olympic shooting.

Military snipers would do pretty well in U.S. civilian F-class benchrest competition (long range), but the skill set is much different for 1000-yard rifle shooting using a scope and rest than it is for trying to hit a pencil eraser sized target at 10 meters freehand with a .22 caliber pistol, or at 50 meters freehand with an iron-sighted .22 rifle. The most important skills in long range shooting are the ability to read the wind, and knowledge of ballistics and trajectory, factors that are not a factor at all in Olympic shooting.

[nickgutierrez]

29. Dick Cheney declined his invitation...

...after the IOC refused to consider his suggestion to turn the targets into actual human faces.