“NASSA – An Association Built By Silhouette Shooters For Silhouette Shooters”
The Birth of NASSA
The ground-breaking Lapua Monarch Cup, involving the Canadian, US and Mexican smallbore Silhouette communities, served as the initial inspiration for the launch of the North American Silhouette Shooting Association (NASSA). Imagine leveraging the critical mass and momentum of an entire continent of Rifle Silhouette shooters to help grow our sport!
A proposal for the creation of NASSA was presented to and enthusiastically endorsed by a core group of shooters and vendors at the 2021 NRA Smallbore Silhouette Nationals in Ridgway, Pennsylvania. All those in attendance in the Ridgway Clubhouse agreed to support the NASSA Implementation Team and our work began in earnest. The vision for NASSA we all agreed upon is simple and direct:
VISION;
The Premier Organization for the Promotion of Rifle Silhouette Shooting Sports on the North American Continent
Camaraderie – Tradition – Passion for Shooting
The vision is clear and the means and processes to achieve our vision are now well defined. NASSA will continue to gain momentum over the coming months, helping to promote Rifle Silhouette throughout the North America continent.
To learn more ABOUT US, click on the links below:
Metallic Silhouette History
Legend has it our Rifle Silhouette sport had its origins with Pancho Villa’s men in Northern Mexico during the 1910-1919 Border War with General Pershing and U.S. Army troops. Bets about who was the best shot among Villa’s men led to live animal shoots at distance to prove who was the real Champion!
After the conflict, Villa’s men returned home and carried these live-animal sporting events with them using their high power hunting rifles. Eventually live animal shoots were replaced with metal cutouts of animals, partly due to public pressure, birthing “Silhuetas Metalicas” (Metallic Silhouette).
The sport began to migrate over the border to the USA in the late 1960’s and boomed in popularity and the rest is history.
Click on the link below to learn more about our Rifle Silhouette history!
Competition Basics
NASSA promotes Rifle Silhouette competition in the High Power Rifle, Smallbore Rifle, Air Rifle and Lever Action Rifle disciplines as sanctioned by the NRA (USA), the SRAC (Canada) and FEMETI (Mexico). Quite a few of our Rifle Silhouette shooters participate in all four disciplines.
For those of you unfamiliar with or new to Rifle Silhouette competition, come join us at a local Silhouette gun club match in your area. Your local shooting community is very glad to help you get started, so just bring your hunting rifle and come to a local gun club match!
Click on the link below to learn more Rifle Silhouette competition, rifles and equipment.
New Silhouette Disciplines
Rifle Silhouette has evolved over 50 years, first with High Power and then adding Smallbore, Air Rifle and finally Lever Action disciplines over the lifespan of our sport.
Evolution of all shooting sports has accelerated over the last 10-15 years as new firearms, associated products and firearms technology has evolved. Therefore, it is important that Rifle Silhouette must continue to evolve as well to attract both new and younger shooters. We must also accommodate our older Silhouette shooter community by offering them new challenges that can keep them involved and engaged.
A NASSA primary objective will be the promotion of “shooter-tested” new Rifle Silhouette disciplines that complement our current courses of fire. The desired result will be the growth of match attendance that is critical to keeping our sport viable. This also means bigger prize tables as Industry Sponsors are more willing to donate prizes. More prizes keeps growing more match attendance.
Based on NASSA’s charter, our mission is to assist in petitioning the sanctioning bodies to establish new Rifle Silhouette disciplines.
Click on the link below to read about various new Rifle Silhouette disciplines being developed in our NASSA Regions!
NASSA Membership
“NASSA – An Association Built By Silhouette Shooters For Silhouette Shooters”
You can join NASSA as a NASSA Individual Member, as a NASSA Club Member or be further recognized as a Silhouette Industry Sponsor through our NASSA website advertising initiatives. The best part of a NASSA Membership IS IT IS FREE!
Click on the link below to learn more the benefits of your free NASSA Membership!
NASSA Youth Programs
No mission for NASSA is more important than developing initiatives to entice more juniors to participate and excel in our Rifle Silhouette disciplines. In the upcoming months, the NASSA Implementation Team and our newly appointed NASSA Regional Directors will be putting more focus on the conceptualization, development and launch of specific NASSA Youth Programs.
For the record, we cannot think of a more worthwhile and rewarding experience than working alongside our junior Rifle Silhouette shooters. Through our combined efforts, these junior shooters can learn responsible firearms safety and important life skills such as goal setting, building a strong self-worth and leadership.
For more information on NASSA Youth Program Initiatives we will be developing, click on the link below:
NASSA Governance
Our long-term goal is to make NASSA a 501(c)(3) Non-Profit Corporation. Such a change will require formal NASSA By-Laws, NASSA Code of Ethics, a NASSA Board of Directors as well as Functional Managers to oversee specific responsibilities to guide and sustain NASSA. As a 501(c)(3) Non-Profit Corporation, all USA-based donations will be tax-deductible.
Since NASSA is an evolving and growing organization, the NASSA Implementation Team will serve as an interim means of governance until such time as a more permanent governing body is appointed. The NASSA Implementation Team will also be supported by a NASSA Advisory Council made up of some of our more prominent Rifle Silhouette shooters and Industry Sponsors.
To learn more about our NASSA Implementation Team and NASSA Advisory Council , click on the link below:
NASSA Service Awards
NASSA wants honor all the hard work and contributions our volunteers make beyond the norm to make NASSA a success. That is why, early our journey, we are establishing a NASSA Awards Program.
The objective of establishing a NASSA Awards Program is to recognize and reward Silhouette-affiliated gun clubs, kindred organizations, our industry partners or individuals for an act, achievement or services rendered that has directly contributed to the growth and sustainment of NASSA.
To learn more about NASSA Service Awards, click on the link below:
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
As a newly established organization, your NASSA Implementation Team frequently receives questions via emails, phone calls, texts and at Championship Matches we attend. This includes topics on how to get started in our sport, how to list your gun club on our website and other common questions.
Click on the link below for answers to our more Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ).
Contact Us
Come join us at one of our Rifle Silhouette Championships or local matches and we will answers all your questions regarding Rifle Silhouette and help you get started! Rifle Silhouette is a challenging sport, but you will not find a friendlier group of shooters in the sports shooting disciplines!
Want to contact us on-line? Click on the Contact US link below to submit your question(s) to NASSA. Choose the correct question subject category in the drop-down menu to better direct your email to the appropriate source. Our mailing address is also listed on the Contact US webpage.
Contact us on the link below if you have any further questions regarding NASSA.