As the 2026 SHOT Show approaches, set to kick off January 20 in Las Vegas, I find myself reflecting not on the endless displays of new firearms and gear, but on the quieter, steadier work that happens year-round. While the industry gathers for one high-profile three days, the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) spends the other 362 days safeguarding America’s youth and cultivating the next generation of responsible shooters and leaders.
Far from the convention floor, this organization invests in our future through education, safety, and empowerment. Proving that responsible firearm ownership begins with proactive steps to protect our kids and build character through the shooting sports.
The NSSF’s flagship Project ChildSafe stands as proof of that commitment. Since its launch in 1999, it has distributed more than 41 million free firearm safety kits, including cable locks and educational materials through partnerships with over 15,000 law enforcement agencies across all 50 states and U.S. territories. These are not token gestures; they are practical tools that help prevent misuse, theft, and accidents while reinforcing a culture of secure storage in gun-owning households nationwide.
Less visible but equally impactful are the NSSF’s efforts addressing mental health and youth vulnerability. Through partnerships such as the one with the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, the organization provides teen-focused toolkits and “Brave Conversations” resources that help young people recognize warning signs, talk openly about mental health, and prioritize secure firearm storage during moments of crisis. These initiatives may not make headlines, but they represent quiet, life-saving work in homes and communities across the country.
Parents and educators also benefit from NSSF-developed guides, checklists, and videos that turn curiosity into respect and responsibility. Complementing these efforts is the Eddie Eagle GunSafe Program, a separate NRA initiative launched in 1988, which teaches pre-K through fourth-grade children a simple, memorable safety message: “STOP! Don’t Touch! Run Away! Tell an Adult!” While distinct from NSSF programs, it contributes to the shared mission of early firearm accident prevention and safety education.
Twice a year, during Gun Storage Check Week (June 1–7 and September 1–7), the NSSF reminds all gun owners, including me, to stop and assess the safety of our homes and our practices. Are our firearms unloaded, locked, and stored separately from ammunition? Are they secured from unauthorized individuals? Do our homes model the secure-storage habits we want future generations to adopt? This brief, deliberate pause helps keep families safe, prevents unauthorized access, and strengthens the foundation of responsibility on which our rights depend.
Turning Ranges into Leadership Labs
Safety is the foundation, but leadership is the goal. NSSF First Shots is an introductory live-fire experience hosted at local ranges, designed to safely introduce new youth and adults to target shooting under supervision. Since 2007, the NSSF’s Scholastic Shooting Sports Foundation (SSSF) has guided young athletes through two cornerstone programs: the Scholastic Clay Target Program (SCTP) for grades 12 and under, using the shooting disciplines of trap, skeet, and sporting clays and the Scholastic Action Shooting Program (SASP) for ages 12 through college, focusing on dynamic pistol and rifle competition. These programs are structured as youth development initiatives in which adult coaches use the shooting sports to teach sportsmanship, responsibility, integrity, teamwork, and other positive leadership skills.
Participants in these programs gain far more than marksmanship skills. They develop focus, perseverance, discipline, and true respect for firearms, all within a team environment that holds them to high standards on and off the range. The NSSF extends that pipeline through collegiate clay target competitions and support for National 4-H Shooting Sports, ensuring that positive firearm experiences and instruction begin early and continue as young people mature.
On the hunting front, my fondest memories are of hunting with my family, especially my grandfather. The NSSF created the +ONE Movement and Families Afield to encourage experienced hunters to mentor newcomers, passing along patience, conservation ethics, and self-reliance in the field. Anti-gun critics may dismiss these efforts as recruitment, but the reality and true goal is empowerment: raising young Americans who understand that freedom comes with responsibility, discipline, and a duty to protect both rights and lives.
The Real Legacy
When SHOT Show concludes, and the booths come down, the NSSF’s work continues through suicide-prevention outreach, early-childhood safety education, secure-storage campaigns, and youth shooting programs running year-round. As founder of the American Freedom Liberty Foundation and director of the Butler County Friends of Youth Shooting Sports Banquet, I have intentionally aligned my own work with the NSSF and its mission, raising funds, building awareness, and educating my community to support youth shooting sports and safety programs in Ohio and beyond. Each year, our banquets, live auctions, and raffles bring the community together and direct critical resources to local youth teams, ranges, training opportunities, and high school trap and skeet teams, amplifying the impact of what organizations like NSSF have built.
I see firsthand how these combined efforts change lives: young shooters find purpose and confidence, families embracing firearm safety and practicing secure storage as a non-negotiable responsibility, and communities rallying around programs that teach discipline, safety, and respect. For me, that is the NSSF’s real legacy, one that stretches far beyond a single week in Las Vegas and into the homes, ranges, and hunting camps where the next generation is watching and learning.
In an era of relentless opposition to the Second Amendment, the path forward is clear: educate the next generation, engage them responsibly, secure our firearms, invest in their future, teach them to respect the tools, and lead with confidence.
Our responsibilities don’t end with a firearms sale at the gun counter. I encourage everyone to get involved with youth firearms safety education and youth shooting sports in your communities. From volunteering with your local 4-H clubs to starting your own fundraising events to support our youth and youth shooting sports.
If you’re heading to SHOT and want to learn more about getting involved or just want to talk about how you can help support youth shooting sports and firearm safety, please reach out. You can email me directly at [email protected] or stop me if you see me at the show and have questions about starting or supporting youth programs in your community. Those one-on-one conversations often spark the most meaningful ideas and partnerships, and there has never been a better time to step up and help grow the next generation of safe, responsible shooters and leaders.
The future of our rights—and our kids—depends on it.
See you at SHOT!
About Sean Maloney.
Sean Maloney is a criminal defense attorney, co-founder of Second Call Defense, and an NRA-certified firearms instructor. He is a nationally recognized speaker on critical topics including the Second Amendment, self-defense, the use of lethal force, and concealed carry. Sean has worked on numerous use-of-force and self-defense cases and has personally trained hundreds of civilians to respond safely and legally to life-threatening situations. He is a passionate advocate for restoring the cultural legitimacy of the Second Amendment and promoting personal responsibility in self-defense.
