Boy Scouts of America® Crossroads of the West Council

Shooting Sports

The Council encourages units to experience shooting sports. To ensure unit activities are planned and conducted safely, they must follow the council shooting sports policy.

Cub Scout Shooting Sports

Archery and BB-gun shooting are restricted to day camps, Cub Scout/Webelos Scout resident camps, council-managed family camping programs, or council activities where there are properly trained supervisors and all standards for BSA shooting sports are enforced. ARCHERY, BB-GUN AND PELLET GUN SHOOTING ARE NOT TO BE DONE AT THE DEN AND PACK LEVEL.

Archery and BB gun shooting belt loops and pins may be earned only at the camps and activities listed above. These programs are designed to emphasize safety and marksmanship development under the direction of trained range officers using nationally approved instructional methods.

Cub Scouts may not shoot firearms of any kind other than BB guns and pellet guns by Webelos.

Archery and BB-gun shooting are supervised by BSA Rangemasters who are trained and certified by the council shooting sports committee.

Council-Approved Ranges

Public and commercial shooting ranges are BSA-approved. HOWEVER, an NRA-certified Range Safety Officer (RSO) and an NRA-certified firearm instructor MUST SUPERVISE the range operation.  If the range cannot provide the 2 certified individuals, the unit must provide them.

The firearm instructor must be certified for the firearm being used.

The range manager may insist that in-house personnel operate the range. In that case, the NRA-certified safety officer and instructor must be present and coordinate their efforts with the assigned range personnel.

Private ranges are not BSA-approved except when they been approved by the Crossroads of the West Council shooting sports committee.

To locate ranges in your community, visit: wheretoshoot.org

Non-BSA youth groups must consult their organizational leadership as to what ranges are approved for their use.

National BSA Shooting Sports Manual

Download this manual at the bottom of this page. It provides detailed instruction, requirements and policies for all level of shooting activities in the Boy Scouts of America.

Range Standard Operating Procedures

Units must use standard operating procedures (SOP) when doing any range firing. Download these documents at the bottom of this page.

National BSA Shooting Sports

Visit the Boy Scouts of America health and safety page concerning shooting sports activities.

Get Registered