Practical Shooting - Organizations

Organizations

In 1976, an international group of enthusiasts, interested in what had become known as "practical shooting", met in Columbia, Missouri. From that meeting came the International Practical Shooting Confederation (IPSC). In 1984, the United States Practical Shooting Association (USPSA) was incorporated as the US Region of IPSC. After many years of established IPSC competition, some shooters, including some of the original founders, became dissatisfied with IPSC, as more specialized equipment was allegedly required to remain competitive. The International Defensive Pistol Association (IDPA) was formed in 1996 with the aim of returning to the defensive pistol roots of practical shooting. Soon after this split, the USPSA devised a series of competition "divisions" with varying limits on type and modification of equipment, including a "Production" division with rules similar to the IDPA's regulations. Today USPSA and IDPA matches are two of the most popular forums of practical handgun shooting in the United States, with more than 17,500 and 11,000 members respectively.

In 2003, a new shooting organization, The Polite Society was formed. The organisation's events combine handgun shooting matches with actual training events to create a shooting "event" rather than just a shooting match, and are intended to be an "additional" shooting sport rather than a "replacement" for any existing sport.

In 1977 the U.K.P.S.A was formed to promote and regulate practical pistol shooting in the UK. The association proved very popular, gaining international respect within the practical shooting community, and hosted many National, European and International competitions. The UKPSA selects the National Teams, affiliates clubs, organises training and maintains discipline and rules. The UKPSA is England's regional affiliate of the IPSC.

Despite the 1997 Firearms Amendment Act in the UK, worldwide practical shooting is currently the second most popular international target shooting discipline and now the fastest growing. Most pistol shooting in the UK suffered severely after the handgun ban, which wiped out many shooting disciplines by removing the ability to participate. Practical shotgun has gained much popularity since the handgun ban, with numerous graded matches each year, and large entries to the European Practical Shotgun Championships.