THE UNOFFICIAL DEFCON SHOOT PAGE

WHAT WHERE WHEN WHY WHOA WOOT! WOW!

 

WHAT'S THE STORY?

The DEFCON Shoot is a public event that happens just prior to the DEFCON hacker conference in Las Vegas, Nevada. Anyone who wants to can show up and for a small fee make use of a private range located about 45 minutes outside of the city. There are opportunities to see and possibly shoot some of the weapons belonging to your friends.

 

WHERE IT ALL GOES DOWN

The facility that may host the DEFCON Shoot this year is the Boulder City Rifle and Pistol Club. This club is a nonprofit organization located between mountains just outside of Boulder City, NV... about 20 miles from Las Vegas. The club range there was built in 1938 by the Army Corp. of Engineers and features one of the few 1,000 yard shooting disciplines in the country. We won't likely be using that sort of facility, but instead hope to situate ourselves on side-by-side 75-yard and 100-yard group pits.

 

WHEN IS KICKOFF

The 2009 DEFCON Shoot will take place on the morning of Thursday, July 30th. We will begin rallying all interested parties in the lobby of the Riviera Hotel around 06:30 and get underway by 07:00. The shoot itself will take place from 08:00 to 10:00 at BCRPC.

We will be back in our vehicles and departing the clubby 11:00 in order to be back at the Riviera with plenty of time to spare so that all folks working DC101 or attending the ToxicBBQ have time to clean up, change, etc.

 

WHY I DO THIS

For many years, the DEFCON Shoot was a beloved part of the world's largest hacker convention. Gun owning geeks would rally together in Vegas for DEFCON and -- in between the talks, parties, and general goings-on in Sin City -- they would take the time one morning to head out in the desert and blow off some steam by letting loose with loads of ordinance. Organized by CHS, a highly venerated DEFCON Goon, this event took place year after year until 2005.

As is so often the case with events at DEFCON, times had changed and the event had outgrown its surroundings. For a number of years, there was no DEFCON Shoot... the ranges where it had taken place in the past had been swallowed up by the city's suburban sprawl and folks just needed a break. Now, however, with the help of some new blood, the event is being resurrected and will take place this summer just before DEFCON 16. While CHS is no longer leading the proceedings, we certainly hope to see him and many of the veterans of past DC-Shoot events at the firing line.

I frequently used to gather some of my closest compadres for trips to local rental ranges like The Gun Store or American Shooters, but since I have only been attending DEFCON since DC8 I thus missed out on a great deal of the earlier fun. Nowadays, I have become the DEFCON Shoot's primary coordinator and have tried to whip up enough gun enthusiasts' support to see this sort of high-powered good time continue happening.

 

WHOA, THAT'S A GREAT DEAL!

While the final cost figures can't be determined with absolute certainty until we have assurances by most people who will be participating, I have worked out the following system by which most people will be able to pay their fair share towards the event.

$10 for basic shooters - Folks attending the Shoot can either bring their own guns or shoot weapons brought by friends. There are no rental fees (indeed, there is no rental hardware) at the BRPC range, so all folks will pay is a simple per-head fee. I believe that the official fee is just $5, but we may offer the facility a little bit more in order to be allowed to shoot NFA weapons like suppressed arms or short-barreled rifles and shotguns.

In addition to these great prices, there will also be the opportunity to win great prizes. I know for sure that i'm bringing back the Marksmanship contests again this summer. Whether or not we have a "best target destruction" category will be determined soon.

 

WOOT! I'M GAME!

So, you think you'd like to participate in the newly-revitalized DEFCON Shoot? That's great! I can't do it without you! Swing on over to the DEFCON Forums to talk with others about the shoot or just email me... deviant [åt] deviating [döt] net

We can't have the shoot without you, so don't delay... let us know your level of interest today!

 

WOW! LOOKS LIKE YOU ALL HAD FUN!

Yes, indeed... it's always a great time when you get a bunch of gun people together. Here are some photos from the 2008 DEFCON Shoot...