“For people like me, who neither own a gun nor know very many people who do, [Top Shot] helps counteract some of the most extreme, uninformed stereotypes that many liberals and urbanites have about ‘gun guys,'” Justin Peters writes for the decidedly not pro-gun slate.com. “The show clearly demonstrates something that often gets lost in the heat of the gun control debate: that gun owners aren’t all crazy survivalists or slavering right-wing fanatics. A lot of them are just reasonable, responsible sportsmen who enjoy shooting guns because shooting guns can be a lot of fun . . . In this time of polarized discourse around guns and gun control, the country needs a show like Top Shot more than ever. Here’s hoping tonight isn’t the end of its run.” Agreed?
This season has been fun to watch, now that they’ve eliminated the “reality” drama and gotten back to pure shooting. Mr Slate might not have been so charitable had he watched Season 4.
+1
It was MUCH better this season sans house drama and voting to elimination. This was the set up they should have had all along. I hope the ratings supported that.
I agree, but wished they’d been more creative in the challenge design and weapons used. It’s been pretty much all repeat challenges from seasons past. I guess maybe that’s the point of all stars or whatever, but I want to see some new challenges and weapons.
That being said, I totally agree with the Slate author and RF. The more positive firearms programming the better. I’ll take things like this show, Mythbusters testing firearms myths, and other programs showing firearms in a non-negative light all day long. Those not already involved in firearms just aren’t going to watch most gun shows on the outdoor channel, such as Jim Scoutten’s show with Reagan’s picture in the background…as much as I personally like Shooting USA and such, they are never going to be watched much by the other side of the debate.
Agreed. It’s a good thing. It’s also good to see women on the show doing well. One of the things I like about the shooting sports is another facet of guns being “the great equalizer.” There really isn’t an advantage in many cases of being bigger, stronger, faster, etc. Women can and do compete against men at the top levels and win. I think that’s awesome. I got my butt kicked by a 13-year old boy at a charity skeet/trap event.
BTW I wonder if the author really doesn’t know any gun owners or doesn’t know that he knows them. What you don’t know, you don’t know. You know? He probably just assumes that any nice, normal person he meets who isn’t a “crazy survivalist” is obviously not a gun owner. Fortunately we don’t have to wear that as a badge on our arm yet. I’m sure he’d like that, though.
I know, right? Site issues should be resolved by tomorrow. PITA. Sorry.
His prejudice and indoctrination are showing. BTW, those of us who believe in the basic principles on which this country was founded prefer the term “American” to the Progressive equivalent, “slavering right-wing fanatic.”
I don’t watch Top Shot anymore, but if it helps non-gunnys to see us and our world in a positive light, I hope it stays on the air forever.
Agreed. I can even stomach the drama if I can see some of the training they get to go through for the exoctic stuff.
I like Top Shot & hope it comes back next year.
the show is to long, half of my time watching is spent watching commercials, and the other half is spent watching all the unnecessary drama in the show. there is only like 5 min of cool shooting in the show. when there is cool shooting it just makes me mad i didn’t buy more .22.
Hahaha seriously. I watched one season fast forwarding through everything that wasn’t directly related to shooting (actual shooting, training/practice, etc) and each episode was like 9 minutes long 😉
Hey, Top Shot got my wife interested in shooting. No matter what season, they did keep the “drama” to a minimum, and the pure shooting aspect of it motivated my wife to shoot more. H. E. Double Hockey Sticks, she wants us to ge a dueling tree for Christmas now because of the show. THAT’S A GOOD THING!
Agreed. For Chris and Gunny alone.
I like the show, especially this last season, and hope there will be more seasons to come. Does a better job of promoting gun owners than any other gun show like “sons of guns”, “american guns,” ect., ever did.
I like the show because it illustrates that guns can be fun. And that modern sporting rifles are not evil, and that having magazines that hold more than 7 rounds are useful, and not only used to kill people in the street
I want it to be cancelled in that i want all reality shows to be cancelled
Top Shot, more than any other gun/shooting show that’s been on TV recently, presents gun owners/shooters in a positive light and de-mythologizes firearms to the gun uninformed.
I found the “drama” in some of the earlier episodes very annoying and was glad they cut it down in the last two “Top Shot All Stars” series. But the last series did get carried away with the other participants “not liking” Kelly Bachand because he kept to himself.
Overall, I think it’s a good thing if the Show continues and it beats the heck out of purely factual OFWG’s droning on about guns on some of the other shows I have seen or the “high drama” of “Sons of Guns” and the over-the-top money obsession prominently flaunted on “American Gun”.
I do wish they could focus on the training, shooting and marksmanship more, but I guess the Producers figure they would lose viewers if there’s no fluff and don’t get how many they might gain without it.
More Top Shot is good for all.Bring it back from now on.Be prepared and ready.Keep your powder dry.
With a recommendation like that, I’d donate money to keep it going. Maybe a version of Top Shot meets Mythbusters.
dwb, Top Shot IS mythbusters because it proves that exposure to ordinance steel and gunpowder doesn’t transform human beings into sociopathic murderers.
Ding ding ding we have a winnar. Of course it should stay. As puerile as reality TV is, even when they make mistakes these folks are shown to be responsible, somewhat safety conscious people. And the anti-rights fanatics should witness that more to counter their unfair preconceived notions generated by but inexplicably not directed at the violent gang culture they think they are trying to stop but are actually reinforcing.
The term “Reality TV” is overbroad, and unfairly maligns some decent show concepts. Not everything that gets slapped with the label “Reality TV” is like the Jersey Shore.
Before the term “Reality TV” was used to describe anything unscripted, we had these things called “game shows” and “talent contests” and “competitions” and “sports”. Unfortunately once we started calling these genres “Reality Shows” television executives thought that we needed to stuff a bunch of people in a house together and watch their petty drama.
I think this season of Top Shot really demonstrated that you don’t need the drama and bullshit to make a compelling show, and in fact that it’s better without it.
I agree. Just because it happens in “real life” doesn’t make it reality TV. Deadliest Catch and Honey Boo-Boo are not the same thing.
Add another to the keep it column. Like others have said, the wife likes it, she likes shooting with me now, ergo our two sons when old enough will like shooting with us too. The guys/gal this season were great ambassadors to the shooting sports.
Yes, more Top Shot and more shows that show FA enthusiast’s in a positive light. Less ‘crazy guy in a bunker’ or ‘doomsday bunkers’ (which I thought was interesting, but also just hands lefties more excuses to rant uncontrollably).
Recently I was on a ferry in Canada, and tried to link to an article about gun control, since the wireless I was on was controlled by the ferry system it came back that it had been banned, I wished I had tried to link to TTAG’s; I bet you’re banned too.
Folks that is where we are headed if we don’t stand up against censorship, every TV channel etc etc has the right to show whatever they want, but I also have the right to not support or watch any TV channel that has an agenda that infringes on what I find to be dear to my heart.(no MSNBC for me!)
BTW I watch Top Shot and is proud of it! Can’t wait till they do a Tavor!
Cancel Top Shot. The Kardashians need the bandwidth.
I don’t like it at all. I’ve never seen the show, and never will. And I didn’t watch the video above because, being stuck in Mexifornia, I’m sick to death of having Spanish inflicted on me. But that’s not the point either. I really really don’t like this Justin Peter’s oh-so-superior, condescending attitude. It’s like “Well, we’ll let you play with your toys as long as you behave the way we want you to, there’s a nice boy.”
Feh.
I think the whole thing is doing the cause of our Creator-given, natural, human, civil, and Constitutionally-protected Right to Keep and Bear Arms more harm than good. Dr.Susan Gratia vividly explains in this video why personal self-defense is important, but even that’s peripheral. Right at 5:00, she tells us all the REAL reason for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms.
I first found a link to this video by clicking through a whole pile of links in one of Daniel J. Mitchell’s essays, Another Failed Gun Control Experiment. I could spend hours reading stuff on his various links.
This last season of Top Shot was one of the best yet. The elimination of the overly dramatic voting method, the focus on shooting, and the use of competition to determine who goes to elimination goes a long way in promoting a positive image of shooters. Plus who doesn’t want to see a competition with a canon in it? All in all, I enjoy Top Shot and I know others who have gotten into competitive 3 gun because of it. I hope History channel keeps it going. In fact, maybe we should go over to their website and say so!
“For people like me, who neither own a gun nor know very many people who do”
300 million guns or more in the U.S., 300 million or so people in the U.S.
I’m no mathematician but I think there are quite a few liars out there.
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