Shooting is the act of firing a gun or other projectile weapon such as a bow or crossbow. The word shooting can refer to the practice of hunting, where it implies hunting of upland game birds such as grouse or pheasant. Shooting can also mean the sport of target shooting, which includes shotgun sports like skeet, trap and sporting clays, precision rifle and handgun shooting at stationary paper targets or reactive metal targets, or the growing sport of cowboy action shooting, where participants wear clothing from the late 1800s and fire period weapons at a variety of reactive targets. The topic of shooting also encompasses the practical shooting sports of IPSC and IDPA competition which strive, with varying degree of success, to simulate the conditions and requirements of defensive pistol combat and to train participants for real-world self defense with their handguns. In addition, there are other practical shooting sports, such as 3-Gun competition, where participants use handgun, rifle or shotgun to engage various paper or steel targets during the course of fire.
All of the various forms of shooting can be fascinating and rewarding activities for people of all ages. But the utmost consideration, which takes precedence over everything else, is safety. Like many other activities such as cooking or skiing, there is an element of danger involved in shooting, and this danger demands a sober understanding and respect for firearms and the rules for safely handling them.