At the beginning of December, I was wanting to do something to help the kids in the area that weren’t going to have the Christmas they deserved due to family set backs. After all, Christmas is for kids in our family. What could I do to make a difference?

There are a lot of events and groups that hold activities such as "Toys for Tots" and motorcycle fun rides. Being president of a local IDPA Club it hit me; have a match where shooters bring toys for a match fee instead of money. But hold on, this is for the kids; let’s not limit the opportunity for shooters to help the community. I invited a local USPSA to get involved. Things just kept getting better from there. Before we all knew it, we had five clubs who couldn’t wait to make a kid’s Christmas an uplifting one.

On December 20, 2008, at 9 am the stages were set, four IDPA and two USPSA for a total of six. IDPA targets and scoring and gear was the theme. At the sign in table, you put the gift or gifts down, got your squad and waited for the safety briefing. The shooters kept coming. Every gift set down made my heart warmer and proud of these shooters for not caring about scores or which discipline they believe in. All of the stages were as challenging as any state match I have attended.

We divided up into four squads and headed out to have fun and give it our best. We started off a little late due to the outstanding turnout. We started out with perfect weather that soon changed. But with the help of the Las Cruces USPSA club, we got everything wind-proofed. There was little to no complaining when transitioning from IDPA to USPSA. It was good for both disciplines. At the end of the match, everyone gathered for lunch provided by DRATS and prepared by TCs Chuck Wagon and crew (me and my helpful family). There was home made chili, about 5 gallons, smoked sausage, hot links, hot dogs and all the fixings. After lunch we gave out small gifts of thanks and a turkey in the spirit of Christmas.

After all was said and done, we had about 40 shooters. We got about 140 gifts and a little cash; not very shabby. When "Toys for Tots" came to accept the donations, they informed me we made the Christmas for an outlying elementary school’s needs. The pride for what I started and my fellow shooters pushed for warmed me more than I can express. They asked me to make it an annual event; I committed. Maybe in the future this could be a yearly IDPA major event drawing shooters from across the nation.

Special thanks to the following clubs:
DRATS for helping me as the president and giving me all the backing needed.
Tac Team of Las Cruces for supplying equipment I couldn’t have done without.
DTAP of El Paso, TX for SO’s and taking scores and posting results.
Hole in the Wall Gang, Silver City, NM for taking the almost 2 hour drive coming and going.

My family, who helped with food, score keeping, sign in and shooting. And most of all, the shooters it would not have been possible without you.
Tony Collins
President of the DRATS
Gunning for Gifts Event Coordinator
DRATS- Desert Rapid Action Target Shooters.