Shining A Light On “Good Citizenship”

Before he was tasked with protecting Tom Brady from marauding pass rushers and becoming a three-time Super Bowl champion in his storied football career, Matt Light was an outdoorsman who grew up in rural Ohio with a passion for hunting and the shooting sports.

Early on in his 11-year tenure with the New England Patriots, Light endeavored to use his platform as a professional athlete to serve others. Light and his wife, Susie, launched the Light Foundation together in 2001, his rookie season.

The Light Foundation’s mission is to “take young people out of their everyday environments and provide them with unique opportunities that ignite their passion, purpose, and motivation to succeed.” The foundation serves 7,500 young people each year, offering numerous programs designed to get first graders up to high school seniors outdoors and experience hands-on learning. They offer a leadership academy, timber-frame leadership camp, turkey hunts and more.

“I was lucky before I knew what luck was; I grew up in a family where the outdoors reigned supreme,” Light said. “It played such a key part in my life, and to have the opportunity to introduce kids of all ages to this lifestyle has been the coolest thing in the world to see. This industry, the shooting sports world, has been the driving force of what we do.”

Celebrity Shoot-Out Success Breeds Success

Like any nonprofit, it takes fundraising to develop programs, and the Light Foundation’s expansive initiatives are supported by several fundraising events throughout the year.

The banner event, though, is one built on support from our industry: the Matt Light Celebrity Shoot-Out, which celebrated its 20th year last September at Addieville East Farm in Burrillville, R.I. The 2024 event attracted more than 500 attendees and raised over $1 million for the Light Foundation, its most ever.

Buoyed by the success of this annual event, Light revealed the concept will be replicated in his home state at a facility frequently mentioned in Shooting Industry: Black Wing Shooting Center in Delaware, Ohio.

Dubbed “The Buckeye Blast,” this inaugural event will follow the very successful formula of the Matt Light Celebrity Shoot-Outs format next month (May 13). Light is confident this event will be an immediate success.

“We have 20 years of experience hosting people, and our in-house team does a fantastic job — whether it’s working with kids, setting up tables or getting a parking lot set up — they know how to get it done well,” he said.

Light’s team selected a capable partner, as Black Wing is an NSSF Five-Star Range, boasting both indoor and outdoor facilities, and has experience hosting large-scale events, such as Ohio Suppressor Fest (held for the first time last year, and returning June 21).

To get a feel for what he was trying to replicate in the Midwest, Light invited Joe King, Black Wing range and training manager, to attend the 2024 Shoot-Out.

“From there, we’ve been able to start putting the pieces together, and I think in year one for The Buckeye Blast, we’re going to blow away what we did for a few years for the Celebrity Shoot-Out in Rhode Island,” Light predicted.

A Winning Formula

One of the secrets to the Shoot-Out’s success is how participants (grouped in foursomes) and celebrities mingle together, Light said.

“We have foursomes set up — who are often great friends, coworkers or clients — and they shoot each shotgun stage clockwise, while the celebrities shoot counterclockwise,” he said. “This gives an opportunity for everyone to mingle together while enjoying some friendly competition at a charity event.”

During a time when many celebrities shun the firearms industry, Light has encouraged fellow athletes, actors and comedians to participate. He recognizes the support the Light Foundation has received from the industry over the past 20 years has been essential to furthering its impact.

“We’ve been blessed to have the industry support and back us over the years; it’s amazing how much weight these companies have. It often goes unnoticed,” he said. “There’s this perception by those who are uninformed and their perception limits the greater conversation — which is the impact the industry has across the board when it comes to helping out nonprofits and communities.”

But, Light contends, our industry doesn’t do a good enough job telling its own story to the masses.

Light’s point: “Too often, when the industry tries to have a bigger conversation with the general public, other voices will drown out the realities — the good work and the impact this industry has. That’s why I’ve always asked supporters at these events to not be afraid and speak the truth.”

(Next month marks my 12th year involved with SI, and I agree with Light’s assertion: We’re good at preaching to the choir, but we need to look for new opportunities to connect with those who may not agree with our industry. I hold my hand up, too.)

Reaching New Audiences

One of the things that makes our industry unique among others is the camaraderie competitors share together. It helps further the sport to new audiences at events like the Shoot-Out, where participants can interact with numerous brands.

“One of the big trends we’ve seen is how our vendor tent has grown over the years, with several gun companies participating — like Smith & Wesson, Ruger, SIG SAUER, Savage and Kimber. They’re going to have their representatives participating, who are very skilled on the product and sales side, and they’re engaging with our audience, which is a mixture of corporate, charitable-minded people who aren’t necessarily their target customer,” Light shared.

The growth of first-time gun buyers over the past few years has certainly helped.

“It’s not often a first-time gun owner gets to talk to a brand and learn more. They’re interested in what’s out there, and if they attend an event like this, they have the opportunity to talk with a manufacturer and ask questions like, ‘Why would I carry that revolver versus this one?’ and so on,” he stated.

With The Buckeye Blast taking place some 750 miles from Burrillville, R.I., vendors will have opportunities for fresh connections.

“I think we’re going to see the vendor tent continue to grow, as our partners find ways to have those organic conversations at an event like the Shoot-Out or The Buckeye Blast,” Light noted.

Supporting A Cause? Let Us Know!

Kudos to the Light Foundation and Black Wing Shooting Center for staging this event. (For more info on the Light Foundation or The Buckeye Blast, visit mattlight72.com.)

We know there are scores of other events held across the country throughout the year, but we don’t often hear about them ahead of time.

So, I have an invitation: Whether you’re a dealer, distributor, manufacturer or another related business in the shooting, hunting and outdoor industry and you’re putting on an event to benefit a cause or your local community (or contributing to one), I want to hear about it and share your stories of “good citizenship” with readers.

There are rich traditions involved in hunting and the shooting sports, and if we can introduce it to emerging generations and demographics, it will provide long-term growth, stability and opportunity for all businesses in our space. I look forward to hearing from you: editor@shootingindustry.com.