High-powered guns and adults playing dress up. Not two things you’d expect to find in the same setting. But the American Zoot Shooters Association, which was formed in Colorado, link those two things in a turn-of-the-century shooting competition.
The matches-or capers, as the group calls them-have a few simple rules. All participants have to dress up in period-correct clothing, meaning from the 1920s to the 1940s. They also have to use guns from that time period. Finally, they all have a nickname. The group’s co-founder is The Hustler, Jason Huss.
“We bought some Tommy guns and thought it would be fun to dress up like gangsters, and then we kind of decided to turn it into a sport,” Huss said.
The group has spread to three other states, and there’s even a Zoot Shooters in Italy.
The American Zoot Shooters Association 2011 World Championship match is September 10-11. It will be at the Colorado Rifle Club in Byers, CO. Video by Anne Herbst
