The purpose of the telephone survey and focus groups was to determine sport shooters' attitudes toward shooting and their perceptions of appropriate behavior on federal lands, as well as their reactions to various messages designed to curb problematic behavior on federal lands. The study revealed that littering, illegal dumping, and irresponsible behavior are persistent and fairly widespread problems at unsupervised ranges and shooting areas in the states surveyed. A majority of recreational shooters from each state, and numerous participants in the focus groups, indicated that unsafe shooting behavior, irresponsible behavior, environmental damage, property damage, shooting debris, and litter are currently affecting the quality of their shooting experiences. Among those who said that an unsupervised shooting area or range they used on federal land had been closed, litter, dumping, and property damage were among the top perceived reasons for those closures. The research also found that young males were perceived by the study participants to be the main group responsible for most of these problems.
 
The telephone survey found -- and the focus groups confirmed -- that recreational shooters value simple, positive messages that resonate clearly. Many of the longer messages presented to study participants were noted for being open to misinterpretation, and most of the participants in the focus groups lacked enthusiasm for messages they perceived as focusing solely on negative outcomes.