So it sounds like I should be buddyin up the the NRA? I should've already joined anyway, maybe now is the time.
The NRA is simply the governing body on many types of rifle and pistol competitions. You don't have to join to shoot in their competitions, but one benifit of membership is that the NRA tracks your scores and abilities and assigns you an ability level (marksman, sharpshooter, expert, master, high master) based on your scores.