Boosters of combat shooting hope that association with the Olympics will legitimize and popularize both their competitions and the increasingly lethal weapons they use. Olympic status for combat shooting will create new legal arguments in favor of non-sporting firearms, new opportunities to attract children into the gun culture, and new marketing opportunities for gun makers. Promoters of combat shooting generally oppose gun control laws. Whatever the formal political role of combat shooting enthusiasts, however, their hobby itself poses a threat to gun control laws by further legitimizing guns that are designed for lethality rather than sport. Moreover, the firearms industry is introducing children to the gun culture by sponsoring and supporting combat shooting for children and involving them in the campaign for Olympic recognition. Military roots of combat shooting are addressed, and efforts to date to make combat shooting part of the Olympics are reviewed. Combat shooting web sites are listed in an appendix. 63 endnotes, 2 figures, and 11 photographs