LONDON (AP) – USA Shooting is based in Colorado Springs, Colo., about an hour’s drive from the site of the movie theater massacre that left 12 dead and 58 others wounded.

And, yes, it’s very much on the mind of American competitors at the London Games.

Shooting sports get little mainstream attention in the United States, except during the Olympics, and even then it’s nominal at best. The shootings in Aurora took place about a week before the opening ceremony in London, renewing the debate about gun control in the U.S.

Five-time Olympic shooting medalist Kim Rhode of the U.S. says she hopes American success in London can show that “shooting is something that teaches responsibility, discipline, focus.”

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