Considering that it was written for the Uber liberal, modern, "home of Grunge" I thought it was a very good article
Yes, the writer did seem to be "the adult" talking about a bunch of "Peter Pans", but no more so than you would expect in an article about a Renaissance Faire, or any other period reenactors.
And considering his audience, I thought it was interesting he slipped this in :
"A participant has his weapons on a table, waits for an electronic beep and begins shooting sequentially at the targets. There is always a "safety officer" standing behind a shooter to make sure nothing goes wrong.
Brian Howard, head of the Renton cowboy shooters, says he can't recall a shooting accident in the group's 20-year history.
The worst injury, says Howard, was when a participant tripped over one of the metal targets and suffered a nasty cut on his leg."
As to why SASS is popular in Europe, I think it is because for some one in Europe the "American West",is a land of pure fantasy just like the Renaissance Faire is here.
Think about it, if you go to a Renaissance Faire here, you are more likely to see fantasy figures like "wizards and warriors" Rather than a realistic Jonathan Dee, or Teutonic knight.
But attend one in Europe and you are likely to see the Great Great Great Great Great Grandson on the actual sight of his achievement.
The lack of geographic connection allows a level of fantastical idealism not available where actual history may intrude.
There can be nuances to the Shootout at the OK Corral in Gdansk that would be ridiculous in Tombstone.