Official NRA Rule Books

Did you know that the NRA Rule Books are available in PDF format? (You can also order print copies from the Program Materials Center.)

Last Call for Nominations

With the deadline for nominations this Monday, September 1, for the 2008 Law Enforcement Officer of the Year Award, I thought I would blog about one more story.

Here’s the story of Diana Dunigan, 1997 Law Enforcement Officer of the Year.

Dunigan was a 10-year veteran of the Philadelphia Police Department, an NRA Life Member and an NRA-certified police firearm instructor. She serves in the department's Mounted Patrol Division, riding Apache, a 7-year-old thoroughbred.

On July 14, 1997, Officer Dunigan was on mounted patrol with another female officer when she observed a man breaking into a vehicle. She dismounted and approached to investigate. Seeing the officer, the man fled to an accomplice's car, which the pair used to run Officer Dunigan down. Striking her, the suspect pinned Officer Dunigan's left leg under the vehicle and dragged her several feet before she could get clear.

The suspects then made a second attempt to strike her. Ignoring her injuries, Officer Dunigan responded by reaching into the vehicle to subdue her assailants and, with the aid of her partner, placed them under arrest. Only then did Officer Dunigan allow herself to be rushed to a hospital for emergency medical treatment. In the months since, she has undergone several surgeries and extensive rehabilitation to restore full use of her leg.

Officer Dunigan is a skilled NRA Police Pistol Combat shooter with several state, regional and national titles and a number of national Police Pistol Combat records.

She is a firm believer in firearm safety and education and has devoted an enormous amount of time instructing women in the Philadelphia area about gun safety, shooting proficiency, personal protection, home safety and self-assertiveness. As a liaison between local businesses and the Philadelphia Police Department, she conducts community-based meetings on drug problems, home safety evaluations and town watch programs.

Officer Dunigan's unswerving devotion to duty, her outstanding record of service to her department and to the community, her commitment to the NRA and its goals and her extraordinary heroism in the face of extreme personal danger are traits worthy of great praise and emulation by her fellow officers and NRA members.

NRA's Law Enforcement Officer of the Year Award was established in 1993 and recognizes exceptional valor, public service, and dedication to the principles of our Constitutional heritage. This award is sponsored in part by an endowment donation by Component Engineers, Inc. of Wallingford, Connecticut.

To obtain an entry form for nominating a candidate for the 2008 Law Enforcement Officer of the Year Award, click here. Again, entry forms must be completed and submitted by September 1, 2008. Nominations may be submitted by the nominee's agency head or by an NRA member. Nominations must also be endorsed by an NRA Life Member.

For more information, call 703-267-1649 or send email to ebailiff@nrahq.org.

NRA's Frank Brownell Museum of the Southwest opens Saturday

The Frank Brownell Museum of the Southwest, housed at the NRA's Whittington Center, opens this Saturday, August 30. The grand opening of the highly anticipated museum highlights 130 firearms that contributed to the exploration and development of the southwest, specifically the northern New Mexico region.

The Frank Brownell Museum of the Southwest is funded by a generous donation from Frank Brownell of Montezuma, Iowa, the CEO of Brownells, one of the nation's largest gunsmithing and firearms accessory businesses. The museum is a welcomed addition to the 33,300-acre, world-class shooting facility, which attracts 200,000 visitors a year.

Life-size mannequins depict the uniforms, firearms, and equipment used by Union Soldiers at the 1862 battle of Glorieta; the men from Raton who served in Troop G of Theodore Roosevelt’s Rough Riders in the Spanish American War; and the men of New Mexico who served in the famed Thunderbird Division (45th) in the Second World War.

The Whittington Center, established in 1973, will become home to the largest collection of firearms and related memorabilia on display in the state. One section of the museum illustrates New Mexico's history, from the earliest days of the Spanish conquest through the modern era. Other sections showcase firearms used in hunting the six species of game found on the center's sprawling preserve and the firearms used in any number of the regional, national, and international shooting matches held at the center's world-class ranges.

The museum is open year round, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays. It is located 10 miles southwest of Raton off Highway 64. Call (575) 445-3615 for more information.

NRA Youth Outdoor Adventure Day Camp set for Menomonie

The Dunn County News published a story about the eighth annual NRA Youth Outdoor Adventure Day Camp. The camp will be held Saturday, Sept. 6, at Whispering Emerald Ridge Game Farm in Menomonie, Wisconsin.

NRA Shooting Sports Camps provide adults, youth, families, hunters, sportsmen, competitors -- literally everyone -- the opportunity to come together under a formal program to learn, experience, share, and grow in appreciation of the shooting sports.

Friends of the NRA: The Kimber Marias

Kimber decided to focus its efforts on its M1911 pistol and center-fire rifle lines, so the Yonkers, N.Y., maker will no longer be importing its side-by-side Valier or its Marias shotguns. The good news for NRA members is that Kimber donated $600,000 worth of Marias Grade I and Grade II over-unders to benefit the Friends of NRA.

Kimber and Friends of NRA are proud to announce the new Kimber Sponsorship Level.

These donated firearms feature a limited quantity of various models, including Grade I and II wood with 26", 28" or 30" Belgian rust blue finish barrels. The Marias also feature a Turkish walnut Prince of Wales semi-pistol grip stock or an English stock. There are only 90 of these Marias available.

The American Rifleman published a story about the Kimber donation in their September 2008 issue (on page 20).

Range Development 101

An important aspect of practicing your second amendment rights is having somewhere to shoot. Developing and building an indoor or outdoor range is no easy task, says NRA Range Services Manager John Joines. But spend a few days at an NRA Range Development & Operations Conference learning about range engineering, administrative controls, environmental issues, and safety, and the task moves within reach.

"We normally aim for around 75 people per conference," Joines said. The response to the upcoming conference, Sept. 20-24 in Las Vegas, has been huge. No more spots are available. "Right now we have 82 people registered."

Joines estimates the conferences have served more than 1,500 participants from across the nation.

During the conference participants hear from experts on the topics of business planning -- "people underestimate the need for a business plan," Joines said -- EPA and OSHA lead standards, construction, range equipment costs, range maintenance and safety, law enforcement partnership possibilities, insurance, public hearings, sound abatement, and NRA programs.

"We go through the construction aspects of both indoor and outdoor," Joines said. "We talk about the pitfalls you can run into and having your documentation ready if you need to make presentations. We talk cost analysis. We talk range safety. We hit everything."

Each participant of the NRA's Range Development & Operations Conference receives an NRA Range Sourcebook, which is available to the public in both paper and CD-rom format.

Keep your eyes open for information on the 2009 conferences: Jefferson City, Mo. March 14-18; Phoenix, Ariz. May 2-6; and Providence, R.I. August 29-September 2. Register online, or call (703) 267-1276.

YES in the news

2008 YES participant Morgan Palerno is featured in this news brief from the Times-Leader:

Morgan Palermo, daughter of Michael and Michelle Palermo, Drums, was selected to participate in the National Rifle Association’s annual National Youth Education Summit in Washington, D.C. Palermo, of MMI Preparatory School, Freeland, was selected from applicants from across the country. The purpose of the summit was to teach the significance of the U.S. Constitution and the Bill of Rights and to develop an understanding of government and government participation.

Want to be a firearm instructor?

If you enjoy working with people and want to share your firearm knowledge and skills with others, you might want to look into becoming an NRA Certified Instructor.

NRA Certified Instructors train hundreds of thousands of individuals each year in the safe and proper use of firearms. If you are interested in providing this valuable public service, you can become an NRA instructor and conduct various NRA Basic Firearm Training Courses in your community.

The NRA courses that you can elect to teach include pistol, rifle, shotgun, muzzleloading firearms (pistol, rifle, and shotgun), personal protection, reloading (metallic cartridge and shotgun shell), range safety, and home firearm safety.

You can also choose to conduct First Steps orientation courses, which are special three-hour orientation classes designed to introduce new shooters to particular firearm models.

You will receive your specialized instructor training for each course directly from NRA Training Counselors. These counselors are active and experienced trainers who have been appointed by the NRA to teach and develop new certified instructors.

For more information about NRA Certified Instructors, visit www.nrahq.org/education/training/instructor.asp.

To request a list of NRA Training Counselors in your geographic area who can train you to become an NRA Certified Instructor, call the NRA Training Department at (703) 267-1430.

Museum Speakers Series

If you’re in the northern Virginia area tomorrow, the National Firearms Museum will be hosting a special evening with Stuart Mowbray in the South Tower Auditorium at 7:00 PM, for a talk on gun collecting.

Mowbray is the editor and publisher of the NRA’s official journal of gun collecting, Man at Arms. The event is co-sponsored by the Virginia Gun Collectors Association, and there will be free food and drinks beginning at 6:00 PM. No reservations are necessary; it's free to the public.

The National Firearms Museum, located at NRA Headquarters in Fairfax, Virginia, proudly promotes the role of firearms in the American experience, with more than 2,400 guns on display.

Profile: NRA's 2006 Law Enforcement Officer of the Year

The National Rifle Association selected Trooper John Richard "Rick" Smith as its 2006 Law Enforcement Officer of the Year. Trooper Smith was selected for this distinguished award based upon his acts of valor on August 20, 2006, in Midlothian, Texas.

On that day, Trooper Smith and other members of his shift monitored a police radio transmission of "Shots Fired -- Officers Down" from the Midlothian Police Department. Smith and four other Texas state troopers immediately responded to the call and quickly arrived on the scene. Smith was first to reach the incident, and found that three Midlothian police officers had been shot by a gunman when they attempted to investigate a complaint of a bullet breaking a nearby window. When the Texas troopers arrived, the gunman was barricaded in his apartment. Two of the wounded officers were pinned down and were unable to move to safety.

Smith and his fellow troopers provided cover, which allowed paramedics to remove one of the wounded officers from the scene. The other officer was trapped in an exposed position and was immobilized from five gunshot wounds. Trooper Smith left his place of cover and ran into the open area to assist the wounded officer. Exposing himself to the gunman's fire, Trooper Smith was soon joined by two other troopers and managed to pull the injured officer to safety.

Click here to read the rest of the story. You can download a nomination form for the 2008 NRA Law Enforcement Officer of the Year. The deadline is September 1st.

Sig Sauer to Sponsor 2009 NRA Bianchi Cup

Sig Sauer has announced it will again be a major sponsor of the NRA National Action Pistol Championship, also known as the NRA Bianchi Cup, in Columbia, MO., May 18-23, 2009.

The New Hampshire-based manufacturer produces firearms known internationally for their reliability and performance. Sig Sauer will sponsor the Moving Target match of the NRA Bianchi Cup and plans to provide $15,000 in cash and prizes.

"The NRA's Competitive Shooting division is pleased to welcome Sig Sauer as a sponsor of the 2009 NRA Bianchi Cup," Executive Director of the NRA Kayne Robinson said. "In providing innovative and high-quality firearms Sig Sauer furthers the world of competitive shooting for all involved."

Continue reading this article ...

NRA National F-Class Prone Championships

Lodi, Wisconsin will host the NRA National F-Class Prone Championships starting September 30 through October 4th. I’m not that knowledgeable on F-Class shooting so I came across f-classinfo.com and they had some good background on the sport:

F-Class is the fastest growing long-range shooting sport in the world, and it is sure to continue growing as more and more people become familiar with its unique advantages and challenges.

F-Class was started in Canada. It was started as a fun class. In the beginning, it was mostly old time shooters, who put a scope and bipod on their rifle and shot along with the rest of the TR shooters. Mr. Farquharson came up with the idea of F-Class to enable he and other older long-range shooters to continue shooting along side of the people they had been competing with for most of their lives. Farquharson was a Canadian who shot what in most of the world is known as Fullbore Rifle. Fullbore (known as long-range or Palma shooting here in the States) is shot prone with a sling and iron sights, using a .308 Winchester and a bullet weight of no more than 156 grains.

Farquharson figured, that older shooters would be able to continue long-range shooting longer if their eyesight and bodies could be augmented by allowing them to use a scope and a rest to shoot. He convinced the Canadian NRA (the DCRA) to approve his idea and F-Class was named after him. F-Class migrated to the rest of the British Commonwealth and also to Germany, France, the Netherlands and the USA.

Check out f-classinfo.com for more information.

If you’re interested in competing in the NRA National F-Class Prone Championship, contact Karin Liebetrau at (608) 625-6005 or ekl@mwt.net.

NRA Hunters Rights: Landowners free from liability

NRA Hunters Rights has a report about a new form, approved by the NRA's General Counsel, that will free a landowner from any liability claims due to injuries, damages, illnesses, etc., that might arise from a hunter being present on that property.

Law Enforcement Training

In the August 2008 issue of Law En­force­ment Technology, Jonathan Koz­low­ski talks firearms training for law en­force­ment. In the story, Koz­low­ski quotes Mark Peters, a staff instructor in the NRA Law En­force­ment Training Department, part of the NRA Law En­force­ment Activates Division.

The Law En­force­ment Activities Division was established in 1960 specifically to pro­vide the law en­force­ment community with a certified and stand­ard­ized firearm instructor training program. Since that time, the NRA has trained more than 50,000 law en­force­ment firearm in­struc­tors and currently have over 12,000 active.

Country Star Mark Wills to Shoot 2009 NRA Bianchi Cup

Chart-topping country performer Mark Wills plans to join the world's best pistol competitors at the NRA National Action Pistol Championship, also known as the NRA Bianchi Cup, in Columbia, MO., May 18-23, 2009.

Wills, who has recorded eight top 10 hits and made a name for himself with "Wish You Were Here" and "Don't Laugh At Me," is a competitive shooter excited to make his first Bianchi Cup appearance. He credits Rob Leatham, a longtime Bianchi competitor, with his decision to shoot the 30th Anniversary of the NRA Bianchi Cup.

"Mark Wills is a fine example of an individual with a busy career who is also interested in competitive shooting in his free time," NRA Bianchi Cup Coordinator Tom Hughes said. "We want to give people from all professions and age groups an opportunity to compete. We welcome Mark and others in the entertainment industry to attend the Bianchi Cup and compete with the finest pistol competitors in the world."

Wills plans to use his Springfield 1911 and Safariland Holster at the match. "I wanted to get something new and cool to start practicing with," he said. "It's pretty cool for Springfield and Safariland to say, 'Hey, we want you to shoot our pistol and use our holster in this competition.'"

Since its inception in 1979, the NRA Bianchi Cup has retained its original course of fire, consisting of four matches: Practical, Barricade, Moving Target and Falling Plates. Speed and accuracy is the key to winning the Championship. Each event is timed and is worth 480 points, equaling a total of 1920 possible points.

"I'm excited about the NRA Bianchi Cup because it really gives people who have never shot anything quite like it, including me, the chance to enjoy a great competition and the company of fellow gun enthusiasts," Wills said. The multi-platinum selling country music star is passionate about both shooting and his successful career.

The Country Music Association nominated Wills' "Don't Laugh at Me" for Single, Song, and Video of the Year. In 2002, his single "19 Somethin'" spent six weeks at No. 1 and was Billboard's top country hit of the year. Wills has won the Academy of Country Music's award for Top New Male Vocalist and is the host of the television series "The Year." Wills is involved in Children's Miracle Network and has performed for our military overseas for the past four years. He lives in Atlanta with his wife Kelly and their two daughters.

Action pistol competitors are permitted to use a two-handed grip, and competitors must start with their guns holstered. During the course of the matches, participants fire at turning cardboard silhouette targets, moving targets, and steel plates that must be knocked down to count as a hit. This type of competition makes the match more appealing to spectators.

The NRA National Action Pistol Championship is a money-winning event. For his victory in 2008, Doug Koenig took home the 2008 Bianchi Cup trophy, plus total cash awards of over $8,000. Robert Vadasz’s Metallic Sight win netted him over $5000.

This announcement comes in anticipation of many enhancements to the NRA Bianchi Cup as the Association prepares for the 30th Anniversary celebration in 2009. For more information on the championship, or on the NRA Action Shooting Program, call Tom Hughes at (703) 267-1478, or send an email BianchiCup@nrahq.org.

Profile: NRA's 2007 Law Enforcement Officer of the Year

The National Rifle Association selected Captain Philip Hemp­hill of the Mississippi Highway Pa­trol as its 2007 Law En­force­ment Officer of the Year. Cap­tain Hemphill boasts an im­pres­sive record of ded­i­ca­tion to firearm training and marks­man­ship as well as a leg­a­cy as a nine-time winner of the Na­tion­al Police Shooting Cham­pi­on­ships (NPSC).

The NPSC matches consistently draw the world’s top police marksmen, and while Captain Hemphill exudes modesty, his skill is unmatched among fellow competitors. Captain Hemphill holds the distinct honor of being the first police officer to win both the NPSC and the police title at NRA's National Matches at Camp Perry in conventional pistol. His 16 years of conducting firearm training for his fellow officers have earned Captain Hemphill the reputation of being a patient and approachable mentor who is able to transfer his knowledge of life-saving firearm skills to the officers in Mississippi.

Captain Hemphill has long acted as an ambassador of the NRA to his fellow law enforcement officers, citing the credibility the NRA lends to the field. "If you go to John Doe's Shooting School and then train your people, and one of your officers is involved in a shooting, they'll subpoena the shooting records," Hemphill said. "They will have to establish your credibility. With the NRA you don’t have to establish your credibility. It's been established."

Commenting on Captain Hemphill's qualifications, John C. Sigler, NRA President and a retired Delaware police captain, said, "In addition to Philip's accomplishments within the realm of police firearms training and competition, he has been a positive role model for younger officers. His service to the cause of freedom and his dedication to the preservation and defense of the rights of all law-abiding Americans to keep and bear arms sets an example for all to follow."

Noting that competition is an extension of training which translates into life-saving skills, Sigler believes that Captain Hemphill represents a legacy not only in the world of competitive shooting, but also in the education of our nation’s future law enforcement officers.

To obtain an entry form for nominating a candidate for the 2008 Law Enforcement Officer of the Year Award, click here. Entry forms must be completed and submitted by September 1, 2008. Nominations may be submitted by the nominee's agency head or by an NRA member. Nominations must also be endorsed by an NRA Life Member.

For more information, call 703-267-1649.

NRA Law Enforcement Officer of the Year Deadline Near

The deadline is about one week away to nominate a hero that you know for the 2008 NRA Law Enforcement Officer of the Year Award.

I know we did a post about this last week, but I feel this is a very important honor. I have a lot of friends who are in law en­force­ment, and they don’t get much rec­og­ni­tion. A lot of them don’t ask for that rec­og­ni­tion, either. The deadline for nominations is September 1st.

Download an entry form, or call the Law Enforcement Activities Division at 703-267-1649 for more information.

Ed Friedman joins Shooting Illustrated staff

Ed Friedman has joined the staff of Shooting Illustrated, the NRA's award-winning newsstand monthly, where he is serving as associate editor. Friedman, who was assistant product manager for Nikon Inc.'s Sport and Recreational Optics Division from 2003 to 2006, has been working toward a master's degree in public policy at George Mason University for the past two years.

"His extensive knowledge of optics, shooting, gun rights and self defense make him a natural fit for the magazine," said Guy J. Sagi, Shooting Illustrated editor in chief. "He also brings a unique industry perspective to one of the fastest-growing periodicals in the business today."

"I am excited to be back in an industry I love, working for the premier organization defending our Second Amendment rights," Friedman said. "I look forward to helping produce what has become one of the finest magazines devoted to firearms and their application."

NRA Hunters Rights: Deceit at Heart of Campaign to End Aerial Predator Control

Justin McDaniel over at NRA Hunters Rights published a story about Alaskans for Wildlife and Defenders of Wildlife working to drum up support for Ballot Measure 2, which would prohibit the shooting of wolves and grizzly bears from aircraft.

I love this quote in the story...

The entire Ballot Measure 2 campaign is one big con job intended to deceive Alaskan voters. The primary advertising message is that the initiative is needed to stop aerial hunting, but aerial hunting has not been legal in Alaska for 37 years.

New Mexico Challenge

On Friday, we had a meeting to go over a few things about the 2008 National Police Shooting Championships. During the meeting, another staff member passed around a coin that will be given out to participants in a new event this year, the New Mexico Challenge Match.

The New Mexico Challenge Match is a non-NPSC fun match conducted by the NRA to attract local New Mexico Law enforcement and security professionals to Police Pistol Combat and the National Police Shooting Championships.

The event is for NON-CLASSIFIED new shooters, and it is an NRA Stock Semi-Automatic Pistol course of fire. Pre-registration is not required. You just need to show up. Also, we say the match is to help attract local New Mexico Law enforcement and security professionals, but, if you work in law enforcement and live another state, you’re certainly allowed to participate. You do not have to live in New Mexico. The only real requirement is that you have to be either a law enforcement or security professional that has not competed before in an NRA-sanctioned PPC event.

Guns West

I was talking with Doug Wicklund, Senior Curator for the National Firearms Museum yesterday and we somehow got into discussing about their new exhibit, GUNS WEST!

The exhibit is comprised of three parts and is a look at the way the Old West was, the way it is, and the way it could have been. One of the main attractions is a firearm that may have belonged to Jesse James. Here’s a photo of the large-frame Smith & Wesson revolver.


We also did a press release on the exhibit.

WOT Instructional Shooting Clinics

We’ve come a long way since 2000, the first year Women’s Programs held Instructional Shooting Clinics:

Women On Target Instructional Shooting Clinics create more opportunities for women to learn all about firearms, and to gain confidence in newly-acquired shooting skills.

• Learn safe firearms handling
• Learn how to store your firearms safely
• Learn to shoot
• Learn a sport you'll enjoy for a lifetime

That's it in a nutshell. There were only 13 ISCs in 2000. In 2008, we expect to have a record-breaking year. It’s projected that we will have 7,000 women go through a WOT ISC. We are also expecting to have well over 240 clinics. We also have a page set up where you can find a Women On Target Instructional Shooting Clinic near you.

Being a man, I’ve never been able to attend one of these clinics, so I can't personally comment on how they are. However, I can't think of a better way to introduce someone into the joys of the shooting sports.

NRA’s National Police Shooting Championships Return to Albuquerque, New Mexico

More than 400 law enforcement officers are expected to participate in the 2008 National Police Shooting Championships.

The National Rifle Association will hold its 46th National Po­lice Shooting Cham­pi­on­ships (NPSC) at the Shooting Range Park in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Sep­tem­ber 21-25.

The NRA will also hold a Tactical Police Competition event on September 19-20 as a precursor to the NPSC. More than 400 law enforcement officers from federal, state, mun­i­ci­pal, and private agencies, as well as four foreign countries, are ex­pect­ed to compete in this year’s tournament.

“Our national championships came from the realization that if you want Americans to get better at some­thing, you challenge them. And our competitive event challenges are one of the things that we do best,” said retired police captain and current NRA President John C. Sigler. “I think that these matches are one way that we can give something back to a dedicated law enforcement community. This com­pe­ti­tion gives officers an opportunity to get even better at what they do.”

A new event will be added this year to spark interest in police com­pe­ti­tion -- the New Mexico Challenge. The event will be a duty handgun and equipment match for new shooters who do not have an NRA clas­si­fi­ca­tion; new shooter temporary classification will be allowed.

The match is open to anyone and, like many other events, features special reduced fees for new shooters.

The 2008 National Police Shooting Championships will also hold four armorer schools. The schools are tuition-free, but enrollment is lim­it­ed. Beretta, Glock, DPMS Panther Arms, and SIG Sauer will each host a session. Final scheduling for these schools is still being determined.

The value of NRA's National Police Shooting Championships lies in the fact that this competition realistically tests law enforcement shooting skills. Starting with guns holstered, competitors fire timed matches with both revolvers and semi-automatic pistols from varying dis­tan­ces and positions.

In 2007, Clay Tippit of the U.S. Homeland Security won the Special Aggregate Championship with a score of 6129-366X.

The National Police Shooting Cham­pi­on­ships enjoy tre­men­dous sponsor support, allowing the NRA to offer match and cat­e­go­ry cham­pi­on­ships one of the finest prize tables in all of law en­force­ment com­pet­i­tive shooting.

The National Police Shooting Championships enjoy tremendous sponsor support, allowing the NRA to offer match and category championships one of the finest prize tables in all of law enforcement competitive shooting. The NRA is thankful for the continued response of major NPSC sponsors, including Brownells, ProForce Law Enforcement, FNH, Heckler & Koch, Smith & Wesson, Glock, Beretta, Springfield Armory, DPMS Panther Arms, and Colt. In conjunction with the NPSC, the 2008 Law Enforcement Equipment Exposition will take place from September 20-24.

Held since 1962, the National Police Shooting Championship matches are just one of many programs directed by NRA’s Law Enforcement Activities Division (LEAD). These programs are supported by the Davidson’s Law Enforcement Endowment and the Law Enforcement Training Endowment of The NRA Foundation, including a generous $251,000 donation from Brownells, Inc., as well as donations from more than 100 other firearm and equipment manufacturers and businesses.

For more information about NRA's National Police Shooting Cham­pi­on­ships or to register for these matches, or call (703) 267-1632, or e-mail lead@nrahq.org. We'll be posting updates and results from the 2008 NPSC at this blog.

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I'll explain what this photo is all about, tomorrow.

A National Champion quote

Here’s some insight into the NRA.

Press officers (like yours truly) who run the press office at the NRA National Rifle and Pistol Championships have to promote the National Championships and write a feature about it for our NRA publications. Right now, I’m putting together my story on the NRA Smallbore Prone Championship for Shooting Sports USA.

This morning, I was listening to an interview that I did with 2008 National Champion, Kevin Nevius, and I love this quote from him.

“This has been a goal of mine for the last 19 years. I can’t believe it! Really, this is something that I’ll never forget. I don’t know I’m just overwhelmed right now. I’ve been working at this for so long and this list of National Champions is so short. You just never think that you’re going to be fortunate enough or lucky enough to get on it.”

I love it when athletes speak from the heart.

Women's Awards: Cathy Lynch

Thousands of children and adults have benefited from the efforts of Cathy Lynch. Ms. Lynch, a 2008 recipient of the Marion P. Hammer Woman of Dis­tinc­tion Award, has promoted safety and the shooting sports to many people as a Boy Scouts of America Shooting Sports Director.

All throughout the year -- though, especially in the summertime -- Cathy can be found running around the Cascade Scout Reservation managing several ranges. She is the Shooting Sports Director in charge of Rifle, Shotgun and Muzzle Loading ranges at Boy Scout Camp Pigott, and the BB gun range at Cub Scout Camp Brinkley.

Cathy Lynch has been a positive role model not only for women, but for everyone she has worked with in the shooting sports.
- Jerry Harrott

In total, Cathy runs 22 ranges where in 2007 she gave over 1,100 scouts access to the range for shooting. This is her fourth year of instructing rifle and shotgun courses and is NRA Certified as a Rifle, Shotgun, and Muzzle Loading instructor.

Lynch also serves as a Range Safety Officer. Lynch, a school bus driver for the Kent School District, first became involved in the shooting world when she volunteered to be her son’s Cub Scout BB gun coach.

Cathy serves as a role model for the many youth here at camp. She shows that a woman can become involved in the world of shooting sports. It is a lesson not lost on the female as well as male staff here at camp and the many scouts and their leaders.
- Steven Dazey

Her time with the Boy Scouts of America has also allowed Cathy to promote the Winchester/NRA Marksmanship Qualification program. In 2007, Cathy produced 114 Pro-marksmen, 93 Marksmen, 64 Marksmen 1st Class, 44 Sharpshooters, 22 Experts and 11 Distinguished Experts. Jerry Stein, an NRA Life Member, said that Cathy has encouraged many young men and women to take shooting sports as a serious endeavor that has become a life long sport for them either in marksmanship or as a hunter.

Cathy is truly promoting shooting sports and firearm safety in our community; she is generous with her time to help our young people, giving of her knowledge and expertise when it comes to the shooting sports. Cathy Lynch is a great example of selflessness and devotion to helping our community and promoting all the principles the NRA stand for; she deserves an award for all she does.
- Jerry Stein

If you know a woman like Cathy who deserves a little recognition, I would strongly recommend that you nominate that woman for either the Marion P. Hammer Woman of Distinction Award or the Sybil Ludington Women's Freedom Award. The deadline is November 1st.

NRA Hunters Rights: White House Conference to Focus on Conservation

Today, the staff over at NRA Hunters Rights wrote about the upcoming White House Conference on North American Wildlife Policy. The story also discusses how the NRA will play a role in the conference.

Women’s Awards

Patricia Stoneking did not want to be in the kitchen with her aunties and mom while the guys in the family went out to shoot and hunt. As the only girl-child in the family, she preferred to be where the reach action took place -- shooting with the men.

- Barbara Baird, Women’s Outdoor Wire

That’s just an example of the women out there who tirelessly work to help open other women to the joys of the shooting sports. Patricia is example of the women out there who make this country so great.

One way to honor the women -- who are out there either making those phone calls to their local, state or regional level government official, training more women through running an NRA Women’s Programs Instructional Shooting Clinic, or just making an appearance for the purpose of public education on the uses of firearms -- is to nominate them for the Sybil Ludington Women's Freedom Award or the Marion P. Hammer Woman of Distinction Award.

Here’s some background on each award:

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Ms. Marion P. Hammer has influenced many in her fight to preserve Second Amendment freedoms. From her role as lob­by­ist in the passage of Florida's Right-to-Carry leg­is­la­tion, to her grassroots efforts in ed­u­cat­ing youth about fire­arm safety, ownership and re­spon­si­bil­i­ty, Ms. Hammer ex­em­pli­fies ac­tiv­ism. As the cre­a­tor of the Eddie Eagle GunSafe Program and first woman president of the Na­tion­al Rifle Association, she has sig­nif­i­cant­ly impacted her com­mu­ni­ty, state and the na­tion. To honor her pioneering spirit, the National Rifle As­so­ci­a­tion bestows the Marion P. Hammer Woman of Distinction Award in her name.

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On the night of April 26, 1777, a wounded messenger barely reached the home of New York militia officer Henry Ludington with desperate news of a Brit­ish attack on nearby Dan­bury, Con­nect­i­cut. Mu­ni­tions and supplies for the entire region's militia were at stake, and with not a moment to spare, Colonel Ludington turned to his 16-year old daugh­ter, Sybil for help. While he organized the local militia, Sybil mounted her horse and galloped through the night to rally troops in the sur­round­ing countryside. Trekking on dirt roads that were unknown to her, Sybil never lost sight of her mission -- to alert the patriots about the British attack, thereby preserving the cause of freedom.

By risking her life that dark and desolate night, Sybil made a profound difference in America's successful pursuit to become a free and independent nation. For her act of courage, General Washington and General Rochambeau personally thanked her. Now to honor her accomplishment and the accomplishments of modern heroines, the National Rifle Association bestows the prestigious Sybil Ludington Women's Freedom Award in her name.

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Time is running out to nominate someone you know for this prestigious honor. Tomorrow I’m going to highlight some of the women who’ve been honored for this.

YES: Siloam Springs Teen Experiences D.C. Through NRA Program

The Morning News of Northwest Arkansas did a short feature on a teen who participated in the 2008 NRA Youth Education Summit (YES).

When I was a kid, I would have loved to have participated in something like YES. It's a great way to meet young adults who share the same values as you and I.

Plus, they are always a great group to hang around with. In 2006, I had to take photos and write a story for Insights, our NRA Magazine geared towards junior shooters, and I had a great time talking with them. There are some smart kids out there.

Facebook: Youth Programs

Our Youth Programs department has a Facebook Group.

Here's a quick fact that I pulled from the page, so you can impress your friends around the water cooler ...

There are nearly 2 million youngsters in structured, supervised, shooting education programs conducted or supported by the NRA. The cooperative programs that the National Rifle Association supports are; 4-H, Boy Scouts of America and Venturing, JROTC, FFA, National High School Rodeo Association, Royal Rangers, The American Legion, Order of DeMolay, Progressive Agriculture, YMCA, Veterans of Foreign Wars, and CMP.

NRA FUD

I’ve been busy with a few things today, and I’m trying to get a write-up done on the NRA Women’s Awards. The deadline for nominations for the Sybil Ludington Women's Freedom Award and the Marion P. Hammer Woman of Distinction Award is just around the corner. I should have more on that later today.

In the meantime, check out the NRA FUD (Fold Up Decoy) -- hunters can support the NRA and buy themselves a decoy.

NRA Law Enforcement Quarterly Newsletter

The summer edition of the NRA Law Enforcement Quarterly newsletter is online. Some of the stories include the NRA honoring Captain Philip Hemphill as Law Enforcement Officer of the Year, Eddie Eagle celebrating his 20th birthday, and Blackhawk's pledge of $100,000 to support the NRA Law Enforcement Activities Division.

NRA Hunters Rights: Cabela's Underwrites 3,000+ NRA Memberships

The staff over at NRA Hunters Rights posted a story today about Cabela's underwriting a three-year membership for any Cabela's employee who wanted to join the NRA. The response has been amazing.

NRA Law Enforcement Officer of the Year

What do these heroes have in common?

2004: Took a grenade from a robbery suspect and held it while he waited over 20 minutes for a bomb disposal unit.

2005: Stopped a deranged gunman at a nightclub.

2006: Rescued a wounded fellow officer while a gunfight raged around them.

2007: Taught firearm training for sixteen years, and won the NPSC nine times.

They were all recipients of the NRA Law Enforcement Officer of the Year Award -- one way we honor the men and women who put themselves on the line every day to keep our communities safe.

Nominations for the 2008 NRA Law Enforcement Officer of the Year are due in by September 1. The award was established in 1993, and recognizes exceptional valor, public service, and dedication to the principles of our Constitutional heritage.

Download an entry form, or call the Law Enforcement Activities Division at 703-267-1649 for more information.

YHEC: Locals compete at International YHEC competition

This story came from The Daily Review out of Towanda, Pennsylvania.

Two members of the Valley Youth Hunter Education Challenge, Inc. competed in the International YHEC Competition recently in Mansfield.

In the Junior division, Ethan Matthews, Damion Wheaton and Tyler Cordner competed while Travis Forrest, Jake Finlan, Tyler Bowen, Daniel Vogel, Douglas Weinman, Jordan Parks and Matthew Jenkins competed in the Senior Division.

Matthews, of Ulster, was on the Pennsylvania Junior Blue Team and came home with a third place in the Individual Muzzleloader, third place in Team Archery, second place in Team Rifle, and First place in Team Muzzleloader.

The Junior Blue squad finished third overall in the competition.

Forrest, also of Ulster, was on the Pennsylvania Senior Blue Squad and finished first in the Individual Orienteering.

As a team, the Pa. Senior Blue finished third in Archery, first in Muzzleloader, third in Hunter Responsibility, second in Hunter Safety Trail, third in Orienteering and second in the overall standings.

The other members of these two teams came from all over Pennsylvania with the Blue teams being formed after State competition.

Former Pennsylvania Game Commissioner Bill Bower was awarded the Volunteer award by the NRA committee highlighting the afternoon’s activities.

Olympic medals

How well did the U.S. shooting sports team do, in comparison with the rest of the world?

Country	Gold	Silver	Bronze
China	5	2	1
United States	2	2	2
Czech Republic	2	1
Ukraine	2	1
Italy	1	2
South Korea	1	1
Finland	1		1
India	1
Russian Federation		2	2
Germany		1	3
Mongolia		1
Norway		1
Slovakia		1
Australia			1
Croatia			1
Cuba			1
France			1
Georgia			1
Slovenia			1

(At least, I think I've got the tally right ... someone want to check my math?)

Olympic moments

We've mostly been focusing on the scores here on this blog, but there have been a lot of remarkable stories coming from the shooting sports at these games:

• Abhinav Bindra won India's first-ever individual gold medal.
  
  
• The race for the gold was always close -- the closest events were on the skeet field, where both the men and the women had shoot-offs for medals.
  
  
• In the first days of the Russia-Georgia conflict, the Russian and Georgian medalists in women's air rifle embraced on the podium.
  
  
• China's Du Li was scorned for her performance in air rifle, the the first medal awarded in the games, but came back days later to win gold in rifle.
  
  
• The shooting sports events weren't immune to doping tests. North Korea's Jong Su Kim tested positive for propanol, and was stripped of his medals. (The 10m bronze went to Jason Turner on the American team; from the 50m event, China's Zongliang Tan now has the silver medal, and Vladimir Isakov of Russia has the bronze.)

What shooting sports moments did you find particularly memorable?

Olympic Update: Men's 3-Position 50m Rifle

Rank	Name	Team	Total
1	Jian Qiu	China	1272.5
2	Jury Sukhorukov	Ukraine	1272.4
3	Rajmond Debevec	Slovenia	1271.7

On Team USA, Matthew Emmons came in fourth, and Jason Parker came in 22nd.

And that brings to a close the shooting sports events in the 2008 Olympic Games. Vincent Hancock (Skeet) and Walton Eller (Air Rifle) bring home gold medals; Matt Emmons (50m Rifle Prone) and Kimberly Rhode (Skeet) bring home silver; and Corey Cogdell (Trap) and Jason Turner (Air Pistol) bring home the bronze.

Friends of NRA banquet

Before I go outside to get started on my extensive honey-do list, I wanted to search around to see if I could find any news stories to blog about. I came across a Friends of NRA banquet...

The 2nd Annual Fundraising Banquet that will take place Tuesday, August 19, starting at 6 p.m. at the Redwood Empire Fair & Events Center Fine Arts Building, 1055 North State Street, Ukiah.

Last year's sell-out dinner was the first banquet in Mendocino County. More 100 people attended.

This year's event will be limited to 200 people and NO tickets will be sold at the door.

Banquet tickets are $50 per person, with special dinner packages available, including private tables for eight guests.

Table packages will include your choice of either a Springfield XD 9mm pistol, Henry Golden Boy Lever Action .22LR, or a Mossberg 590 12-gauge Pump Mill-Spec shotgun.

Raffle tickets also will be included with either the two-dinner or eight-dinner packages. Special drawings for kids and women will also be held.

Newly added features to this year's event include an opportunity to bid on an African hunting trip and an Alaskan fishing trip.

Information, or to order tickets: Don Grossman Jr., 459-0824; or Don Grossman Sr., 459-4512.

There are tons of these banquets going on all the time. To see when there will be one near your hometown click here.

Olympic Update: Men's 25m Rapid Fire Pistol, Men's Skeet

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Men's 25m Rapid Fire Pistol

Rank	Name	Team	Total
1	Oleksandr Petriv	Ukraine	780.2
2	Ralf Schumann	Germany	779.5
3	Christian Reitz	Germany	779.3

The USA's Keith Sanderson came in fifth place. SSG Sanderson has also earned several honors at Camp Perry: he won the Army Pistol Reserve Trophy in 2002 and 2003; the Orton Memorial Trophy and the Krelstein Trophy in 2001; and the Clarke Memorial Trophy in 1999.

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Men's Skeet

Rank	Name	Team	Total
1	Vincent Hancock	United States	145 +4
2	Tore Brovold	Norway	145 +3
3	Anthony Terras	France	144 +3

As you can see, the gold medal came down to a two-way shoot-off, as was the bronze medal (with Cyprus' Antonis Nikolaidis).

Hammond Weathers Wind at Beijing Olympics

I found a brief writeup on how the coach of the University of West Virginia rife team is doing at the Olympics. Jon Hammond was also the 2008 NRA Distinguished College Coach of the year. Here's a sample of the story...

West Virginia University Rifle Coach Jon Hammond finished 34th in the 50m rifle prone qualifier with 589 points at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. Hammond opened competition at 9 a.m. Beijing-time.

Hammond, competing for Great Britain, battled poor wind conditions throughout the match. He followed his first string of 99 with a break, only to return 25 minutes later to even stronger wind gusts. After second-and third-round scores of 97 and 96, respectively, Hammond rebounded and closed out the match with strings of 98, 99 and 100.

Despite a few rough middle strings, Hammond was both satisfied and optimistic about his performance and thankful for his experiences thus far.

“Unfortunately, today didn’t go as I had hoped, but I cannot be too disappointed,” Hammond said. “Conditions were extremely difficult, and ultimately I didn’t shoot well enough in the wind. To be honest, I don’t feel that I fired any bad shots; I just had trouble negotiating the conditions."

Supporting YHEC

Cassidee Dunford, 15, of Mountain Green, Utah, targets clays during the 2008 NRA Youth Hunter Education Challenge.

I haven't yet had the opportunity to attend the NRA’s annual International Youth Hunter Education Challenge. A colleague of mine, who is an editor for NRA Hunters Rights, has gone the past few years, and always comes back with wonderful stories about how much he enjoys YHEC.

But with YHEC, it’s all about the kids. Here's snippet from what my colleague has written about YHEC:

Aaron Carr of Greers Ferry, Ark., who finished second overall in the senior individual standings at last year's YHEC, is one of those lifetime hunters. The 19-year-old may have been too old to compete in this year's YHEC, but that didn't stop him from traveling nearly 1,200 miles to help coach his former team, the Cleburne County Sharpshooters.

"I had a lot of coaches help me throughout my time competing in YHEC, so I wanted to come back to help the kids," said Carr. "YHEC gets a bunch of kids into hunting and it teaches them to respect wildlife and be safe. They're a pretty good group of kids. Since I'm more their age, they can compete with me, and they can see that what I'm telling them actually works."

Through the YHEC program, young hunters have the opportunity to test what they've learned from their parents and coaches in eight events that simulate actual hunting conditions as closely as possible. There are four shooting events -- archery, muzzleloader, rifle and shotgun -- as well as four responsibility challenges -- orienteering, wildlife identification, a written hunter safety exam, and Hunter Safety Trail. All events build on what youngsters learn in conventional hunter education courses.

"It's just a blast," said 17-year-old Nathan Leavitt, of YHEC's appeal. "I heard about YHEC from a friend, and I thought it was really cool. It's just so much fun."

While making friends and having fun is the real value of the YHEC program, scores are kept and champions crowned, with both individual and team winners honored. Participants are broken into two age classifications -- (15-18) and junior (14 and under).

This just barely covers the benefits of YHEC. At this time, YHEC programs exist in 33 states and Canadian provinces. Each year, 50,000 young people take part in state and local YHEC events from across the U.S. and Canada.

It’s a program that gets kids into hunting, and there’s a way that you can help preserve this tradition. August A. Busch III recently announced a matching-gift challenge to support and encourage continued growth in YHEC.

It is very easy, and an important part in supporting the future of hunting. If you don’t want to give online, you can contact Heide Kaser, Advancement Program Officer - General Operations (National), at hkaser@nrahq.org or 703-267-1622.

Sixty seconds in the National Firearms Museum

Have you been to the National Firearms Museum?

Our friends over at NRA Hunters Rights have a video posted from Senior Curator Doug Wicklund. Mr. Wicklund describes one of the museum's most unusual guns, a Winchester Model 70 -- with a transistor radio built into the stock.

Doug was recently part of a special on the History Channel called Extreme Marksman. He talked about well-known figures in exhibition shooting. I pulled this from the History Channel's website:

What these EXTREME MARKSMEN can do with a gun (or bow) is simply stunning. In this amazing sequel to the hugely popular Sharp Shooters program, THE HISTORY CHANNEL® has brought together some of the most accomplished shooters in the world to demonstrate their awesome talents.

It was a very cool program.

Women’s Wilderness Escape: Ronnie’s Ramblings

The photo to the left is an example of the activities that 50 women participated in during the first ever NRA Women’s Wilderness Escape (WWE).

In this photo, a WWE participant attempts to shoot a plastic bobcat during a 3-D target demonstration.

Staying on the same subject, here’s another opinion of the inaugural event. The author of the blog Ronnie’s Ramblings attended the Women’s Wilderness Escape as an instructor:

In July, I was privileged to attend (as an instructor) the NRA’s Women’s Wilderness Escape in New Mexico. Many of the pictures and stories you will see on this blog for the next month will be about that event; mostly the wildlife in that region of NM.

Among some of the events the “Escapees” were treated to are Pistol Shooting, Rifle, Shotgun and Muzzleloading, Archery, Turkey calling, Tree stand use and safety, Refuse to be a Victim training, High Powered Rifle shooting, building wilderness shelters, wildlife viewing, camping under the stars, Cowboy Action Shooting with a bonus CA Fashion show (those corsets! Wow!), a Blessing Ceremony, Laser Shot and more ...

This event differs from many of the courses I have taught in that not only was it instructional - but it was also emotional. My profound thanks go to the ladies that invited me along for the ride. Now that I’ve been on this trail, I hope to ride back for more and meet more beautiful women. I wish I could include every person there in my life and finish every conversation ever started there.

Women’s Wilderness Escape

When Doris Wells first entered the gates of the NRA Whittington Center in Raton, New Mexico, she could only say one thing: “Oh my goodness, what a beautiful place this is!”

The Wichita, Kansas, native was entering a day of firsts. It was the first time that she had ever been to the NRA Whittington Center, which is one of the finest shooting facilities in the nation.

She was also one of the first people to experience the NRA Women’s Wilderness Escape. Sponsored by the NRA Women’s Programs Department, Doris was about to partake in a nine-day getaway where she would enjoy a variety of shooting sports, hunting, and outdoor related activities.

“There was so much to do,” Doris said. “From 6 in the morning till about 10 at night, activities were going on.”

Doris says that she tries to portray herself as a “living institution of what the NRA is all about.” Any chance Doris, an NRA Endowment Life member, gets, she attempts to introduce other women into hunting, the NRA and their 2nd Amendment rights.

So when she first discovered about the Women’s Wilderness Escape, she knew it was a good avenue for women to explore the benefits of shooting. All of the firearms and ammunition was provided, and experience was not needed. The women learned how to shoot rifle silhouette, scoped/tactical carbine, long-range high power rifle, conventional and tactical pistol, history firearms, shotgun (trap or skeet), and archery.

And, it wasn't just about shooting. Outdoor activities like camping, survival training, game calling, game habitat and tracking, hunter education, and western cowgirl history were enjoyed by the 50 women who attended.

“It was absolutely wonderful!” Doris said. “I did all of the shooting events, but archery stood out, because I had never done that before. I also enjoyed the turkey hunter clinic. Then there was shooting the black powder gun. I had never done that before. It was so intense to shoot that and I would do it again in a minute."

A Women’s Wilderness Escape is already being planned for 2009. Check back to the Women’s Programs page in the future for more details.

Camp Perry in the news: Bob King

I found this story in the Leader Times about a Girl Scout troop learning about the benefits of competitive shooting. They met with an NRA Rifle Coach who went to Camp Perry with shooters from the Allegheny Rifle League:

Pursuing individual interests and trying new experiences, Cadette girls of Troop 5 met with NRA Rifle Coach Bob King of Manor Township to learn hands-on about Olympic rifle shooting. Assisting King at the Kiski Sportsmen's Club was Glen Klingensmith whose son is on the rifle team. While there the girls learned about rifle sightings, breathing techniques, leveling, competitive clothing, shooting sequencing, and natural points of aim. Shooting Remington and Anschutz .22s, the girls were in the sitting position. Informing the girls about the skills and scholarships available for the serious shooter, King presented the texts the students learn from as well as the actual shooting techniques for scoring during International shoots and USA Olympic shoots. Bottle Cap (shooting term) shoot scoring was explained at this July 24 meeting.

King is a coach for the Allegheny Valley Rifle League. He returned from a week at Camp Perry, Ohio, with two of his league shooters where the competition was among 367 shooters. Teams consist of shooters 10-82 years of age. King also coaches for the IUP NRA Shooting Camp where he has a rifle team present.

Camp Perry in the news: Ron Fleischhacker

I came across this announcement from the Alaska Star and the Anchorage Daily News this morning:

Eagle River's Ron Fleischhacker placed second in the National Service Rifle Championships held at Camp Perry, Ohio, last week.

His four-day score of 2,359 points (out of 2,400 possible), with 79 bullseyes was second best among 320 participants in the National Service Rifle Championship.

In the National High Power Rifle Division, he placed eighth among 459 competitors.

Olympic Update: Men's 50m Rifle Prone

Rank	Name	Team	Total
1	Artur Ayvazian	Ukraine	702.7
2	Matthew Emmons	United States	701.7
3	Warren Potent	Australia	700.5

Matt Emmons (husband of Czech shooter Katerina Emmons, who won a gold medal in air rifle and a silver medal in 3-position rifle earlier in the 2008 Olympics) won the Redfield Trophy at the NRA National Intercollegiate Indoor Championships in 2000, 2001, and 2002. In 2003, he won the Gillies Memorial Trophy and the Butterman Trophy. And back in 1997, he won the Stark Memorial Prone Trophy as the Intermediate Junior Prone Champion at the National Championships.

Michael Anti came in ninth place at the 50m Rifle Prone event. Maj. Anti won the Lister Memorial Trophy as National Indoor Sectional National Smallbore Rifle Champion in 2003, and was the 3-Position Smallbore Champion at the National Championships at Camp Perry in 2006. He and Jason Parker (who competed in air rifle event earlier in the week, and will be competing in the 3-position rifle event over the weekend) were on the winning team in the National Smallbore Rifle NRA 3-Position Team Championship in 2005. And, like Emmons, Maj. Anti is a past junior champion, too; he won the Stark Memorial Position Trophy in 1981, and the Stark Memorial Prone Trophy in 1982.

You can watch video from the 50m rifle prone final at NBC's website.

Looking for inspiration?

Alethea Edwards of Natchitoches, La., finished first in Category IV of the 2006 NRA Youth Wildlife Art Contest with this rendering of a puma.

The 21st NRA Youth Wildlife Art Contest is just around the corner. The deadline to enter is October 3, 2008. Around this time of the year we get a lot of phone calls (which we are always happy to take) from people asking if a certain animal is eligible for the contest.

That’s because entries may portray any North American game bird or animal that may be legally hunted or trapped. Endangered species and non-game animals, such as eagles and snakes, are not eligible subjects.

One way to find an animal for your art contest entry is to look at the State Game & Fish Information linked from our Hunter Services department.

What if you’re still not sure if an animal can be legally hunted or trapped in North America? Sometimes some online research (like using a search engine, typing the name of the animal, and then the word "hunting") can pull up some useful information.

Contestants can also call (703) 267-1595 or email artcontest@nrahq.org to confirm whether a certain animal or bird is eligible.

If you have any other suggestions on finding the right animal -- or if you have questions or comments about the contest -- let us know by posting a comment and we'll pass that information along.

Welcome to The NRA Blog

In the 2006 NRA Youth Wildlife Art Contest, Monica Burtley drew this bighorn sheep, which placed first in category III.

First, let me say, hello and welcome to the NRA Blog! This is our second phase in getting news and information to you about the 178 programs offered by the NRA. Under NRA General Operations, we provide programs that fit the needs of gun owners in America.

On our NRA programs page, we separate our programs into the following categories: Business Alliance & Clubs, Competitions & Matches, Eddie Eagle, Firearm Training, Hunter Services, Law Enforcement Services, Shooting Ranges, Women’s Programs, Youth Programs, Friends of NRA Banquets, National Firearms Museum, NRA Headquarters Range, Gunsmithing Schools, Recruiting Programs, and NRA Hunters Rights.

Many people aren’t aware of the full scope of NRA General Operations. The NRA Blog will highlight what we exactly do, and how gun owners benefit from NRA programs.

We will show you the NRA in Motion.

Olympic Update: Women's 3-Position 50m Rifle, Women's Skeet

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Women's 3-Position 50m Rifle

Rank	Name	Team	Total
1	Li Du	China	690.3
2	Katerina Emmons	Czech Republic	687.7
3	Eglis Yaima Cruz	Cuba	687.6

Team USA's Jamie Beyerle came in fifth place, and Sandra Fong came in 21st.

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Women's Skeet

Rank	Name	Team	Total
1	Chiara Cainero	Italy	93 (+2)
2	Kimberly Rhode	United States	93 (+1 +2)
3	Christine Brinker	Germany	93 (+1 +1)

There was a three-way shoot-off for the medals at this event. (Thailand and Sweden had a two-way shoot-off for fourth place, which Sweden's Nathalie Larsson won.)

Rhode is a familiar face to those who have been following the Olympic shooting sports teams lately. She won gold medals in double trap at the 1996 and 2004 Olympics, and a bronze at the 2000 Sydney Olympics; her gold at the 1996 Atlanta games made her the youngest-ever Olympic gold medalist in the shooting sports. She switched to skeet when the women's double trap event was eliminated from the Olympics. (You might have also seen articles about her in some of the NRA's magazines, or met her at the Annual Meetings.)

NBC has posted video from the women's skeet final.

Camp Perry in the News: The Toledo Blade

Steve Pollick reports the results from the NRA High Power Championships:

High-power rifle champion Carl Bernosky has claimed his second consecutive title as top-gun in the high-power competition of the National Rifle and Pistol Matches at Camp Perry.

Bernosky, of Ashland, Pa., fired a score of 2384-118X out of a possible 2400 to best a line of 465 of the country top target riflemen. It was the legendary Pennsylvanian's seventh high-power title, his first coming 31 years ago.

One more thing

The parking lot at Perry featured quite an assortment of bumper stickers--not to mention quite possibly the most NRA decals I've ever seen in one place.

For your viewing pleasure (to ease the pain of concluding the matches?) I present:

The Parking Lot of Perry

Preliminary Palma results

Any Rifle Team Match
ReadeRange.org, 1772-68X
Southest Rifle Club Gray, 1762-66X
Grand Valley Marksmen, 1689-30X

Service Rifle Match
U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit Craig, 1744-54X
U.S. Marine Corps, 1726-48X
Ohio Rifle and Pistol Service, 1674-38X

Palma Rifle Match
U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit Praslick, 1791-102X
Dessert Sharpshooters, 1786-98X
Team Sierra, 1784-87X



This concludes the National Matches of 2008.

See you all next year -- and don't forget, Camp Perry Live turns into The NRA Blog, your one-stop web shop to see the NRA in Motion.

Bad Apples turn golden

The Washington Rifle and Pistol Association's Bad Apples set a new national record with the score of 1773-69X in today's Palma Team Match.

Team members are Trevor Massey, Jenifer Nyberg, Michael Storer, and Jacob Whetham, coached by Jonathon Shew.

Palma Rifle Team Match winners ...

The U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit-Praslick, with a score of 1791-102x, wins!

Team members are Specialist Tyrel Cooper, SFC Lance Dement, Specialist Calvin Roberts, and Staff Sgt Tobie Tomlinson, coached by Emil Praslick.

Additional rumors

Service and Open Palma match records may have been broken, as well.

Stay tuned!

Ahead of schedule

The preliminary results of the day are in and being counted. People have started to gather around outside the stat office.

All I've heard, rumor-wise, is that there may have been a new record set today by a certain junior team. . .

This afternoon

The estimate we're being given is another half-hour of shooting, with the awards ceremony around 5 p.m. Just like yesterday's ceremony, today's will be held outside the stat office.

Stay tuned for photos and results!

Surprise: you're the grand senior champ!

Samuel Garee of Canton, Ohio, was the High Grand Senior last year at Perry. But he didn't even know it. When I came across him, one of the few spectators on the field yesterday, I had to stop. He was watching through his scope so intently I almost didn't want to interrupt him. But I'm glad I did!

Garee is over 70 years old -- you have to be, to qualify as a Grand Senior -- and he told me he doesn't remember when he first started coming to Perry. Now, with daughters and granddaughters involved in shooting as a hobby, Garee comes to Perry with some friends each year to compete. He wasn't shooting in the Palma Individual Match yesterday because he wasn't feeling great, but he was behind the Ready Line watching his friends.

Last year, about two weeks after Perry's conclusion, one of those friends asked Garee why he had left before the awards ceremony. "I hadn't stuck around," Garee recalls. "'You won the grand senior championship,' he said. 'That's crazy,' I said."

He won the Tompkins trophy and the Canadian cup as well.

Garee's biggest concern is that the competitive shooting world is able to bring enough new shooters to the sport. "In school, and on television programs for young people, they are indoctrinated against (guns) of any kind. They have that pounded into them for so many years that it's hard to change them," he says. "Unless they have a parent that brings them up to shoot ... I don't know how any other young people will get interested in competitive shooting."

Do you remember?

This came from the Fort Mill Times in Fort Mill, South Carolina.

In 1928, Haywood Potts, second lieutenant of the Fort Mill National Guard Company, was selected as the coach of the South Carolina National Guard rifle team for the national competition at Camp Perry, Ohio.

John Parker's reflections on Perry

Sometimes John Parker comes to visit. And we put him to work! Here are his reflections from this year:

"Camp Perry is an amazing place. NRA, CMP, and OHNG join together for two months out of the year to have amazing National Matches. This year NRA had more staff out here than ever, helping to improve the matches in any way they can. The NRA Store especially was much improved.

But the most amazing thing about Perry is the volunteers. Without the volunteers the National Matches could never happen. A big thanks goes out to them; and to the NRA Information Services division, and especially Joe Galanick. Without his expertise, the new systems we have in place could have never been running more smoothly. We hope to see you all again next year!"

JP was out here three separate weeks manning the NRA Store, which we blogged about earlier. We're trying to talk him into blogging his entire journey back to northern Virginia in the U-Haul full of NRA gear. Wouldn't that be fun?

Go Army Beat ... USMC?

The unofficial word off the range is that the US Army Shooting Team might pull off the Palma Team Match. "I don't want to say anything, because I don't want to jinx it," a soldier told me. But their spirits are high as the third relay begins.

Perry Competitors In Uniform

Are you ready?

The Perry Competitors In Uniform slideshow will be posted at noon.