For Pennsylvania-based attorney Tim Pawol, the third time was the charm in getting nominated and elected to the NRA's Board of Directors. Now in his fourth year of service, Pawol serves on the following four committees: Finance; Protest; Pistol; and Action Pistol.
Serving as a knowledgable member of the Protest committe during the 46th National Police Shooting Championships, Pawol took the time to answer some questions. (He has shot NPSC as a non-competitor, by the way, as only law enforcement officials are able to compete.)
Pawol has seen a lot of challenges in his time as a volunteer at both NPSC and Camp Perry and he reports that this year's NPSC is average in the level of challenges submitted.
"When you have this many people—and this is important—there are prizes. They're here to compete. They want to know they're competing on level ground," he says. "And that's really what our job is, to make sure everyone's playing by the rules and that they are all competing on a level playing field."
"Yes, we do get challenges," he continues. "But when it's all said and done, and agree or disagree (with the competitor's challenge) everyone shakes hand and gets back to competing."
Resolving conflict is part of what Pawol does by trade. He does some pro bono work for individuals with disabilities and is involved with civil rights litigation. Thankfully, he says, he sees his daytime work as compatible with his service on the NRA's Board of Directors.
"A lot of people don't see people who work in Human Services as aligned with the NRA," he says. "The company I work for has the idea that if we're for the idea of the individuals we work with having their civil rights, you'd better protect all civil rights. So that's a good thing."
Pawol says his fascination with firearms began young—under the diligent supervision of his parents. "Starting out, I received my mother's shotgun when I was in third grade. I wasn't allowed to shoot it without my parents being present, but that was my gun," he says. "From there, I was in Boy Scouts and did that kind of shooting and a lot of hunting with my family growing up. My father was an NRA life member and I wanted to be an NRA life member as part of our family tradition."
Pawol was asked to attend Camp Perry one year "when they came up short on personnel. They knew I could at least talk from the tower without stumbling too much," he says humbly. Pawol's 14 consecutive years at Perry's pistol phase have allowed him to perfect his "tower talk," among other things.
So how exactly did Pawol come to run for the NRA's Board? "Through Perry, I met the referee who was John Sigler. He and I were talking because we're both attorneys and have similar interests and he suggested that I consider running for the Board of Directors."
"The first time I ran I was not nominated and then I was nominated and came in 26th. Then I ran again and came in 26th and I felt like the woman on the soap operas who never gets the Emmy, I think. Then I actually got elected and was on the Board."
Pawol sees his fellow Board members as confidants, firearms experts, public servants, colleagues—and friends. "We have a lot of fun. They can take a joke. If they couldn't take a joke I'd probably be pounded into the ground by now," he says. "There is a commonality of interest. I mean, a wide variance of background from all over the United States but we do have this commonality."
Pawol doesn't hesitate when asked what exactly serving on the NRA's Board means to him. "The biggest responsibility that we all have—and we all have our own individual interests, whether it's gun collecting, competitive shooting, or any of our over 100 programs—the major thing has to be protecting the 2nd Amendment," he says. "That's really a horrible thing to have to say."
"It's not that we are attacking or that we are aggressive; it's that we are under attack. A lot of our resources have to go to that. It's not something we would choose, and it's not something we want."
"It's what we have to do."
Serving as a knowledgable member of the Protest committe during the 46th National Police Shooting Championships, Pawol took the time to answer some questions. (He has shot NPSC as a non-competitor, by the way, as only law enforcement officials are able to compete.)
Pawol has seen a lot of challenges in his time as a volunteer at both NPSC and Camp Perry and he reports that this year's NPSC is average in the level of challenges submitted.
"When you have this many people—and this is important—there are prizes. They're here to compete. They want to know they're competing on level ground," he says. "And that's really what our job is, to make sure everyone's playing by the rules and that they are all competing on a level playing field."
"Yes, we do get challenges," he continues. "But when it's all said and done, and agree or disagree (with the competitor's challenge) everyone shakes hand and gets back to competing."
Resolving conflict is part of what Pawol does by trade. He does some pro bono work for individuals with disabilities and is involved with civil rights litigation. Thankfully, he says, he sees his daytime work as compatible with his service on the NRA's Board of Directors.
"A lot of people don't see people who work in Human Services as aligned with the NRA," he says. "The company I work for has the idea that if we're for the idea of the individuals we work with having their civil rights, you'd better protect all civil rights. So that's a good thing."
Pawol says his fascination with firearms began young—under the diligent supervision of his parents. "Starting out, I received my mother's shotgun when I was in third grade. I wasn't allowed to shoot it without my parents being present, but that was my gun," he says. "From there, I was in Boy Scouts and did that kind of shooting and a lot of hunting with my family growing up. My father was an NRA life member and I wanted to be an NRA life member as part of our family tradition."
Pawol was asked to attend Camp Perry one year "when they came up short on personnel. They knew I could at least talk from the tower without stumbling too much," he says humbly. Pawol's 14 consecutive years at Perry's pistol phase have allowed him to perfect his "tower talk," among other things.
So how exactly did Pawol come to run for the NRA's Board? "Through Perry, I met the referee who was John Sigler. He and I were talking because we're both attorneys and have similar interests and he suggested that I consider running for the Board of Directors."
"The first time I ran I was not nominated and then I was nominated and came in 26th. Then I ran again and came in 26th and I felt like the woman on the soap operas who never gets the Emmy, I think. Then I actually got elected and was on the Board."
Pawol sees his fellow Board members as confidants, firearms experts, public servants, colleagues—and friends. "We have a lot of fun. They can take a joke. If they couldn't take a joke I'd probably be pounded into the ground by now," he says. "There is a commonality of interest. I mean, a wide variance of background from all over the United States but we do have this commonality."
Pawol doesn't hesitate when asked what exactly serving on the NRA's Board means to him. "The biggest responsibility that we all have—and we all have our own individual interests, whether it's gun collecting, competitive shooting, or any of our over 100 programs—the major thing has to be protecting the 2nd Amendment," he says. "That's really a horrible thing to have to say."
"It's not that we are attacking or that we are aggressive; it's that we are under attack. A lot of our resources have to go to that. It's not something we would choose, and it's not something we want."
"It's what we have to do."
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