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NRA Youth Programs to Conduct RSO Training in January

The NRA Youth Programs Department will be conducting Range Safety Officer (RSO) training on January 20 at the National High School Rodeo Association’s (NHSRA) mid-winter meeting in Denver, Colo.

Upon completion of the training, students will receive RSO certification that will enable them to volunteer on the line at NHSRA’s state/provincial shooting finals, as well as at the national finals in Gallup and Farmington, N.M.

The size of NHSRA’s shooting sports program continues to grow, with participation increasing in all events by more than 292 percent in 2008 alone.

The RSO training is open to all members of the NHSRA organization and will help NHSRA to grow its volunteer base for future shooting events. For more information, or to sign up for the class, please contact Lyn Larsen at llarsen@nhsra.org or 800-466-4772 (Ext. 217).

2009 National Disabled Indoor Air Rifle Sectional Championships

NRA's Disabled Shooting Services is proud to announce the creation of the 2009 National Disabled Indoor Air Rifle Sectional Championships.

The new National Disabled Indoor Air Rifle Sectional Championship will be held at various locations between January 15 and March 30, 2009. This championship was created to replace the Beeman Grand Prix Tour, which was a stand-alone competition that had limited participation. The Disabled Indoor Air Rifle Championship was created with the hope that it can someday be combined with the National Open Indoor Air Rifle Championship that already exists.

The NRA National Disabled Indoor Air Rifle Championships give competitors with physical disabilities a chance to compete in national individual and team events by comparing their scores with those fired in clubs all over the country. Scores are compatible because of the similar conditions existing in indoor ranges.

Dates currently scheduled are as follows:
January 31 - Lakeshore Foundation, Birmingham, AL
February 7 - Louisville, KY
February 14 - Fresno Wheelchair Shooting Championships, Fresno, CA
March 14 - VA Boston Healthcare System, Brockton, MA

For more information contact Vanessa Warner, Manager of Disabled Shooting Services, at 703-267-1495 or disabled-shooting@nrahq.org.

Note on Year-end NRA Program Materials Shipments

NRA’s Program Materials Center Online Store will be closed for year-end inventory beginningThursday, Dec. 18, 2008, and will not reopen until Friday, Jan. 2, 2009.

Individuals needing program materials during the inventory shutdown period or shortly thereafter, such as NRA Certified Instructors, should note that online, telephone, or mail-in orders received prior to close of business (8 p.m. EST) on Wednesday, Dec. 17 will still ship the following day.

All online, telephone or mail-in orders placed between Dec. 18 and Jan. 1 will not be filled and shipped until the Program Materials Center Online Store reopens for business on Jan. 2.

Please be aware of the above dates and plan ahead for any materials you may need during the time periods noted.

To place an order, visit http://materials.nrahq.org or call 1-800-336-7402.

Thank you for your patience as we look forward to a great 2009!

Record-breaking 7th year in a row for Law Enforcement Instructor Schools

For the past 7 years, the Law Enforcement Activities Division (LEAD) of the National Rifle Association has seen a steady increase in the number of law enforcement firearm instructors being trained, who in-turn train the officers in their agency or unit.

LEAD was established in 1960 to provide the law enforcement community with a comprehensive law enforcement firearm instructor-training program. This year over 2,150 new students have participated in the training program. Glen Hoyer, Director of LEAD, said the following of the increased participation, “Our record-breaking attendance in 2008 shows, not only the law enforcement community’s commitment to high standards, but, also, demonstrates the NRA’s willingness to provide a necessary service to the law enforcement community.”

For those interested in learning more about sponsoring a training program, please visit our web site at www.nrahq.org/law or call 703-267-1640.

Field Representatives update

Our Friends of NRA liason Nicole was kind enough to give us an update on the recent Field Representative meetings held in Fairfax, Virginia. Field representatives are assigned to a certain geographic jurisdiction and travel throughout the United States helping NRA members to plan and execute Friends banquets and fundraisers. They meet at NRA Headquarters annually.

The Friends of NRA Merchandise Preview meeting had another successful year with new merchandise for event banquets that will take place beginning January, 2009. The preview was held during the annual headquarters meetings that take place the first week in December.

Field Representatives throughout the nation came to the Marriott in Fairfax, VA to see all the merchandise in person. The standard merchandise package was a huge hit along with the new Sponsor merchandise, Magnum Package, High Caliber firearms, and various vendor direct items. It's bound to be another big year for the Friends of NRA!

Look here to find the Field Represenative nearest you, and look here for your local Friends banquet.

Eddie Eagle GunSafe® Program mascot costume competition

NRA Field Representative Dan Wilhelm recently presented an Eddie Eagle costume to the Gridley-Biggs Police Department, winners of the 2008 Eddie Eagle GunSafe^® Program Mascot Costume Competition in northern California.

To take part in the contest, law enforcement agencies must submit an application describing how the addition of an Eddie Eagle costume would be used to reach the maximum number of children in a particular community. Samantha La Violette of the Gridley-Biggs Police Department (GBPD) in Gridley, CA submitted the winning application for this year's Northern California contest. The GBPD started running their Eddie Eagle GunSafe^® Program two years ago and the addition of the mascot costume will certainly increase the program's effectiveness.

Since its commencement in 1988, more than 21 million young children have been taught Eddie Eagle's three-step safety message: If you see a gun: STOP! Don’t Touch. Leave the Area. Tell an Adult.

The Eddie Eagle mascot helps capture children's attention during assemblies and leaves a lasting impression in their minds. Beginning in 1996, the mascot costumes were made available to individual law enforcement agencies. In 2001, the Costume Contest was created with the help of Friends of the NRA whose chapters contribute the $2,650 cost per costume. So far, 28 costumes have been donated through the contest to law enforcement agencies around the country.

"Our Department is proud to partner with the NRA and the Eddie Eagle GunSafe^® Program," said Gary D. Keeler, Chief of the Gridley-Biggs Police Department. "Not only is gun safety an important topic to teach young people, this program will help us with community outreach. Our Department staff will work directly with and in the community to promote gun safety."

Since the Eddie Eagle GunSafe^® Program was launched, the annual number of firearm-related deaths among children of the program's age group declined more than 80%. Gun accident prevention programs like Eddie Eagle are a significant factor in that decline.

In the interest of increasing gun accident prevention awareness, the NRA encourages citizens nationwide to actively participate in their local communities.

Law enforcement agencies, schools, civic groups, and others interested in more information about the Eddie Eagle GunSafe^® Program should visit www.nrahq.org/safety/eddie, call 800-231-0752, or e-mail eddie@nrahq.org.

2008 Ft. Benning 3-Gun Challenge

Our own Jan Raab and Brian Zins from NRA Competitive Shooting were at Ft. Benning this past weekend observing the 2008 Ft. Benning 3-Gun Challenge, sponsored in part by NRA Competitions. The Challenge recognized five classes: Open, Tactical Optics, Tactical Irons, Heavy Metal and Trooper.

"This is the 4th year this match has been held at Ft. Benning," Raab said. "Approximately 230 shooters from all over the US, as well as two shooters from England, competed."

"Each of the 8 stages had an Army values theme: Loyalty, Duty, Respect, Valor, Integrity, Honor, Personal Courage, and Selfless Service. Each stage was dedicated to a Medal of Honor recipient."

"The competitors had a special treat: they got to ride in a Striker from stage 7 to stage 8," Raab continued. "Stage 7 was a secret stage. The competitors had only 2 minutes to walk the course, a series of trenches, in advance. While in the trench, the Army released smoke to obscure the course."

"The match was supported by 34 shooters from the Army Marksmanship Unit (AMU) and 10 soldiers from the Ranger indoctrination program."

"Col. Muggeo, Commander of the AMU, was very happy to see NRA involvement."

"The match was very well run and everyone had a great time."

See the results here.

Photos courtesy of Raab.

NRA Competition Dates set for 2009

If you want to stay up to date with NRA Competitive Shooting, sign up for their E-News briefs! The e-mails, in addition to NRAblog.com's coverage of their competitions, will keep you well-informed about NRA Competitive Shooting.


Mike Krei, Director of Competitive Shooting, brings us the following update in this week's edition of NRA Competitive Shooting Sports E-News:

Most of the Championship locations have been set for 2009 and I list them here for your information and for you to disseminate to other shooters and clubs:

• National Collegiate Pistol Championship - March 16-20 at Fort Benning, GA
• National Junior Air Gun Championship and Training Summit - July 1-3 at Camp Perry, Ohio
• National Action Pistol Championship (Bianchi Cup) May 20-23 at Columbia, MO
• National Muzzle Loading Championship - Week of June 15 - 21 at Friendship, IN
• National Black Powder Target Rifle Championship/Creedmoor - August 10-11 at Raton, NM
• National Black Powder Target Rifle Championship/Mid-Range - August 13-16 at Raton, NM
• National Outdoor Pistol Championship - July 16-18 at Camp Perry, OH
• National Smallbore 3-P Championship - July 23-25 at Camp Perry, OH
• National Smallbore Prone Championship - July 26-30 at Camp Perry, OH
• National High Power Rifle Championship - Aug. 11-14 at Camp Perry, OH
• National High Power Long Championship - Aug. 15-19 at Camp Perry, OH
• National Silhouette Championships
• Hunter Pistol - June 16-19 at Austin, TX
• Cowboy Lever Action - June 29 - July 2 at Raton, NM
• Black Powder Cartridge Rifle - July 13-16 at Raton, NM
• Black Powder Cartridge Rifle/Scope - July 17-18 at Raton, NM
• Smallbore Rifle - August 2-4 at Raton, NM
• High Power Rifle - August 6-8 at Raton, NM

How to order Christmas gifts from the NRA Museum Store

Yet another reminder: the National Firearms Museum's very own in-house Museum Store is a great resource for affordable gifts for any occasion. Above, store manager Benjamin Van Scoyoc poses with one the Store's top sellers: an NRA logo T-shirt packaged in the shape of a revolver.

Just $12.99, the shirt has the red seal of the NRA on the front and the Second Amendment written out on the back, as seen at the top of the display.

"It's clever," Van Scoyoc said when asked why the item is popular among Museum visitors. "It's got a high-quality color graphic printed on both sides, which you're going to be hard-pressed to find at a better price!"

As far as out-of-the-area ordering goes, either e-mail Van Scoyoc at BVanScoyoc@nrahq.org or call (703) 267-1614 to place an order. Your order's shipping and handling costs will be determined by the weight of the order and its destination.

Don't delay! Christmas is just around the corner, and with the compact size of the T-shirt's packaging, it won't take up your whole suitcase if you're flying your gifts home with you.

NRA Recipe of the Month: Halftime Dutch Oven Venison

The Recipe of the Month is Halftime Dutch Oven Venison; it goes in the oven before opening kickoff, uncover it at the end of the first quarter, and it's ready to serve at halftime.

For more recipes, get the NRA Members' Wild Game Cookbook.

Alaskan Frontier: A Friends of NRA success story

The following is an excerpt from the Alaska Friends of NRA article found in the upcoming edition of Traditions, the publication of The NRA Foundation. It comes to us from Nicole McMahon.

In early 2007, the Alaska Friends of NRA took a long hard look at their Anchorage Banquet. Anchorage is the biggest city in Alaska and has over a third of its population, yet the Anchorage banquet had struggled for many years. In 2004 they had 155 people in attendance and netted just over $8,000.

A flash of brilliance hit State Fund Committee Chairman Scott Hamann: “What if we transformed the Anchorage Banquet into the Alaska State Friends of NRA Banquet?" This idea caught on like wildfire throughout the entire Alaska Friends of NRA. However, they did not just want to change the name, they wanted to rewrite the book. The goal of the Alaska State Friends of NRA banquet would be to have the biggest and the most exciting banquet in Alaska.

To have a committee of this scope, size and objective, a strong leader is needed and that leader is Denny Hamann. He leads by example and has an incredible ability to break an obstacle down to its smallest parts and then eliminate them one by one. A strong leader is not the only part vital to creating an outstanding banquet; it also takes a strong committee, which the Alaska State Friends of NRA committee is.

The First Annual Alaska State Friends of NRA Banquet was held in October of 2007. The committee worked around the clock to ensure that their banquet was a success. All their hard work paid off as they held a fantastic, fun banquet and netted over $56,000. At the end of the night, when all the numbers were crunched, Hamann looked dejected. When asked why he responded, “I wanted $75,000!”

At the 2008 Alaska State Fund Committee meeting, the State Committee vowed that they would go over $100,000 in 2008. To do this, they would need the other committees pledging their support, which they unanimously received.

To learn more about Friends of NRA, visit FriendsofNRA.org. If you are interested in getting involved in a Friends of NRA Committee, contact your local NRA Field Representative.

NRAhuntersrights: Minnesota testing all donated venison

For generations, hunters have been shooting deer with lead bullets and eating the venison with no ill effects. In fact, there is not one documented case of a citizen ever becoming ill because of eating venison taken with a rifle bullet.

Moreover, a recent CDC study, in which more than 700 North Dakota residents were tested for lead levels, found not one single individual with unacceptably high amounts of lead in the blood. (That study was requested by the North Dakota Department of Health, because of allegations made earlier this year that venison intended for food banks contained excessive levels of lead.)

Yet the "issue" of lead in venison continues to unnecessarily alarm people. Despite the conclusions of the CDC study, North Dakota’s Sportsman Against Hunger program decided to accept only archery-taken venison, and the North Dakota Department of Health issued recommendations not to use lead ammunition, and discouraged food pantries from accepting ground venison taken with lead bullets.

Now, we learn from a story in Minnesota's Star-Tribune that up to 25,000 pounds of venison, intended for food banks in the state, will have to be X-rayed before it is distributed. The decision came when random testing revealed that 5.3 percent of sampled deer meat contained "lead fragments."

One of the many spirited comments on the story said, "Good god. How much money is being spent on this nonsense?"

The answer is 30 cents a pound. But the unnecessary expense is not the only problem. The testing will delay the delivery of badly needed food to hungry families. It’s being collected from all over the state and moved to the Twin Cities for testing. Moreover, state officials are considering eliminating the venison donation program altogether. According to the article, "Officials plan to confer with legislators, hunters, processors, food shelves and other stakeholders in coming months to determine whether the donation program will continue."

Yet the same article quotes Nicole Neeser, manager of the meat inspection program of the state Department of Agriculture, as saying, "But we expect at least 95 percent of the product will be free of lead and will be able to go to food shelves."

In whose mind does any of this make sense?

For more of this story, go to NRAhuntersrights.org.

Revolutionary Steps: Hillsdale College implements Second Amendment curriculum

Hillsdale College is to be commended for its recent efforts to teach both the practical and academic aspects of the Second Amendment. Hillsdale, an independent liberal-arts college in Michigan, makes the Right accessible to its 1,356 thousand students on a daily basis by dedicating part of its curriculum to the U.S. Constitution and the Second Amendment. Hillsdale has recently begun development of a world-class, 77-acre outdoor firearms educational facility.

Larry Arnn, President of Hillsdale College, said of the new facility, “We are pleased to have a place where our students can learn gun safety and shooting as a sport. From our beginnings in 1844, Hillsdale has taught and promoted constitutional rights and principles, and the Second Amendment is integral to those. This new program fits perfectly well with our classic liberal arts curriculum.” The present cost of the project is $2 million, with a $2 million endowment set aside for the future costs of operation.

Currently, two sections of the one-credit course on Basic Shotgun are being offered through the facility. In the future, the facility will be open to the rest of the college, the community and college guests, and will serve as a training facility for local law enforcement officers.

However, the practical aspects of shooting are not the only lessons learned at The Hillsdale College Firearms Educational Facility. The estate of Mr. Ebersole has created the Roland L. Ebersole Scholarship to provide up to full tuition for qualified students who belong to shooting advocacy organizations. Additionally, Hillsdale plans to endow a chair for the teaching of American history and the Constitution, with a special emphasis on Second Amendment rights.

To receive further information about The Hillsdale College Firearms Educational Facility or The Roland L. Ebersole Scholarship, please send an e-mail to hcfef@hillsdale.edu.

Helen Jeavons featured in the local Columbia, MO news

Helen Jeavons is a 41-year old accountant for Columbia Insurance Group in Columbia, Missouri — home of the NRA National Action Pistol Championship, commonly known as the NRA Bianchi Cup. As of last month, Jeavons is also the World Action Pistol Championship's Women Champion.

The above video is a local KOMU Columbia Missouri Channel 8 segment featuring Jeavons and her shooting career. Jeavons is also profiled in a Columbia Tribune article.

The 2009 NRA National Action Pistol Championship will take place in Columbia, MO, May 18-23. NRAblog.com will be there to report the results live!

Amber Lammers reports from the Nation's Gun Show

The Nation's Gun Show this past weekend was a tremendous success. Amber Lammers, an assistant curator at the National Firearms Museum, reported from the Museum's booth in the Dulles Expo Center:

The last Chantilly Gun Show of the year was a weekend to remember. The turnout was amazing, with large crowds on each of the three days. In fact, Friday night, the show received media attention.

The National Firearms Museum displayed an exhibit on Sharps rifles. These are four of the most historic guns in the museum collection, and this was the first time all four have been displayed in public.

In addition to taking the rifles, the buffalo head (pictured above) from the museum also came along. With the large turnout for the show, we had many visitors come by the table and learn about our sharps rifles and the Museum in general. The buffalo head was a huge hit with visitors and many people, young and old, stopped to have their picture taken with it.

Apply today for 2009 the Youth Education Summit

The deadline to apply for the NRA's Youth Education Summit, or YES, is three short months away! Encourage the high school student in your life to apply for the experience of a lifetime.

The 13th Annual Youth Education Summit, open to outstanding high school sophomores and juniors, is scheduled for July 6-12, 2009. Applications are due March 2, 2009.

Only 40 students are chosen to take part in this expense-paid, seven-day event in Washington D.C. The summit encourages young adults to become active and knowledgeable U.S. citizens by learning about The Constitution and Bill of Rights, the federal government, and the importance of being active in civic affairs.

Activities on this year's schedule include:

• Guest speakers at NRA Headquarters and the National Firearms Museum.
• Competitive debates with other high school students from across the nation.
• Tours at historic sites and monuments in and around Washington, D.C.
• A hands-on visit at the Marine Corps Base in Quantico, Virginia.

YES participants also compete for a total of $30,000 in college scholarships. $10,000 is given at the conclusion of the week, based on their initial application, on-site debates and speeches, and participation during the week's activities.

$20,000 involves a second application, available to the participants after they go through YES. Since the program's inception in 1996, over $200,000 in scholarships have been awarded.

For additional information on the 2009 Youth Education Summit, please visit www.nrafoundation.org/yes, or call 1-800-672-3888, ext. 1342.

Punt gun is the National Firearms Museum Gun of the Month

The National Firearms Museum is featuring a punt gun on its website as the Gun of the Month.

Paddling out to a flock of ducks resting on the water, a stealthy punt-gunner would have prepared his gun with a hefty charge of powder and an equally formidable load of shot. Enough of a load could be placed into this muzzleloading arm’s barrel so that up to a hundred ducks might be harvested in a single blast. On the Chesapeake Bay, the thunderous roar of punt guns came to an end in 1900 with the passage of the Lacey Act, which outlawed the transport of wild game across state lines. Restaurant owners in Baltimore or Washington, DC, had to seek other means to get their duck dinners supplied, as possession of punt guns became felonies in certain jurisdictions.

This punt gun, in the National Firearms Museum collection, was hidden away in a quarry, and was recently donated by the William Salem family of Ohio. Weathered from exposure, and with a cracked stock from firing recoil, this 6½-foot-long piece weighs in at about 40 pounds. It can be traced back through the Salem family to 1893.

Winning Youth Wildlife Art Contest entries on display

The National Rifle Association's headquarters here in Fairfax, Virginia, re-opened this morning after the Thanksgiving holiday. The National Firearms Museum resumed its holiday hours Saturday, and features a new, very special exhibit for a limited time: the winning entries of the 21st Annual Youth Wildlife Art Contest.

Now you can browse the Museum's 15 galleries and 2,400+ firearms while enjoying the fine artwork of youth from across the nation. The entries are near the Museum's entrance.

Three NRA employees — J.R. Robbins, the competition's founder (now editor of NRAhuntersrights.org); Harry Jaecks, Art Director of NRA Publications; and Meg Guegan, Director of Communications in the Office of Advancement — were tasked with choosing the contest's winning entries.

As the official judges, they discussed what makes judging the Contest a challenge: “The hardest thing is being fair. Judging is so subjective that two different judges will likely pick two different sets of winners and offer solid justifications for their decisions,” Jaecks said. “That is especially true when we have, as we did this year, such a large number of fine pieces from which to choose.”

For information on the 2009 Youth Wildlife Art Contest, visit http://www.nrahq.org/YOUTH/wildlife.asp, call (703) 267-1595, or e-mail artcontest@nrahq.org.