NRA Club Connection - Fall 2019

A PUBLICATION OF THE NATIONAL RIFLE ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA FALL 2019

INSIDE: pg 2: YHEC: Leading the Way for Young Hunters pg 11: NRA launches Adaptive Hunting Database pg 33: Is your NRA Club Gold Medal?

President's Column: No One Knows How to Fight Gun-Control Legislation And Win Like The NRA

Cover Story: NRA Youth Hunter Education Challenge: Still leading the way for young hunters

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Hunter Services Update:

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Connecticut Hosts Popular Venison Processing Workshops

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NRA Announces Launch of Adaptive Hunting Database

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NRA Hunter Education Online May be Worth Millions Annually to States

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NRA Club Spotlight:

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Ashe County Wildlife Club Receives NRA Grant

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NRA Site Matches Game Meat Donations with Needy

Bridgeville Rifle & Pistol Club

NRA State Association Spotlight: Arkansas Rifle & Pistol Association

Community Outreach Update:

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Volunteering with Eddie Eagle can impact your Community!

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NRA Smallbore Marks 100th Year

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NRA-ILA Update:

Equipping the Next Generation of Second Amendment Activists

Is your NRA Club Gold Medal?

Cover Photo Credit: Tina Shaw USFWS Midwest Region

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Editors: Elizabeth Bush, Managing Director Community Engagement Division ebush@nrahq.org Son Nguyen, National Manager Clubs & Associations and Range Services snguyen@nrahq.org

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(800) NRA-Club (672-2582) clubs@nrahq.org

Published quarterly by the National Rifle Association of America Community Engagement Division © Copyright 2019 National Rifle Association

NRA Clubs & Associations • 11250 Waples Mill Road, Fairfax, VA 22030 • (800) NRA-Club • clubs.nra.org

PRESIDENT’S COLUMN

No One Knows How To Fight Gun-Control Legislation And Win Like The NRA

L Carolyn D. Meadows President

NRA OFFICERS

Carolyn D. Meadows President Charles L. Cotton First Vice President

Willes K. Lee Second Vice President

Wayne LaPierre Executive Vice President John Frazer Secretary Craig Spray Treasurer

Jason Ouimet Executive Director, NRA-ILA

Joseph P. DeBergalis, Jr. Executive Director,

General Operations

For news about your NRA, visit: nra.org.

Share this column online at nrapublications.org.

aw-abiding American gun owners are presently facing the most vicious and broad-based attacks this nation has ever seen on our cherished right to keep and bear arms. And your NRA is the focal point for those who want to abolish the Second Amendment.

Indeed, our adversaries seek to discredit and then to erase the Second Amendment altogether, while stripping away our guns, our ability to defend ourselves, our freedom to participate in shooting sports and our ability to feed our families as part of the most-successful conservation system on earth.

The enemies of freedom and their fake-news media allies love the idea of forbidding the sale of guns and ammunition. They have done just that in once-great American cities and now want to export their failing ideology to all corners of our country. Corporate titans are even putting their personal anti-gun politics above free-market common sense in an attempt to bully loyal customers with hostile and discriminatory business policies.

There is little the gun-haters won’t stoop to. Lies, name calling, and now the most vile and divisive slander of all, branding the NRA and our members “domestic terrorists,” as the San Francisco Board of Supervisors recently did in an official act.

As your NRA president, I have not been immune to personal attacks, nor have members of our Board of Directors. But the chief target of our adversaries’ desperate assault is NRA Executive Vice President Wayne LaPierre. There is a reason. Wayne represents an insurmountable roadblock to the ambitions of: ■ Bored billionaire despots jealous of the greatness of true patriots, from the Founding Fathers who gave us the Second Amendment to those of us today who remain true to the U.S. Constitution; ■ Partisan gun-grabbers trying to outdo one another to gain political advantage; ■ Arrogant media celebrities who have warped the honorable “people’s-rightto-know” mission of real journalists into a “people’s obligation to think like I do,”; and ■ No-name, no-constituency gun-control agitators eager for headlines.

Misinformation and factual distortion are essential elements of their shared tactics when it comes to discussing what to do about firearms and law-abiding gun owners.

With lies and blame for the acts of criminals and the dangerously mentally ill, they are

attempting to destroy the NRA—from the organization itself to Wayne, myself and even you, the members, who stand more than 5 million strong.

Make no mistake about what we face. The Second Amendment is a legal foundation. That’s why the most-serious threats to it rise at the time of tragic events sensationalized in the media. When you parse all the outrageous, politicized statements made by anti-gunners at such times, it’s clear the only “do something” they seek is our destruction.

And you understand how important it is, and has been, for the NRA to fight each and every battle—in legislative bodies, through the judicial system, and in the court of public opinion—to preserve the fundamental right that guards all other rights.

Leading these complex and timeconsuming efforts—and scoring win after win for you, me, and the NRA for four decades— is our political quarterback, Wayne LaPierre.

Soon after the NRA’s Institute for Legislative Action was founded, he began his career as a lobbyist in the thick of battles at the state level, in Congress, and head-to-head with anti-gun Presidential administrations. Wayne has seen it all. He knows the legislative power plays. He knows the opposing players and their tactics. I encourage you to read Standing Guard in this month’s magazine to learn much more about the legacy of success compiled on Wayne’s watch.

If ever the NRA and America needed a battle-tested leader to spur us to victory for the Second Amendment, it’s now. Opposition lawmakers in Congress, state capitals and city councils are doing their worst to drum up fervor for legislating your gun rights out of existence. Off-year elections are taking place in various states this month, and next year, the White House and control of Congress is at stake. History has called us to this place in time. We must take action, foremost of which is standing with Wayne LaPierre.

We must stand up for what we believe.

We must unite behind the NRA, as the NRA. Never forget, we are America’s oldest, most effective civil-rights organization. As your president, I ask each and every NRA member to be proud of who we are and to join in facing the challenges that lie ahead. We’ve got a lot of work to do to keep our Second Amendment as strong as ever. Let’s do it!

Fall 2019 • NRA CLUB CONNECTION • 1

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Feature Story

The NRA’s Youth Hunter Education Challenge: Still Leading the Way for Young Hunters

By Brian McCombie, Reprint Permission granted by NRA Hunter's Leadership Forum When the Youth Hunters Education Challenge https://yhec.nra.org/ announced that the annual National Championship was being cancelled in favor of more regional events, rumors started to fly. The top rumor being that YHEC was on the way out.

Completely wrong!

YHEC was and remains the National Rifle Association’s (NRA) preeminent youth hunting development program, providing a fun and practical environment for kids to develop and improve their hunting, marksmanship and safety skills.

Yes, YHEC has gone through some reorganization, and that process will continue for a time. But YHEC is as strong as ever and the changes that have and will be implemented are designed to make the program even more accessible to more young Americans.

“We will reach more young people with the regional format than the national venue,” said Monty Embrey, Manager YHEC at NRA’s Hunter Services. “Don’t get me wrong--the National Championships were great events.

But the reality was, having the event in only one place, and rather far from other population centers, made attending the Championships a major financial and time endeavor for families.”

Embrey continued, “The Regional format runs three to four days, for example, whereas the Nationals were a week-long event. And holding the Regionals in two or more locations gives people the chance to attend who might otherwise feel they lived too far away to make it all work.”

Since the very first event held in 1985, YHEC has had over 1.2 million participants. Building upon skills learned in basic hunter education courses, YHEC is designed to promote and encourage safe, lifelong hunting through its simulated hunting situations, live fire exercises, and educational and responsibility events. The Regional format will continue to follow the National format as far as how the actual events are conducted.

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The 2019 Regional YHEC Championships were held in Bentonville, Arkansas, and near Elmire-Ithaca area of New York State. Attendance was nearly equal to National attendance, Embrey noted, and he was very encouraged by that fact.

Practice for the Regional Championships occurs at the local and state levels. YHEC at the local level is a basic introduction for youth who are interested in hunting. State YHEC events are at an intermediate level and require youth to have completed a hunter education course or the NRA on-line hunter education course.

To participate in a YHEC event, you must be 18 years of age or under. If a Hunter Education course is required, you must follow your state's age requirements.

Local and state YHEC events must feature at least one of the following responsibility/educational events and one of the following shooting events: • • • • • • • •

Hunter Responsibility Exam: Students test their knowledge of hunter safety, ethics, responsibility and the laws; Hunter Safety Trail: Here, young hunters demonstrate their knowledge of safe hunting practices in various hunting situations; Orienteering: Hunters prove they know how to navigate a course using a map and compass; Wildlife Identification: Participants identify tracks, hides, feathers and other signs of North American wildlife; .22 Rifle: Utilize a .22 rifle to shoot at actiontype or life-size game targets; Shotgun: Demonstrate shotgun shooting skills across multiple hunters' clays stations; Muzzleloader: Use a muzzleloading rifle with open sights to shoot at action-type or life-size game targets; Archery: Walk through an archery course set up with life size animal targets.

Splitting up the National in two (three in 2020) separate venues does mean that YHEC will likely need more volunteers---more for the various events and more at the local and state levels as increased number of youths enter the program. If you are an experienced hunter, considering volunteering your time to help at a YHEC event. Want more information on YHEC? Visit the website at: https://yhec.nra.org/.

MARK YOUR CALENDARS! Join us next year for the 2020 Regional Events: • • •

July 12-15, 2020 Eastern Regional, Breesport, NY July 19-25, 2020 Mid-West Regional, Bentonville, AR August 3-7, 2020 Western Regional, Hyrum, UT Fall 2019 • NRA CLUB CONNECTION • 3

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Women On Target Goes Pink!

To honor those women who are survivors and to remind all ladies that October is Breast Cancer Awareness month, NRA Women On Target® has gone pink for our clinics this month. While learning to shoot can be challenging for cancer survivors, volunteers are there to help everyone learn to shoot in a safe and positive environment. Come Join Us! Go to https://www.nrainstructors.org/Search.aspx to find a clinic near you.

Women On Target® Instructional Shooting Clinics are designed to encourage more women to participate in the shooting sports. These venues provide the opportunities and the mentors that women need to help them get started in a sport they can enjoy for the rest of their lives. Clinics provide women (many of whom are first-time shooters) with firearm safety training and the fundamentals of marksmanship in an environment that is both welcoming and supportive. They are held at clubs and ranges throughout the country, both public and private. Some colleges are even hosting them as ways to find and recognize new talent for developing competitive shooting teams and to educate ladies on basic firearm handling and safety on and off campus.

Any club or organization who has access to a range can register a clinic. They must be registered and taught by an NRA Certified Instructor in their NRA Instructor account.

We can also put them in contact with local instructors if they don’t have one available.

The line coaches are most often generous volunteers who want to share their knowledge and skills.

Fall 2019 • NRA CLUB CONNECTION • 5

Hunter Services Update

NRA Site Matches Game Meat Donations with Needy Have a deer tag to fill but can’t use the meat?

This site will match you with nearby hungry.

By Brian McCombie Hunting season allows us to spend time in the outdoors, to pass on our traditions and to share in the fellowship with other hunters. But hunting can have a very important—though maybe less visible—impact, too: the ability to help some of the less fortunate families and individuals in our communities. Thanks to programs like the NRA's Hunters for the Hungry Game Meat Donation Initiative, millions of pounds of game meat go into the nation’s food bank system every year.

Started in 1991, the NRA Hunters for the Hungry https://hfth.nra.org/ website encourages hunters to donate their game meat.

“We consider this a call to action for our NRA members, and non-members alike, to help those in need if at all possible this fall,” said Matthew S. Fleming, National Manager of the NRA Hunter Services. “Maybe, for example, you’ve already got your freezer full, but you have that extra doe tag. We hope you will go out and fill that tag and donate the venison to a food bank.”

Maybe you’ve had that deer or elk processed and all of it simply won’t fit in your freezer or you know it’s too much meat for you to use. Either way, that meat can be used by a food bank.

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At the NRA Hunters for the Hungry website, www. nrahfh.org you will find state-by-state information on those local organizations and meat processors accepting game meat donations. The website allows you to enter your zip code and find the nearest processor accepting donation meat.

After the meat has been processed and packaged, it is picked up by the various food banks. The meat is then distributed whole or made into meals.

Before you do donate game meat to such organizations, though, there are three things we hunters need to know: • All game must have been legally harvested; • All game must be field dressed before it is brought to a processor; and • As each state has different rules and regulations for donations, hunters need to check for the locations and times of their local drop-off points prior to donating.

“NRA members are very generous people,” Fleming said. “Hunters for the Hungry was started decades ago because the NRA received so many calls from members asking, ‘Where can I donate my game meat to help out the food banks?’”

He continued, “Obviously, as an organization

dedicated to protecting the Second Amendment, we don’t have the ability to actually take in the meat. But we knew we could help direct our members to the organizations doing this necessary work. So, we started the Hunters for the Hungry to provide a useful information outlet to make those donations easier to accomplish.”

Donations of game meat can and do make a huge difference for those in need. Consider that: • Across the nation, more than 8.1 million meals are provided annually thanks to game meat donations from hunters; and • Over 2.1 million pounds of game meat are shared with food banks every year.

Photo Credit - American Hunter Wild Game Recipes https://www.americanhunter.org/wild-game-recipes/

The top five states for venison donations made by hunters are Virginia, Missouri, Iowa, Pennsylvania and Ohio. Virginia Hunters Who Care, for example, recently raised over $17,600 to help feed the hungry. https://www.nrahlf.org/articles/2019/8/19/ virginia-hunters-raise-17-68489-to-feed-the-hungry/ “As hunters, we love to share the gift of hunting with new people and new generations,” Fleming said. “But we can also share our harvest, and the game meat we donate will make a big difference in the lives of people who are struggling. And that’s yet another great reason to be a hunter!”

Fall 2019 • NRA CLUB CONNECTION • 7

Hunter Services Update

Attendees sampling some cooked meats and soups.

Connecticut Hosts Popular Venison Processing Workshops Learn from a professional meat cutter how to utilize every part of your game animal

By Erin C. Healy

As millennial hunters already know, if you’re in the market for hormone-free, antibiotic-free, organically fed meat, then there’s nothing more “clean” than game meat. As an ethical hunter you’re undoubtedly committed to using every scrap of that animal. Even if there are times when circumstances prevent you from being able to process your own meat, why not learn how to do it properly. Simply approach it as you would hunting. You wouldn’t hunt without proper equipment and sound mentoring or training, and the same applies to butchering. The chance to learn a new skill, to know stew meat from a pot roast, is deeply satisfying. The great thing is, all four-legged animals share essentially the same bone structure, and God gives you a meatcutting map by how muscles are separated, explains professional butcher Gary Taylor. What this means is that once you learn how to dress, say, a deer, then you can apply the same principles to a rabbit or an elk.

The Wildlife Division of the Connecticut Bureau of Natural Resources offers a soup-to-nuts selection of seminars for hunters and trappers through its Conservation Education and Firearms Safety (CE/FS) Program. In addition to classes on firearm hunting, bowhunting and trapping, there is a healthy selection of courses in Advanced Hunter Education. You can learn the specifics of hunting wild turkey, small game or waterfowl in Connecticut, as well as improve your marksmanship through a clinic.

But one of the most popular seminars has been and continues to be the Venison Processing Workshop.

Tom Donlon is the director of the state’s hunter education, spearheading these programs—which are free, by the way—in order to encourage hunter participation. He is well versed in the R3 approach—recruit, retain, reactive— to building hunter numbers. The workshop began with a “wouldn’t it be cool” idea and each time the seminar has been adjusted to make it even more user friendly. For 8 • NRA CLUB CONNECTION • Fall 2019

Reprinted with permission from NRA-HLF

example, they wondered if those new to hunting might be intimidated by lifelong hunters who had processed a deer or more a year for decades, so they began offering morning sessions to experienced hunters and afternoon sessions to novices so that there wouldn’t be any pressure of an end-time. This allowed for increased participation by women and children and more questions.

Then someone had the idea of strapping a GoPro video camera to Taylor’s head so that every move his hands made could be seen by everyone in the class. The camera was set up so that it projected onto a screen.

At first Taylor would look at the audience as he was talking and taking questions. “I had to get used to looking at my hands,” Taylor admitted, laughing. This added feature makes it so attendees can see everything his hands are doing and every cut of the knife. The workshop also allows for hands-on participation.

The deer come from within areas of Connecticut that are managed by the state. As an aside, if you’ve ever been in an area where the browse line is not only devoid of vegetation, but of bark as well, and where the deer are stunted in growth and plagued with fur issues, you know the population has exceeded what the habitat can support. In Connecticut, where hunting is hampered by thick settlement that impinges on the legal discharge of a firearm, there can be hundreds of deer in an area that can only support, say, 25. Or, some area might not receive enough hunting pressure to keep the population in check. In such places, the state harvests deer and uses them for the workshop.

A native of the Nutmeg State, Donlon served for 32 years in the U.S. Army National Guard full time, retiring as a sergeant major. His father and two brothers served in the Navy. The four Donlon men figured they reached a hundred years of combined military service.

Donlon attended college at Southern Connecticut State

University, majoring in political science. He first served as deputy director of the CE/FS Program, moving up when the director position opened. He is a lifelong hunter and is saddened that a generation of would-be hunters has been lost. He is 100 percent committed to the North American Model of Wildlife Conservation, adopted as official NRA policy in 2014, with hunters playing a big part in management based on sound scientific input from biologists.

Taylor is also from Connecticut and a lifelong hunter.

He knew college wasn’t for him, but he needed a job.

His mother headed up a department in a grocery store, and more than one male member of his Sicilian family were butchers or owned a butcher shop. So it seemed meant to be when the grocery store owners asked him if he’d like to learn to cut meat. They invested in his training and he’s been a meat cutter ever since.

Taylor says there is no one way to process a deer, but he teaches in a manner that ensures hunters can utilize ever bit of the animal. Suggestions are offered on tanning the hide. You’ll be able to recognize an oven roast from a pot roast. He uses comparisons to everyday meats so you’ll know what a loin chop is and how to cut it. You’ll know what parts to use

for making jerky and that those are not the same cuts you’ll want to reserve for your tender steak.

Everything is provided for the attendees, including vinyl cut-resistant gloves for safety, and refreshment.

Yes, you’ll sample some venison soup or perhaps some roasted pieces of meat. Taylor talks about knives, sharpening and what types of knives are best for each part of the process. “Hunting is not cheap,” Taylor emphasizes. When you consider the time and money invested in harvesting an animal, you don’t want any of that high-cost-per-pound meat to go to waste.

These seminars fill up quickly. Donlon said he receives calls within minutes of notices being released. If you don’t get into one, keep trying. You will come away with

an invaluable skill set, and with the GoPro capturing every move, there’s not a bad seat in the house.

Venison Processing Workshops Look for upcoming workshops to be announced in January 2020. To register online you will need your conservation ID. If you do not know your ID, contact the CE/FS Program at 860-424-3007.

Workshops are held at the following locations: In Western Connecticut: Sessions Woods Wildlife Management Area, 341 Milford Street (Rte. 69), Burlington, CT 06013 In Eastern Connecticut: Franklin Swamp Wildlife Management Area, 391 Route 32, North Franklin, CT 06254 About the Author: Erin C. Healy is the associate editor of the NRA Hunters' Leadership Forum. She edited a lifestyle magazine on Cape Cod for 14 years and provided marketing services for her local guntry club prior to working for BLADE magazine and a regional recreational fishing magazine.

She served in the U.S. Army, is an NRA Life Member, a National Wild Turkey Federation member and sends her Jack Russell Terriers to ground as often as possible.

Pictured above: Connecticut CE/FS Venison Processing Workshop attendees get a close up view of various cuts of deer meat.

Follow NRA Hunters' Leadershipship Forum on Twitter @HuntersLead.

Fall 2019 • NRA CLUB CONNECTION • 9

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NRA Announces Launch of Adaptive Hunting Database

By Dr. Joseph Logar, PT, DPT

FAIRFAX, Va. - The National Rifle Association is pleased to announce the launch of a nationwide database of hunting and fishing adventures for adaptive shooters.

“Venturing into the outdoors has long been acknowledged as healing for the body and soul,” said NRA National Adaptive Shooting Programs Manager Dr. Joe Logar, PT, DPT. “These benefits can be even more profound for someone experiencing an illness, injury, or disability.”

NRA’s Hunter Services and Adaptive Shooting Programs have maintained a list of organizations offering people with disabilities outdoor opportunities. Now available in a searchable database, any adaptive shooter can easily choose from adventures such as guided whitetail hunts, chartered fishing trips, and accessible hiking trails anywhere across the country.

“Just because you’re dealing with an injury or

illness doesn’t mean your outdoor experience has come to an end,” concluded Logar.

Whatever your interest, the organizations featured in NRA’s new database offer a dose of fresh air and sunshine to jumpstart or improve your healing process.

To learn more, or find a location near you, visit the NRA Adaptive Shooting Programs website at https://adaptiveshooting.nra. org/adaptive-hunting-database/.

About the National Rifle Association Established in 1871, the National Rifle Association is America’s oldest civil rights and sportsmen’s group. More than five million members strong, NRA continues its mission to uphold Second Amendment rights and is the leader in firearm education and training for law-abiding gun owners, law enforcement, and the military. Visit http://www.nra.org.

Fall 2019 • NRA CLUB CONNECTION • 11

Hunter Services Update

NRA Hunter Education Online May be Worth Millions Annually to States

By J. Scott Olmsted, Editor in Chief, NRA American Hunter Once upon a time there were millions more American hunters than there are today, and hunting in some places and at sometimes actually was, literally, unsafe. To combat this, in 1948 New York decided to require that new hunters complete a hunter-safety course before being permitted to purchase a hunting license.

But there was a snag: no such course existed.

For help the state turned to the leader in firearm training: the National Rifle Association.

Thereafter, as all hunters know, hunting went on to become today actually safer than pingpong.

Over the coming years, as more and more states recognized the value of hunter-safety training, more and more of them turned to the NRA to develop their own, state-specific courses. And that’s how the NRA became the leader in hunter training.

The story is true, and it illustrates just how vital your association has been to hunters over the years. We still are vital to hunters. Today, as many states offer online hunter-ed to augment and in many cases supplant courses in-person, the NRA is first to offer an absolutely free, comprehensive, interactive, feature-laden, online hunter-safety course. NRA Hunter Education online features attention-grabbing videos and graphics, interactive modules, audio recordings and dozens of photos presented in easy-to-access 12 • NRA CLUB CONNECTION • Fall 2019

components. It’s hard to imagine the course can’t suffice for any hunter-ed course required in any state, but just in case it does not, the NRA will tailor the online course to meet any particular requirements any state may need. It’s a win-win for hunters and state fish-and-game agencies looking for creative ways to assure their future hunters get the goods to get them into the woods.

This is your NRA’s gift to hunters and hunting, and most importantly it doesn’t cost any hunter or any state a dime. But there is a snag: Most states have not accepted this gift. In fact, it’s been a “tough ask” getting states to adopt it; to date only EIGHT have done so. We could have guessed (and conjured conspiracy theories) as to why the other 42 would not, but now a decision by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) removes any reason whatsoever for states to refuse it.

That decision was contained in a memorandum distributed in May by the FWS Office of the Solicitor wherein it recognizes the NRA course as a state’s in-kind contribution to qualify for matching grant funds via the Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration Act (also known as the Pittman-Robertson Act, or simply P-R, after its congressional sponsors).

P-R funds are collected via excise taxes on firearms, ammunition and archery tackle then redistributed to states to finance conservation and needs associated with it including hunter education and public-land range development.

However, to receive these funds, states must match federal P-R grants dollar-for-dollar in the form of cash or in-kind contributions. Combined, the federal and state funds go a long way toward conservation efforts. But in an era when hunter recruitment and retention are waning, it’s

challenging for states to come up with matching funds. Indeed, hunter numbers have shrunk to about 11 million—2 million less than just five years ago and 11 million fewer than about 50 years ago. Naturally, spending by hunters also has fallen … about $10 billion in five years.

These factors are hard to overcome. State fish-and-game agencies derive the majority of their funding from the sale of hunting and fishing licenses. When fewer hunting licenses are sold, states find it challenging to meet federal grants with cash of their own.

A May memorandum from Larry Mellinger, FWS Attorney-Advisor, Division of Parks and Wildlife, to Paul Rauch, Assistant FWS Director, Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration, addressed whether a “third party that provides an on-line huntereducation course free of charge to States and students” be allowed as a match. “[S[o long as an in-kind third-party contribution benefits the federally assisted project being funded, it can be utilized as match based on its fair market value [FMV]. … One possible approach for determining the FMV on an on-line hunter-education course provided to States and students by a third party free of charge would be to consider the cost of similar, commercially available courses.”

With this, a state may now be able to claim as much as $30 per student for every free NRA Hunter Education online course completed as an in-kind contribution. How? Because most feebased online courses currently offered by states charge as much as $30 per course. However, a state may not claim such a course as an in-kind contribution because it does not provide the hunter-ed; a commercial vendor provides it.

Florida—the first state to adopt the NRA course— looks forward to a reset. In a letter to NRA officials in May, Bill Cline of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission (FWC) wrote, “Even more exciting is the news we received Tuesday afternoon during the annual International Hunter Education Conference: the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service reported that each region’s division of federal aid is being instructed to work with individual states to justify the value of a third-party provider providing free online hunter education training. In my subsequent discussion with our federal aid coordinator, Florida will be re-submitting our previous request to value the free course at the average cost of the paid courses. Upon approval, this will allow FWD to claim approximately $250,000 per year in much needed in-kind services.”

like Pennsylvania, New York, Michigan and Texas each turn out more hunters every year than many other states combined. Imagine the number of new hunters each of these states must train annually.

Then imagine how each of these states may in fact be able to value the NRA’s free gift at something greater than $250,000 annually. Now start adding numbers nationwide and it’s easy to imagine this ruling has the potential to generate millions of dollars nationwide for P-R projects. What’s more, it has the capacity to free capital in every state for any number of projects languishing on backburners. Now, that $250,000 Florida raised on its own that was mandated for use only on P-R projects may instead be used on projects the FWC deems necessary to support wildlife and hunting but don’t necessarily meet the requirements for P-R spending.

Visit NRAHE.org and note our free, comprehensive online hunter education course. Then note whether your state is among the eight that currently offer it.

If it’s not, you owe it to yourself and future hunters to urge your fish-and-game agency to adopt it.

Most Comprehensive …

Unsurpassed Education …

Superior Design …

AND IT’S

FREE! NRA ONLINE HUNTER EDUCATION

www.NRAHE.org

This is a game-changer. Sure, Florida turns out more hunters than Rhode Island, so Florida may indeed benefit by as much as $250,000 while Rhode Island may see a benefit valued at much less. But states Fall 2019 • NRA CLUB CONNECTION • 13

NRA Club Spotlight

BRPC REPRESENTING DELAWARE AT SOUTHWEST NATIONALS

BY JOHN C. SIGLER

The Delaware State Sportsmen’s Association proudly announces that The Bridgeville Rifle and Pistol Club F-Class Rifle Team will be representing Delaware and the Delaware State Sportsmen’s Association at the 2020 Southwest Nationals sponsored by the Desert Sharpshooters Club on the Ben Avery Range in Phoenix, Arizona, in February of 2020.

The Bridgeville Rifle & Pistol Club (BRPC) is a 100% NRA and 100% DSSA club with over 1,500 members boasting multiple rifle and pistol range facilities located in central Sussex County, Delaware.

The Southwest Nationals has become one of the premier events for long-range and mid-range rifle competitors and serves as the opening event for the 2020 shooting season. The host club, the Desert Sharpshooters, uses an on-line first-come, first served registration system run by PRACTISCORE that is designed to give everyone an equal chance to participate in this premier season-opening event.

This year, on-line registration for the Southwest Nationals opened at 6 am Phoenix time on September 1st. Six (6) minutes later the main Grand Aggregate event was sold out with nearly 400 competitors registering for this internationally popular event. Competitors from ten (10) countries, including the United States, will compete in the 2020 Southwest Nationals over a total of 5 days in February.

Day #1 of the Southwest Nationals will consist of three 20 round matches fired at 600 yards, prone.

Day #2 will see the competitors firing in the Palma Team Match, 15 rounds at 800 yards, 15 rounds at 900 yards and 15 rounds at 1,000 yards. Days #3, #4 and #5 will be combination of individual and team matches of 20 rounds per match per shooter, all fired at 1,000 yards.

This year will see the field divided as follows: 33% conventional “sling shooters”; 38% F-Open shooters; and 29% F-T/R shooters.

Delaware and the Bridgeville Rifle and Pistol Club will be represented by a minimum of 6 F-Open Rifle shooters with one F-T/R Rifle shooter anxiously waiting on the “Wait List”, hoping to be able to shoot this first-of-the-season match of international importance. DSSA’s President Jeff Hague is expected to serve as the wind-coach for Bridgeville’s F-Open Team.

14 • NRA CLUB CONNECTION • Fall 2019

2019 Michigan State Prone Championship -August 17-18, 2019 Submitted by J. Michael O’Connor

Thirteen Master and Expert class shooters including four former state champions; Mike O’Connor, Michelle Bohren, Pete Church, and Leo Cebula assembled at the Capitol City Rifle Club’s range near Williamston, Michigan for the 2019 championship. This was the first year of including F-Class within the championship and 5 F-Class shooters also competed for the F-Class championship. This is a challenging range with switching winds and heavy mirage.

Former champions captured each match throughout the day; O’Connor won the Dewar (400-32x) and the 50 Yard (400-32x) matches, Cebula the 100 Yard (400-33x) match while Bohren won the 50 Meter (400-29x) match. But none could out do the consistency of the University of Michigan Rifle Team’s Joyce Yu scoring a nice 1598-96x for the win. Bohren finished second (1595-113x) and O’Connor third (1592-112x).

Day two had threatened stormy weather and a repeat of conditions. Cameron Zwart, Coach of the Grand Valley State University Rifle Team won the Dewar (400-29x), the 50 Meter (398-34x), and the 50 Yard (400-36x) while Cebula again won the 100 Yard match with a 399-21x.

Zwart won the day with an aggregate of 1594-126x with Bohren second (1594-101x) and Yu third (1593-102x).

The Grand Aggregrate winners were; Joyce Yu 3191-198x the 2019 Michigan Prone Champion followed by Bohren 3189-214x and Zwart 3183-216x.

F-Class saw a mix of individual match wins. Ed Gostomski won the Dewar (388-16x) while veteran sling shooter Larry Remsynder won the 100 Yard (387-13x). The 50 Meter and 50 Yard matches went to Steve Goyette with a 396-21x and 394-27x respectively. However, it was Ed Gostomski’s consistency throughout the day that prevailed winning F-Class with a score of 1558-73x and the 2019 Michigan F-Class Prone Champion.

Pictured below Joyce Yu – 2019 Michigan Prone Champion

Fall 2019 • NRA CLUB CONNECTION • 15

NRA Club Spotlight

Ashe County Wildlife Club receives NRA Grant

The Ashe County (N.C.) Wildlife Club Hosted 2019 Open House Funded by an NRA Foundation Grant on Saturday, September 7, 2019 The Ashe County (North Carolina) Wildlife Club hosted an open house for the general public on Saturday, Sept. 7, 2019, thanks to an NRA Foundation grant that was used to buy shotgun shells, .22 rounds, hearing protection, eye protection, two BB guns and a device for picking up spent cartridges.

The two BB guns were given away to two young men by a ticket drawing.

The Open House attracted 50 men, women, boys and girls who were either brand new or novice shooters. Club volunteers tutored the new shooters on how to shoot clays, and how to safely handle and aim .22 revolvers and .22 rifles. The Open House was totally free for participants, including a hot dog and chips lunch.

This was the third event the Club has hosted in three years aimed at attracting new shooters. This year the fourth event will be a Sadie Hawkins day man/woman shooting competition on Saturday, Sept. 21, 2019. This lady-focused event encourages women who have never handled firearms to come out to learn safety and marksmanship. If attending women do not come with a male partner, Club volunteers will team with them as a shooting partner and shooting coach.

The Ashe County (N.C.) Wildlife Club is in the mountainous northwest corner of North Carolina (“The Coolest Corner of North Carolina”). The Club has a Club House, a 300-yard rifle range, trap, skeet, sporting clays and 5-Stand for shotgun shooters, and a pistol range with 12 target stands and two knock-down arrays. It hosts regional and national International Benchrest Shooting competitions and National Sporting Clays Association shoots. For more info: www.AsheCountyWildlifeClub.org.

Pictured to the left: Novice shooter coached

by Ashe County Member. Pictured at top: Lady shooter tries her hand at trap shooting.

16 • NRA CLUB CONNECTION • Fall 2019

NRA State Association Spotlight

Arkansas Rifle & Pistol Association ARKANSAS

RIFLE & PISTOL ASSOCIATION Formed in 1990, the Arkansas Rifle & Pistol Association (ARPA) has become a powerful voice in the state legislature for the state’s hunters, shooters, competitors, sportsmen, and firearms owners.

And while not forgetting how important their efforts in Little Rock are, the ARPA is determined to pass-on the legacy of the Second Amendment to future generations. Nowhere is this more obvious than their efforts to train the youth of Arkansas in the safe and responsible use of firearms while enjoying the sporting opportunities that The Natural State has to offer.

Reading the ARPA bylaws, they specifically state that part of their purpose is: “To promote and encourage youth shooting sports in our state” as well as “To build a future with firearms and hunting with our children.” Arkansas Rifle & Pistol Association Secretary Ann Fairless states it clearly, “While we support many programs and projects our main emphasis is on youth shooting sports.”

The ARPA puts their money where their mouth is!

Included in the list of youth related shooting sports activities of the Arkansas Rifle & Pistol Association is NRA’s Youth Hunter Education Challenge (YHEC), Arkansas BB Gun State Championship, and Civilian Marksmanship Program’s (CMP) Three Position Air Rifle Championship.

ARPA has been a supporter of the Arkansas YHEC program for over 20 years, and has been instrumental in assisting the program to grow into one of the premier youth shooting/hunting programs in the nation. YHEC is a hunting based competition where youth learn how to shoot a rifle, muzzle loader, bow & arrow and shotgun. Through YHEC, youth are taught firearm and hunting safety, how to use a compass and orienteering, wildlife 18 • NRA CLUB CONNECTION • Fall 2019

identification, first aid, and survival skills. Once each year the YHEC State Championship is held. In Arkansas the Championship is held at the C.A. Vines 4-H Center, where youth from all across Arkansas meet and demonstrate their shooting and outdoor skills. See https://yhec.nra.org for details. Youth that attend the state competition can advance to national competition. The Arkansas Rifle & Pistol Association is proud to have assisted in the sponsorship of youths advancing to the nationals.

This year, the NRA introduced regional YHEC Events. Two regional YHEC events were held this year instead of one national YHEC event. The East Region YHEC was held July 11-20 in New York State. The West Regional match was held July 23-27 in Arkansas. ARPA was a sponsor of the West Region YHEC which had over 160 youth attend. The event which was held in Bentonville, Arkansas had over 700 competitors, coaches, volunteers and other attendees. The West Regional YHEC will again be held in Bentonville Arkansas in 2020, with ARPA looking forward to continuing to be a major sponsor of the event.

ARPA also assists with several other youth shooting programs. One of these programs is the Arkansas State BB Gun Championship. Participants as young as 8 years old learn how to safely use a gun and compete for top honors as individuals or members of a seven person team. The top three teams advance to the Daisy National BB Gun Championship held in Rogers, Arkansas each July. Teams from Arkansas have qualified and advanced to the national level for the past 10 years. The 5 Meter BB gun competition attracts over 150 young competitors each year. This event is a NRA sanctioned event and is sanctioned and supported by ARPA.

Annually, the Civilian Marksmanship Program conducts a Three Position Air Rifle Championship Match in Arkansas. This match attracts many youth from JROTC, 4-H and other youth shooting organizations and, as a CMP sanctioned event, youth up to the age of 18 compete in “Sporter” or “Precision” categories using a .177 Cal Air Rifle. The top team and top individual in each category are eligible to advance the CMP’s Regional and National Competition. The event attracts over 100 young competitors and is supported by ARPA. Whether the competition is YHEC, BB gun or 3 Position Air Rifle, ARPA has been very supportive of these groups and has assisted many youth to attend National Competitions.

In order to facilitate its sponsorship of youth shooting programs throughout the state, ARPA maintains a stock of training rifles that can be borrowed to start a training program and is available to new clubs that need assistance with equipment.

Over the past years the availability of this training equipment has assisted many new start up clubs with the training of youth and adults and providing the means for the club to compete in local, state, and national events. Currently the rifles are assisting four clubs in Arkansas.

ARPA has a big mission ahead of it and has a vested interest in youth and youth shooting sports. ARPA President Chuck Gaines says it clearly, “These youth are our future, and without them we don’t have a future in gun ownership or a voice in protecting our gun rights.”

Whether it is promoting youth shooting programs or protecting our 2nd Amendment rights, the Arkansas Rifle & Pistol Association has proven to be up to the challenge.

Photo credits: NRA YHEC Regional event sponsored by Arkansas Rifle & Pistol Association.

Fall 2019 • NRA CLUB CONNECTION • 19

NRA Business Alliance Spotlight

MT2 Firing Range Services Announce OSHA and US EPA RCRA Environmental Compliance Webinar As part of their Firing Range Safety and Lead Management Thought Leadership Series for Law Enforcement, Municipal, and Private ranges, MT2 is sponsoring an educational webinar focused on helping firing range owners and managers who face the problem of understanding the complex compliance requirements to adhere to OSHA regulations and US EPA/State environmental requirements for lead management.

The confusion of how to be safe as well as how to comply with the many regulations, poses a large issue with most owners and managers of firing ranges.

Issues with lead contamination at firing ranges is consistently in the news, “We are proud to serve Law Enforcement and Private firing ranges in all 50 States since 2000,” stated James M. Barthel, MT2 CEO. “We have assembled a former OSHA inspector and current firing range consultant and a 20-year veteran of nationwide lead management and RCRA compliance expert who has a track record on over 1,000 ranges to conduct this webinar.”

Topics covered: OSHA Program Requirements and how to prepare for an inspection.

• OSHA overview (authority and requirements) • Lead Management Protections for personnel and record keeping • Noise monitoring and management • Preparing for a possible OSHA visit • Review of prior OSHA range actions – what can we learn?

Lead Management Best Practices and how to comply with US EPA RCRA and State requirements • US EPA and State RCRA authority review • Turnkey range waste generation lifecycle • Requirements if Small Quantity Generator • Management of recyclable lead 20 • NRA CLUB CONNECTION • Fall 2019

• Hazardous vs Non-Hazardous range wastes Gun range owners and managers interested in attending this event can register at www. firingrangeleadmanagementguide.com About MT2: MT2 Firing Range Services is recognized industry wide for being the nation’s #1 largest professional provider of the full scale of outdoor and indoor gun range cleaning, environmental, maintenance and construction design/build services for both indoor and outdoor shooting ranges.

Clients who work with us have the peace of mind that their project will be effortlessly scheduled, successfully completed with minimal down-time for their range, and quickly receive a check for the absolute highest value for their reclaimed lead. MT2 guarantees to pay the highest percent of LME lead value at time of service – no one pays more than MT2.

MT2 is the only contractor who is the premier allin-one solution for firing range lead maintenance and reclamation as well as construction design/build services. They are sought after industry-wide to advise top ranges as well as federal and state organizations on structuring their approach for their firing range lead reclamation with Best Management Practices.

Media Contact: James M. Barthel, President 14045 W 66th Ave Arvada, CO 80004 1-888-435-6645 http://www.MT2FiringRangeServices.com

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Community Outreach Update

Volunteering with Eddie Eagle can impact your community!

Brandy Eckroth, a mother of five, and a volunteer at a local gun club run by women in Manda, ND., decided that she wanted to do her part in keeping the children in her community safe. She reached out to NRA’s Community Outreach Department about a year ago, to find out more on the Eddie Eagle GunSafe® Program and to see about spreading Eddie Eagle’s safety message to children in her area.

Since then, she has been full steam ahead, teaching the program every other month, and passing out the program’s materials.

Picured below: Brandy Eckroth standing next to two agencies who help teach the Eddie Eagle Program. Morton County Sheriff’s Program and The Mandan Police Department.

22 • NRA CLUB CONNECTION • Fall 2019

Brandy really enjoys watching the children learn Eddie’s lifesaving message of “Stop. Don’t Touch.

Run Away. Tell a Grown-Up”. “The parents love the Eddie Eagle Program, they always ask more questions after class”, said Mrs. Eckroth. She even introduced the program to her colleagues and her local fire and police departments. Getting help from the local Fire Department, Police Department, & Sheriff’s Office have helped in making her Eddie Eagle presentations more memorable! Mrs. Eckroth’s efforts have not gone unnoticed as the local media decided to spotlight her safety efforts!

Created in 1988, the Eddie Eagle Gun Safe® Program is a gun accident prevention program founded with one mission: to teach children four simple, easy-to-remember steps so they know what to do if they ever come across a gun: STOP! Don’t Touch. Run Away. Tell a Grown-Up. The program prides itself in making its materials readily available to children around the country.

The Eddie Eagle Program relies heavily on its national grassroots network of volunteers to promote and teach the program in their communities.

With the help of these volunteers and more than 26,000 schools, law enforcement agencies, and civic organizations, Eddie Eagle’s message has reached over 32 million children, making it the most widely taught firearm accident prevention program in the world. If you are interested in becoming a volunteer for the Eddie Eagle GunSafe Program or think your organization or club could partner well with the program, please contact us at eddie@nrahq.org or call (800) 231-0752.

Instructor Manual Updates

The Refuse To Be A Victim staff are happy to announce that we have updated the presentation and all course materials for the RTBAV program! This update ensures the most relevant and current information is available to your club and community, such as new, updated information on ride share transportation and internet safety.

Refuse To Be A Victim is a crime prevention and personal safety seminar where you can learn how to develop multiple safety strategies to reduce your risk of becoming a victim of a criminal confrontation. This program includes sections such as, mental preparedness, home security, technology security, and more! RTBAV instructors can tailor their seminars to best fit your club’s audience, such as discussing safety strategies for parents and children from pre-school through high school, or personal protection options for seniors and members of the community with physical disabilities.

Becoming a Refuse To Be A Victim instructor is easy through our online Instructor Development Workshop at http://www.nraonlinetraining.org/. The seminar is presented through video format which shows students what a professionally presented seminar should look like. Two workshops are offered each month and you have two weeks to complete the training, all with an assigned RTBAV professor to work with and help guide you.

If you are interested in learning more about becoming an instructor, you can contact Refuse To Be A Victim staff at refuse@nrahq.org or you can register for the online course at https://onlinetraining. nra.org/. You can also contact RTBAV staff to request a list of certified instructors in your area that may be able to present at your club!

Fall 2019 • NRA CLUB CONNECTION • 23

Training Update

NRA Certif ied Instructors and Coaches work hard to assure that every student has a safe, positive and productive experience.

Why You Need NRA Instructors In Your Club Bringing in new members is always a hot topic for Club owners, managers and board members.

If growing the club roster has been on your mind, you should consider opening your range and classroom to NRA Certified Instructors and Coaches teaching NRA courses. Each year nearly a million people obtain some type of firearms training from an NRA Certified Instructor so building such a relationship will not only benefit the bottom line but it will also bring new shooters into the fold and ensure the continued support of the Second Amendment and shooting sports in your area.

What’s an NRA Certified Instructor? Our instructors come from all walks of life with backgrounds ranging from civilian firearms enthusiasts to active duty or retired military and law enforcement.

Regardless of where they start, the NRA requires that each and every Instructor Candidate demonstrate solid firearm safety and shooting skills before they are certified to teach courses in the NRA Basic Firearm Training Program.

NRA firearms training courses are acknowledged as the best in the industry because they are based upon standardized, objective training that is the product of many years of development by NRA staff with input from firearms trainers throughout the country. NRA training promotes the shooting sports to the public in a safe and positive manner.

If you are looking to include more than a few “one and done” weekend courses reach out to an NRA Certified Shooting Coach. A Shooting Coach is similar to Football, Baseball and Basketball Coaches.

They train athletes – shooting athletes in this case – and build teams. NRA Coaches develop long term relationships with their shooters by developing their shooting skills from grassroots all the way through college and Olympic levels. Having a coach and junior shooting team in your club could have a positive impact on a young person for the rest of their life.

And finally, the revenue generating possibilities of hosting NRA Instructors and Coaches at your Club cannot be ignored. Your Club could become the place people go when they want to learn the basics for themselves, introduce a new shooter to all that firearm training has to offer or advance their skills through team competition. To find an NRA Certified Instructor or Coach in your area visit us at NRAinstructors.org or call the NRA Education & Training Division directly at 703-267-1500.

24 • NRA CLUB CONNECTION • Fall 2019

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NRA Smallbore Marks 100th Year

by H. J. Walter, NRA Smallbore Committee

The smallbore shooting discipline of NRA marked its 100th anniversary with its final competition at range at Bristol, Indiana this past July. They will be moving their competition to the NRA Shooting Center at Camp Atterbury, Indiana in 2020 to begin a new century of shooting on a new range already under construction.

The disciplines being fired are Metric 3-position, Conventional 3-position, Conventional Prone and Metric Prone along with a fairly new discipline F-class Smalbore Rifle (F-sbr). F-sbr in in its infancy having only been fired for 2 years at a national level. The first year bronze eagles were awarded the F-sbr winners. This year the Marianne Jensen Driver Memorial Trophy was awarded to the winner in the Grand Aggregate along with bronze eagles to 1st and 2nd place. National records were also established for all prone courses of fire.

For those clubs who may be unfamiliar with F-class it is a discipline fired from a front rest or bipod along with the rear rest and is fired on metric targets, A-50. A-51 and A33. Rules for this discipline can be found in Section 23 of the Smallbore Rulebook.

In 2018 the Smallbore Committee approved a new course of fire along with new targets. It is called the “Mini-palma.” It simulates the Palma match used in high power rifle discipline fired at 800, 900 and 1000 yards. In Mini-palma it simulates 800, 900 and 1000 yard targets at 100 yards for F-sbr and regular Target Rifle using a sling.

26 • NRA CLUB CONNECTION • Fall 2019

This year the Smallbore committee will attempt to add F-sbr to its already established Prone distinguished program. The rules will be that same as Target Rifle and can be found on page 74 in the Smallbore Rulebook.

All clubs and State Associations are encouraged to host F-class events to be fired alongside the standard Target Rifle events and to encourage their competitors to fire in the national championships. If you don’t enter you can’t win a national championship. The prestigious Critchfield Trophy is awarded to the Conventional Prone winner and the Frank Parsons Memorial Trophy is awarded to the winner of Conventional 3-position and if you have the stamina you can enter all the smallbore events, except F-sbr, and vie for the Ironman Trophy.

Another thing the smallbore committee will attempt to re-establish in 2020 will be Collegiate night as well as a Junior Camp at the National Championship. Here juniors will experience basic and advanced shooting techniques normally used in competitive shooting at sectionals, regionals and at the collegiate level. College coaches will be available at “Collegiate Night” to answer all your questions concerning scholarships, college athletics and shooting on a college team. Encourage the juniors in your club to attend both activities.

Pictured to the right: Trophy for F-sbr winner Pictured bottom left: Marianne Diver Trophy Pictured bottom right: Fulton Trophy

Fall 2019 • NRA CLUB CONNECTION • 27

NRA-ILA Update

UPDATE

NRA-ILA: Equipping the Next Generation of Second Amendment Activists Have you ever looked around a club meeting and lamented to your friends about the lack of attendance and involvement of “young people”? If so, you can do something about it!

Your NRA-ILA has been working for over a decade to educate college-aged students on the facts surrounding the gun control debate via our highly successful NRA University program. Throughout the hundreds of NRA U programs conducted to date, NRA-ILA staff discuss the history of the NRA, pending legislation, ways to dispel anti-gun myths, and most importantly, how proSecond Amendment students can fight back in their communities. If you have a child, grandchild, nephew, or niece in college, or know a college student you think could benefit from one of these seminars, he/she can request one by clicking here.

NRA U isn’t the end of our student engagement efforts, but rather, the beginning. Through our NRA U program we work to recruit capable Second Amendment ambassadors to become NRA Campus Coordinators.

Our Campus Coordinators work directly with NRAILA staff to make sure they have the most up-to-date information and materials to organize and educate their fellow college students on the NRA and our efforts to protect freedom, and why it is so important for them to engage in our efforts.

Campus Coordinators are also tasked with starting official groups on college campuses called NRA Collegiate Coalitions. These officially-recognized campus groups

allow like-minded pro-Second Amendment students to meet and work together to promote the Second Amendment and NRA programs. If you there is a Collegiate Coalition on a campus near you, can help them by inviting them to speak with your club, allowing them to have range days at your club, and/or helping to provide more training opportunities for these eager students.

While we have a number of programs designed to educate and mobilize college students in their communities, we also offer multiple paid internships at NRA Headquarters to teach these students what it is like to work on behalf of our more than five million members. Throughout the internship, students (and recent graduates) have an opportunity to do an intensive six week issues training course to dive deeper into the current topics within the gun control debate, assist with events, and learn organizational and time management skills that will last a lifetime! If you know of any students you think would be good candidates for a Grassroots internship, you can have them send their resume to Careers@nrahq.org.

Working together today, we will be able to ensure that the next generation of Second Amendment patriots are ready and willing to fight for our rights tomorrow!

Pictured below: NRA Collegiate Coalition at Coastal Carolina University.

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COWBOY MOUNTED SHOOTING'S SILVER ANNIVERSARY The CMSA will be celebrating 25 years of the ultimate western shooting and riding challenge with their World Championships in "cowboy town" of Amarillo, Texas!

By Phil Spangenberger

If you find yourself in the Texas Panhandle October 15-19, head on out to Amarillo's Tri-State Expo Center & Fairgrounds. The Cowboy Mounted Shooting Association, better known as the CMSA, will be celebrating 25 years of Cowboy Mounted Shooting, with their CMSA World Championship and AQHA World Championship of Mounted Shooting Horses. This silver anniversary championship will be the culmination of the year's matches, held by CMSA's clubs all over the U.S. and Canada. CMSA has been hosting this exciting, western shooting and equestrian sport's world championship competitions since 1994, to determine what cowboy, or cowgirl, and their equine teammate are the "best of the best" in this daredevil, rodeo-style sport. This year, the American Quarter Horse Association (AQHA) and the CMSA World Championship Paint Horses will also run for top honors as part of the CMSA event, so you'll actually witness three separately scored events at the same time!

Amarillo is the ideal location for this premier cowboy match. This West Texas town is not only centrally located for member clubs nationwide, it's also the headquarters of the AQHA, an Alliance Partner of the CMSA. Throughout the five-day competition, you'll see raw horsepower, skilled riding and straight shooting (all using arenasafe black powder ammunition), as cowboys and cowgirls race for top honors, silver trophy buckles, custom crafted

by Montana Silversmiths, saddles, cash, and other valuable prizes! Of special interest to the public are the Thursday and Friday Night Starline Showcases, hosted by Starline Brass, Inc. Starting at 6:00PM, these colorful events pit the fastest western riders of various levels from teens to seniors--and its all free! Watch these rough riders pair fast-action sixgun, rifle, and shotgun shooting, with rodeo-style barrel racing, pole bending, reining, and lots of speed. The wild west action is non-stop, with a rider galloping through the course about every 45-50 seconds! CMSA's silver anniversary championship is shaping up to be the largest attended event yet!

It’s an exciting sport the entire family can enjoy watching or taking part in. CMSA’s Championship Series are held with the competitors riding to bring awareness of the John Wayne Cancer Foundation, and its fight to cure cancer with courage and grit. For more information on Cowboy Mounted Shooting, contact the Cowboy Mounted Shooting Association, P.O. Box 157, Roswell, NM 88202, or call 1-888-960-0003. www.cowboymountedshooting.com.

32 • NRA CLUB CONNECTION • Fall 2019

Is your NRA Club Gold Medal?

The NRA honors the contributions of clubs in the shooting sports through a special award given annually. There’s a common impression that awards don’t really matter. Reaching this elite level sets your club apart from others in the area. Winning the right award seen by the right audience can have the right effect on your club. By promoting this recognition, it can help with recruitment of new members, raise motivation or morale to current members, and show your club is one of the best in your community.

Each year numerous organizations apply to achieve the Gold Medal status; an honor presented to clubs that meet the 5 specific criteria.

• Actively participate in NRA’s Membership Recruiting Program - participating in the NRA recruiting program helps bring new members in at a reduced price, helps generate income for your club, and helps to grow NRA numbers.

• Be a 100% NRA Club - Becoming a 100% NRA club helps make the NRA stronger by increasing its membership numbers and providing a larger representation of the shooting public.

For more information, please visit https:// awards.nra.org/awards/gold-medal-clubs/

Clubs that meet the criteria above will be awarded a plaque along with an inscribed bar listing the year.

Current Gold Medal clubs are encouraged to renew their status every year and will be given an inscribed bar with the renewal year. Clubs that are applying for a NRA Range Grant will be given preference if they achieve and maintain Gold Medal status. The annual deadline for the NRA Gold Medal Awards is February 15.

• Have a club newsletter – A newsletter helps the club communicate to its members. Club members are kept in the loop of club activities and community issues.

• Belong to the NRA State Association of your state – Joining NRA State Association shows support on the state level. Their mission is to promote and support the purpose and objectives of the NRA while providing programs and support to clubs on the local level.

• Have administered, or currently incorporate an NRA Youth Program within the club’s agenda - Incorporating a youth program helps introduce firearms safety to younger shooters. Encouraging them to shoot at an early age will help keep the shooting sports going for future generations.

Fall 2019 • NRA CLUB CONNECTION • 33

NRA Affiliated State Associations AL STATE RIFLE & PISTOL ASS'N 256-534-7968 AK OUTDOOR COUNCIL, INC. 310 K St Ste 200 Anchorage, AK 99501 907-264-6645 www.alaskaoutdoorcouncil.org AZ STATE RIFLE & PISTOL ASS'N P.O. Box 301 Cave Creek, AZ 85327 480-4634636 www.asrpa.com AR RIFLE & PISTOL ASS’N P.O. Box 2348 Conway, AR 72003 501-327-4702 arkansasrifle.com CA RIFLE & PISTOL ASS'N, INC. 271 E Imperial Hwy Ste 620 Fullerton, CA 92835 714-992-2772 www.crpa.org CO STATE SHOOTING ASS'N 510 Wilcox St Suite C Castle Rock, CO 80104 303-663-9339 www.cssa.org CT STATE RIFLE & REVOLVER ASS'N P.O. Box 754 North Haven, CT 06473 860-480-4600 www.csrra.com DE STATE SPORTSMEN’S ASS'N P.O. Box 94 Lincoln, DE 19960 302-764-6899 www.dssa.us FL SPORT SHOOTING ASS'N, INC. 4105 Saltwater Boulevard Tampa,FL 33615 407-701-1030 www.fssaf.wildapricot.org GA SPORT SHOOTING ASS’N 880 Marietta Highway - PO Box 351 Roswell, GA, 30075 478-955-7068 www.gssainc.org HI RIFLE ASSOCIATION PO Box 543 Kailua, HI 96734 808-306-7194 www.hawaiirifleassociation.org

ID STATE RIFLE & PISTOL ASS’N PO Box 140293 Boise, ID 83714-0293 208-452-4183 www.idahosrpa.org

MN RIFLE & REVOLVER ASS'N, INC. P.O. Box 143 Farmington, MN 55024 320-968-6898 www.mrra.org

IL STATE RIFLE ASS'N, INC. P.O. Box 637 420 E. Locust St. Chatsworth, IL 60921 815-635-3198 www.isra.org

MS STATE FIREARM OWNERS ASS'N PO Box 2486 McComb, MS 39130 601-341-8797 msfoa.tripod.com

IN STATE RIFLE & PISTOL ASS'N, INC. 7527 St Rt S6W Rising Sun, IN 46240 812-534-3258 www.isrpa.org

MO SPORT SHOOTING ASS’N 6140 N. Wagon Trail Rd. Columbia, MO 65202-9658 314-440-3811 www.missourisportshooting.org

IA FIREARMS COALITION PO Box 994 Cedar Falls, IA 50613 515-423-0391 www.iowafc.org

MT RIFLE & PISTOL ASS’N P.O. Box 48 Ramsay, MT 59748 406-868-4181 www.mtrpa.org

KS STATE RIFLE ASS'N P.O. Box 219 Bonner Springs, KS 66012 913-608-1910 www.ksraweb.org

NE MARKSMANSHIP ASS’N PO Box 390311 Omaha, NE 68139 402-933-4881 www.nemarksmanship.org

LEAGUE of KY SPORTSMEN, INC. 1116 Hume Rd Lexington, KY 40516 859-858-0135 www.kentuckysportsmen.com

NV FIREARMS COALITION 5575 Simmons St, Ste I-176 North Las Vegas, NV 89031 702-353-5935 www.nvfac.org

LA SHOOTING ASS'N 350 Quill Ct. Slidell, LA 70461 985-781-4174 www.louisianashooting.com

GUN OWNERS OF NH, INC. P.O. Box 847 Concord, NH 03302-0487 603-225-4664 www.gonh.org

ME PINE TREE STATE R&P ASS'N, INC 14 Pine Road Wiscasset, ME 04578 207-882-4713 www.mainerpa.org

ASS'N OF NJ R&P CLUBS, INC. 5 Sicomac Rd Ste 292 North Haledon, NJ 07508 973-764-4100 www.anjrpc.org

MD STATE RIFLE & PISTOL ASS'N 341 Whitfield Rd Catonsville, MD 21228 410-838-1734 www.msrpa.org

NM SHOOTING SPORTS ASS'N, INC. P.O. Box 93433 Albuquerque, NM 87199 505-286-8449 www.nmssa.org

(MA) GUN OWNERS’ ACTION LEAGUE

PO Box 567, 361 W Main St Northboro, MA 01606 508-393-5333 www.goal.org

NY STATE R&P ASS’N, INC. 713 Columbia Pike East Greenbush, NY 12061 518-272-2654 www.nysrpa.org

MI RIFLE & PISTOL ASS’N P.O. Box 71 Marshall, MI 49068-0071 269-781-1223 www.michrpa.com

NC RIFLE & PISTOL ASS’N P.O. Box 4116 Pinehurst, NC 28374 910-295-7220 www.ncrpa.org

NRA Clubs• Spring & Associations 26 • NRA CLUB CONNECTION 2018

• 11250 Waples Mill Road, Fairfax, VA 22030 • clubs.nra.org

NRA Affiliated State Associations ND SHOOTING SPORTS ASS'N P.O. Box 228 Bismarck, ND 58502 701-255-4601 www.ndssa.org

UT STATE RIFLE & PISTOL ASS’N 2718 E. 9725 South Sandy, UT 84092-3405 801-942-6529 usrpa.org

OH RIFLE & PISTOL ASS’N PO Box 1201 Morehead, KY 40351-5201 330-714-3597 www.orpa.net

VT FED'N OF SPRTMN’S CLUBS, INC. PO Box 225 Lyndonville, VT 05851 802-535-7111 www.vtfsc.org

OK RIFLE ASS'N P.O. Box 280 Maud, OK 74854-0280 405-374-8262 www.oklarifle.org

VA SHOOTING SPORTS ASS’N P.O. Box 1258 Orange, VA 22960 540-672-5848 www.myvssa.org

OR STATE SHOOTING ASS’N P.O. Box 231191 Portland, OR 97281-1161 541-409-3358 www.ossa.org

WA STATE R&P ASS'N, INC. P.O. Box 64971 University Place, WA 98464 206-427-8257 www.wsrpa.net

PA RIFLE & PISTOL ASS'N 814-375-4509 www.pennarifleandpistol.org

WV SRPA PO Box 553 Charles Town, WV 25414 304-783-5381 www.wvasrpa.org

GUN RIGHTS & SAFETY ASS'N OF PR PO Box 191919 San Juan, PR 00919-1919 787-691-1919 www.grsapr.org RI 2ⁿd AMENDMENT COALITION 928 Atwood Ave Johnston, RI 02919 401-944-1600 www.ri2nd.org GUN OWNERS OF SC P.O. Box 211 Little Mountain, SC 29075 803-345-5761 www.gosc.org

WI F.O.R.C.E. PO Box 130 Seymour, WI 54165 607-799-3539 www.wi-force.org WY STATE SHOOTING ASS'N, INC. Box 942 Worland, WY 82401 307-335-9323 www.wyossa.com

SD SHOOTING SPORTS ASS'N PO Box 3 Dell Rapids, SD 57022 605-428-5488 www.sdshootingsports.org TN SHOOTING SPORTS ASS'N, INC. 6653 Jocelyn Hollow Road Nashville, TN 37205 615-491-2633 www.tennesseeshootingsportsassociation.org

TX STATE RIFLE ASS'N 994 Hwy 71 E Bastrop, TX 78602 512-615-4200 www.tsra.com

NRA Clubs & Associations • 11250 Waples Mill Road, Fairfax, VA 22030 • clubs.nra.org Spring 2018 • NRA CLUB CONNECTION • 27

NRA Field Representative Directory Director of Field Staff

Alfred L. "Al" Hammond III

ahammond@nrahq.org

EASTERN REGION Eastern Regional Director

Bryan Hoover

Area 1 (ME, NH, VT)

Brian Smith

Area 2 (NY) Bruce McGowan

bhoover@nrahq.org bsmith@nrahq.org bmcgowan@nrahq.org

Area 3 (CT, MA, RI, NJ, Lower NY)

Craig Decker

cdecker@nrahq.org

Area 4 (DE, Eastern PA)

Kory Enck

kenck@nrahq.org

Area 5 (Western PA)

Bob Tekavec

rtekavec@nrahq.org

Area 7 (WV, Western VA, Western MD)

Michael Swackhamer

Area 12 (Southern OH)

David Graham

dgraham@nrahq.org

Area 45 (DC, Eatern MD, Eastern VA)

David Wells

dwells@nrahq.org

Area 49 (Northern OH)

Marc Peugeot

mpeugeot@nrahq.org

Central Regional Director

Donald Higgs

dhiggs@nrahq.org

Area 13 (Northern MO)

Travis Scott

tscott@nrahq.org

mswackhamer@nrahq.org

CENTRAL REGION

Area 14 (IN) Josh Toennessen

jtoennessen@nrahq.org

Area 15 (KY) John LaRowe

jlarowe@nrahq.org

Area 17 (WI) Scott Taetsch

staetsch@nrahq.org

Area 18 (Northern IL)

Michael Huber

mhuber@nrahq.org

Area 19 (MO)

Tim Besancenez

Area 23 (IA, NE)

Tim Bacon

Area 51 (MI) Allan Herman Area 52 (Southern IL)

tbesancenez@nrahq.org tbacon@nrahq.org aherman@nrahq.org

Jeffrey White

jwhite@nrahq.org

Southern Regional Director

Mike Webb

mwebb@nrahq.org

Area 8 (Eastern NC)

Garland "Tra" Storey

gstorey@nrahq.org

Area 9 (SC)

Nathan Cantrell

SOUTHERN REGION

Area 10 (GA) Neely Raper Area 11 (Northern FL)

Bret Eldridge

Area 16 (LA) Chad Bowen Area 22 (AL, MS)

Bobby Berthelot

Area 42 (Western NC)

Doug Merrill

ncantrell@nrahq.org nraper@nrahq.org beldridge@nrahq.org cbowen@nrahq.org bberthelot@nrahq.or dmerrill@nrahq.org

Area 43 (TN) VACANT Area 48 (Southern FL)

• Spring 2018 28 • NRA CLUB CONNECTION NRA Clubs & Associations

Tom Knight

tknight@nrahq.org

• 11250 Waples Mill Road, Fairfax, VA 22030 • clubs.nra.org

NRA Field Representative Directory MID WEST REGION Mid West Regional Director

Tom Ulik

tulik@nrahq.org

Area 20 (OK) Darren DeLong

ddelong@nrahq.org

Area 24 (KS) VACANT Area 25 (Northern TX)

Kevin Post

kpost@nrahq.org

Area 44 (Eastern TX)

Liz Foley

efoley@nrahq.org

Area 26 (Southern TX)

Tyler Ward

tward@nrahq.org

Area 27 (NM) Michael Guilliams Area 30 (CO) Brad Dreier

bdrier@nrahq.org

Area 39 (AR) Erica Willard-Dunn Area 47 (Western TX)

mguilliams@nrahq.org ewillard@nrahq.org

VACANT

WESTERN REGION Western Regional Director

Brad Kruger

bkruger@nrahq.org

Area 21 (MN) Eric Linder

elinder@nrahq.org

Area 28 (MT) Joseph Crismore

jcrismore@nrahq.org

Area 29 (WY) Logan Duff

lduff@nrahq.org

Area 33 (ID) Steve Vreeland

svreeland@nrahq.org

Area 34 (HI, OR)

Mike Carey

mcarey@nrahq.org

Area 38 (Southern AK)

Greg Stephens

gstephens@nrahq.org

Area 40 (WA) Michael Herrera Area 41 (ND, SD)

Doug DeLaRoi

Area 53 (Northern AK)

VACANT

mherrera@nrahq.org ddelaroi@nrahq.org

SOUTHWESTERN REGION Southwestern Regional Director

Jason Quick

Area 31 (AZ) Winston Pendelton

jquick@nrahq.org wpendelton@nrahq.org

Area 32 (UT, Eastern NV)

Jim Reardon

jreardon@nrahq.org

Area 35 (Northern CA)

Daniel Wilhelm

dwilhelm@nrahq.org

Area 36 (Southern CA)

Mike Davis

mdavis@nrahq.org

Area 37 (Central CA, Southern NV) Steve Wilson

swilson@nrahq.org

Area 46 (Eastern CA)

Cole Beverly

cbeverly@nrahq.org

Area 50 (Mid California)

Sheila Boer

sboer@nrahq.org

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