2007 Lone Star Friends of NRA Banquet

This years Lone Star Friends of NRA Banquet appeared to be a success. I would guess that there were somewhere in the neighborhood of 250 people in attendance and a lot of money exchanged hands during the raffles and auctions. As far as the raffles go, I was skunked once again, but we had a blast anyway.

My brother-in-law flew in from Arkansas and came with us to the banquet. We sat with some folks off of the Texas CHL Forum and enjoyed a very good Bar-B-Que dinner.

One of the live auction firearms that caught my eye was a limited edition S&W 460XVR.

The bidding rapidly went beyond my limit for the evening, but ended just below retail value.

Another firearm in the live auction that could have gotten me into trouble was this Kimber Model 84M Classic in .338 Federal.

This was another limited edition firearm, it was number 1 of 1050. Someone got a good deal on this one.

I do believe that fun was had by one and all. Good food, good people and a great time.

Friends of NRA banquets occur throughout the year, in just about every part of this country of ours. To find one near you, click here. By supporting Friends of NRA, you are supporting shooting sports locally and nation wide.

Last Chance - 2007 North Texas Friends of NRA Banquet

The 2007 North Texas Friends of NRA Banquet is next Friday evening. The list of firearms they are giving away is pretty extensive:

• S&W Military and Police .40 caliber
• S&W Military and Police .223 AR-15
• S&W Sigma 9mm
• S&W 1911 PD with Crimson Trace Grips
• S&W 642 .38 Special
• 3 S&W Model 22A's
• Savage 111 Package Rifle .270 with scope
• Marlin 60 Stainless .22 Semi Auto Rifle
• Henry .22 Large Loop Lever Action Rifle
• Ruger Super Six .22/.22 Mag Pistol
• Browning Buckmark Standard .22 Semi Auto Pistol
• Bond Arms "Texas Defender" .45/.410 Derringer
• Remington 870 Express Magnum 12 ga.
• Mossberg maverick 88 12 ga.
• Remington Spartan .20 ga Side by Side
• Century Arms .410 Side by Side Coach gun

I will be there with my wife and brother in law. I have not won a gun in ages, so your chances are pretty good if you show up.

For more information see my earlier post here.

Oh... Sandra Froman, the president of the NRA will also be there. I am going to try and finagle an interview with her at some point during the weekend.

Free Summer NRA Program for High School Sophomores and Juniors

From the Fallon Star Press:

The National Rifle Association is now accepting applications for the 2007 NRA Youth Education Summit, a free summer program for high school sophomores and juniors.

Forty students from across the United States will be hand selected to spend a week with NRA staff in Washington DC. Attendees are responsible only for transportation to and from Washington, DC.

This is one of the programs that are funded by Friends of NRA dinners. An opportunity like this does not come along very often for high school students. During my sophomore summer I had the opportunity to travel Europe for five weeks. I had a blast, and that experience is one of the things that made me the man that I am today.

This would be a great trip:

While in the nation's capital, students will learn the significance of the U.S. Constitution and the Bill of Rights while developing an understanding of federal government and the importance of active participation. Attendees in past years have had the chance to meet NRA's Executive Vice President Wayne LaPierre, visit Capitol Hill, spend a day at Quantico, VA training courses used by Marines for basic training, visit the White House, visit the Smithsonian Institute and much more.

For more information on this program, and to download an application, visit the NRA Foundation. To read the full article, go here.

I found this article on Keep and Bear Arms.

2007 Lone Star Friends of NRA Dinner

The Friends of NRA is a fundraising organization that funds local, state and national shooting programs. 100% of the funds raised go towards these programs, none towards the political and lobbying arms of the NRA. Some of the organizations that have benefited from Friends of NRA funds include the 4-H, the Boy Scouts, Collage shooting clubs and various firearm training courses that are set up to introduce folks to the shooting sports.

The primary means of raising funds are local banquets.

From the Friends of NRA site:

The format is simple-food, fun, family and fund-raising. Whether you are a hunter, competitive shooter or just a proud gun owner, Friends of NRA events have something of interest for the entire family. Events include dinner followed by exciting auctions and special drawings for unique and collectible merchandise. Attendees bid on items from the standard Friends of NRA merchandise package, as well as special products and services donated to specific events by local businesses and community members. "Friends of NRA merchandise includes very desirable limited edition firearms, wildlife art from popular artists, jewelry, and shooting sports, hunting and outdoor equipment. Events offer every participant an opportunity to take home valuable merchandise and enjoyable memories," said Rich D'Alauro, NRA Senior Field Representative for lower New York, upper New Jersey, Connecticut and Rhode Island.

The 2007 Lone Star Friends of NRA Dinner will be held on February 2nd, at the Mesquite Rodeo Convention Center at 6:00 PM. Last years event raised over $20,000, and we are looking to raise even more this year. The proceeds from this event will be used to fund additional permanently endowed scholarships within the Texas A&M System as part of the George Tubb Memorial Scholarship program.

Basic tickets to the banquet start at $30.00 each, sponsor packages start at $200.00. My wife and I do purchase a sponsor package and I have to tell you, these events are a blast. Sponsor packages include a sponsorship statue and entry into sponsor only drawings.

This is a good time, and the money raised is put to good use. I hope to see you other North Texans there.

For more information call the TSRA office at 972.889.8772, or you can email me at the email address located in my profile.

NY Women Learn To Shoot

I found this article from the New York Resident at Keep and Bear Arms. Any article about folks learning about firearms catches my attention. An article about women learning to shoot in New York City, for free, is a must read for me.

Marjory Fagan stood motionless, slowed her breathing, stared ahead intently and then moved her index finger almost imperceptibly. Bang! Wincing slightly from the .22-caliber rifle’s recoil and piercing boom, she steadied herself, leveled the rifle and pulled the trigger again.

Okay, so the author of the article has never fired an actual firearm, and adds a bit of drama about the recoil and piercing boom. We will let that slide as she does a pretty good job of portraying this program in the remainder of her article.

For Fagan, who is in her 60s, carries a designer handbag and lives on Manhattan’s fashionable Upper West Side, spending a Saturday at the shooting range was something different. The free women’s instructional clinic she was attending at the West Side Rifle Range offered women, many of whom had never handled a gun before, an opportunity to learn how to shoot.

Free range time, in NYC, that is too cool. This course normally costs $50.00 at this range.

Across the country, more women are taking up hunting and target shooting thanks to the National Rifle Association’s Women on Target program, which offers instructional clinics on firearms, shooting and hunting. According to the 2004 National Sporting Goods Association survey, 4.3 million women in the United States participate in target shooting and 2 million in hunting. The NRA sees the Women on Target program as a way to add to those numbers.

The NRA started the program to meet a demand, said John Robbins, an NRA spokesman. “Women wanted a women-friendly environment and shooting instruction,” Robbins said. “Women found it nice to find other women who were interested in shooting.”

According to Robbins, 500 women attended clinics in 2000, the program’s first year, and in 2005, the number climbed to 5,600. Over all, about 23,000 women have participated in the program.

This is how we help to ensure our RKBA. Introducing folks to firearms in a safe and comfortable manner. Teaching them firearm safety, and watching the smiles on their faces as they put holes in the center of a paper target.

At a Manhattan gun range recently, Margit Sawdey carefully examined her target so she could improve her aim on each round of practice with her .22-caliber rifle.

“I wouldn't have come here if it weren't for the women's shooting sports league,” said Sawdey, 50, a public health administrator who started shooting with the league about two and a half years ago.

“I was looking for a hobby, and flower arranging didn’t work,” she said over popping gunfire.

The final sentence is the kicker:

Heath hopes that Women on Target offers a positive view of firearms. “It’s a very fun, therapeutic, safe, rewarding sport,” she said. “I always try to get that across to women.”

Read the entire article here.

Where do Your Candidates Stand?

So, just where do your candidates stand on gun issues and the right to keep and bear arms?

Gun Owners of America has a nation wide rating of state and national candidates here.

GOA rates candidates as follows:

A+ Pro-Gun Leader: introduces pro-gun legislation.

A & A- Pro-Gun Voter: philosophically sound.

B & B- Pro-Gun Compromiser: generally leans our way.

C & C- Leans Our Way: occasionally.

D & D- Leans Anti-Gun: usually against us.

F Anti-Gun Voter: a philosophically committed anti-gunner.

F- Anti-Gun Leader: outspoken anti-gun advocate who carries anti-gun legislation.

NR Not rated: refused to answer his or her questionnaire; no track record.

Candidates were warned in writing that failure to answer survey questions would be treated as anti-gun.

If you have received the NRA/ILA candidate recommendations, you may notice some differences between them and GOA. A case in point is Ron Paul of Texas. Dr. Paul is rated A+ by GOA for his active support of the Second Amendment while the NRA rates him a B. The NRA basis it's B rating on the fact that Dr. Paul voted against the bill to exempt gun manufacturers from lawsuits. Dr. Paul had doubts about the constitutionality of such a bill. As for Ron Paul's opponent? The NRA rates him an A, above Ron Paul, while GOA rates him a resounding D. The NRA's A rating is due to Shane Sklar being a sportsman and support of current anti gun laws. GOA basis the D rating on Shane Sklar's history and his support of current anti gun laws.

For more on Ron Paul and the NRA, go to The War on Guns: The Fix is In: Ron Paul Must Go

If the NRA recommendations are influencing your voting decisions, I ask that you also investigate the recommendations of GOA. If they are different, you may want to find out why.

Oh, if you are not going to vote; Shame on you. It is your responsibility, your obligation as a citizen of these United States to become an informed voter, and vote come election day. You still have time to learn about the issues, and to learn something beyond a 30 second commercial about the candidates. Become informed, educate yourself, and vote.