NRA Club Connection - Spring 2023

INSIDE:

pg 4: 2023 NRA Gold Medal Clubs

pg 8: NRA Club Spotlight

pg 20: An Adaptive Success Story

pg 23: NRA-ILA Update

President's Column: Don't Let Complacency

Overturn The Bruen Decision

General Operations Update: NRA: America's TRUE Gun-Safety Org

Feature Story: 2023 NRA Gold Medal Clubs

NRA Club Spotlight

NRA Program Spotlight: An Adaptive Success Story

NRA State Association Spotlight

NRA-ILA Update

Cover Photo: An Adaptive Success Story

By Charles L. Cotton President

Don’t Let Complacency Overturn The Bruen Decision

When the NRA’s New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen case was filed, we were confident that it would finally guarantee law-abiding Americans the right to carry self-defense firearms outside their homes. No longer would some states be allowed to tell citizens that, while they have a constitutional right to selfdefense, they must leave the tools required to exercise that right at home. When the U.S. Supreme Court handed down the Bruen decision, it did that and so much more!

Bruen not only guarantees the right to carry firearms outside one’s home, it established a standard by which all gun laws must be judged. In order to regulate the possession of firearms, the government must be able to show that similar restrictions applied to Americans in 1791.

NRA OFFICERS

Charles

L. Cotton President

Willes K. Lee

First Vice President

David Coy

Second Vice President

Wayne LaPierre

Executive Vice President

John Frazer

Secretary

Sonya Rowling

Treasurer and Chief Financial Officer

Jason Ouimet

Executive Director, NRA-ILA

Joseph P. DeBergalis, Jr. Executive Director, General Operations

The Bruen decision has resulted in numerous federal and state courts striking down laws restricting possession of certain types of firearms and magazines, or restricting certain citizens from possessing firearms at all. These cases are working their way through the appellate courts and some will ultimately be determined by the Supreme Court. The NRA is working on such cases now. The future for the freedom that the Second Amendment ensures is bright, but only if the Bruen case is not overturned or watered down by a future Court decision.

would have nominated three Supreme Court judges and there would have been no Bruen

If we want Bruen to be the law of the land for our grandchildren and their grandchildren, then we cannot be complacent. As NRA president, I travel the country and speak to thousands of Americans, both NRA members and non-members. One comment I hear far too frequently frightens me to my core—“now that we have Bruen, there’s nothing to worry about.” Oh, how I wish that were true! While outright overturning a Supreme Court decision is rare, it does occur. Watering down a prior Court decision is far more common, so the risk to Bruen is very real.

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

Share this column online at nrapublications.org.

The Lord wrote the Ten Commandments in stone, but the Bruen decision is of pen and ink. Okay, it was actually a computer and printer, but you get my meaning. The point is a future Court could reject the Bruen decision in total, or water it down so badly that it is essentially useless. That’s where we—you, me and the NRA—come in. The Bruen decision did not happen in a vacuum or as a result of a favorable alignment of the stars. It was made possible by millions of Americans, NRA members and others, working hard and investing their money in a single presidential election in 2016. President Trump was elected because the NRA and its members delivered the votes in critical battleground states. President Trump’s election was the first of four critical events that had to occur in order for Bruen to be possible. The other three steps were the opportunity for him to nominate three, three, new Supreme Court judges! You can call the last three steps luck, the hand of God or simply fate, but the first step was hard work, dedication and putting our money where it was needed. The glaring truth that many hate to admit is that, but for the NRA, its members and supporters, Hillary Clinton would have won, she

To call Bruen a landmark case would be a gross understatement. It was a huge decision with a political impact as great as its legal impact on Second Amendment rights. The left is already planning for the day they can again have a majority on the Court so that Bruen can be “rejected.” If they can win one or more critical presidential elections and have the opportunity to nominate just two Supreme Court judges, then Americans will once again be living in a pre-Bruen and perhaps a preHeller world. This is not “Chicken Little” scare tactics, folks. Every single Supreme Court justice is just one breath away from being replaced. If vacancies occur at the wrong time, then the Second Amendment is in trouble. Help recruit new NRA members; the cause needs them now as much as it ever did.

Donate to the NRA, dig deep for the Second Amendment. When you hear your fellow gun owners express a belief that there’s no danger to the Second Amendment because of Bruen, talk to them about the reality of Supreme Court decisions. In order to be ready for the next presidential election, the next congressional elections, the next state and local elections, the next legislative battle, the next round of Second Amendment lawsuits, the NRA needs members and resources. Members equal voices and votes. Money is the fuel that makes fighting these many battles possible.

Hope is not a strategy, and complacency is deadly. The victory we achieved in Bruen has enraged the enemies of the Second Amendment. We must stay vigilant and we must stay in the fight. Bruen was a battle—a major battle, to be sure, but the war is not over. My fellow Texans will understand this analogy—I will stay on the wall! Will you?

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Joining NRA-affiliated state associations supports NRA’s mission in your state. See clubs.nra.org for more information.

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By Joseph P. DeBergalis, Jr. Executive Director, General Operations

NRA: America’s TRUE Gun-Safety Org

Your National Rifle Association is the true gun safety advocate in the United States, and has been for more than a century. While anti-gun groups can attempt to claim that distinction, it is simply not the case. The NRA is recognized worldwide as the gold standard for safe firearm training, with our programs having developed many millions of safe shooters. Whatever your age or level of expertise, whatever type of firearm you’re interested in, NRA has something for you.

For example, more than 100,000 NRAcertified instructors teach the safe and responsible use of firearms nationwide. The NRA Training Department has programs for range safety officers; shooting coaches, who help develop shooting athletes at the club, high school, collegiate and national levels; and training counselors, who recruit and train instructors to teach NRA’s basic firearm courses. Go to firearmtraining.nra.org to find out more about NRA Training programs.

The award-winning NRA Hunter Education program teaches hunters to be safe while out in the field. The first NRA Hunter Education program was established in New York in 1949. Today, NRA Hunter Education courses are taught by state fish and game departments across the country, as well as in Canada. Additionally, 13 states allow hunters to take NRA’s free Online Hunter Education instruction courses. Learn more at explore.nra.org/interests/hunting

NRA Youth programs have been teaching young Americans how to safely handle firearms since 1903, when then-NRA Secretary Albert S. Jones urged the establishment of rifle clubs

at all major colleges, universities and military academies. Modern NRA Youth programs include competitions, awards and contests, training and safety courses, and scholarships. One of my favorites is the NRA Youth Hunter Education Challenge—a fun environment for kids to improve their hunting marksmanship and safety skills. Through simulated hunting situations, live-fire exercises and educational events, YHEC helps young folks build upon the skills they’ve learned in basic hunter-education courses and encourages safer, lifelong hunting habits. Visit yhec.nra.org to find out more.

One of NRA’s biggest achievements is the Eddie Eagle program, which has reached 33 million children since its inception in 1988. The Eddie Eagle GunSafe program teaches children in pre-K through third grade four important steps to take if they find a gun. These steps are presented by the program’s mascot, Eddie Eagle, in an easyto-remember format with these simple rules: STOP! Don’t touch. Run Away. Tell a Grown-up. At this kid-friendly website, children can watch the Eddie Eagle video, read through storybooks, join in sing-alongs, download coloring sheets and other fun activities that reinforce the gun-safety message. Learn more at eddieeagle.com.

All of these valuable, and potentially life-saving, programs are possible due to the support of you— the NRA members. Be proud of all we accomplish together, for there is no other organization in the world that provides the training, safety programs, and educational courses that we do. Thank you for being a part of our efforts to keep Americans safe and free.

Photo by NRA

Joining NRA-affiliated state associations supports NRA’s mission in your state.

2023 NRA GOLD MEDAL CLUBS

The NRA offers special recognition by awarding Gold Medal status to NRA affiliated organizations that promote and support the purposes, objectives, policies, and programs of the NRA. Members of these clubs have united to reach a common goal. Reaching this elite level sets your club apart from others in the area. Each year numerous organizations apply to achieve the Gold Medal status; an honor presented to clubs that meet the five specific criteria.

• 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.

• 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 an 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.

• 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.

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.

2023 NRA Gold Medal Club Award Winners

Alaska Interior Marksmanship Committee

Anne Arundel Fish & Game

Conservation Association

Apple Valley Gun Club

Arlington Rifle & Pistol Club

Beloit Rifle Club

Cairo Sportsman's Club

Castleton Fish and Game

Protective Association

Cherry Creek Gun Club

Cumberland Riflemen

Delaware State Pistol Club

Downers Grove Sportsmen's Club

East Hook Sportsmen Association

East Monongahela Sportsmen's Club

Emerald Empire Gun Club

Escondido Fish and Game Association

Estacada Rod and Gun Club

Foosland Sportsman's Club

Fort Hill Rifle & Pistol Club

Franklin Revolver & Rifle Association, Inc.

Gopher Rifle and Pistol Club

Great Lot Sportsman's Club Corp.

Hollywood Rifle and Pistol Club

Kiski Township Sportsmen's Association

Lafayette Gun Club of VA

Lima Sabres Shooting Association, Inc.

Martin County Sportsmen's Association

Monumental Rifle and Pistol Club

Nescopeck Hunting and Rifle Club

New Milford Rifle and Pistol Club, Inc.

Northwestern Gun Club

Old Trails Rifle & Pistol Club

Rappahanock Pistol & Rifle Club

Richwood Gun and Game Club

Ridge Rifle Association

Rivercreek Gun Club

Rochester Rod and Gun Club

Sandusky County Sportsmen's Club II

Sebastopol Rifle & Pistol Club

Silver State Shooting Sport Association

Southport Gun Club, Inc.

(AKA Southport Masters)

Stone Bank Sportsmen's Club

Upper Savannah Shooters Association

Van Wert County Outdoorsmen Assn

White Oak Rod and Gun Club

Wilkes-Barre Rifle & Pistol Club THANK YOU!

ACRES OF GUNS & GEAR

OFFICIAL

2023 NRA ANNUAL MEETINGS & EXHIBITS

APRIL 14 - 16 / INDIANAPOLIS, IN

Join us in Indianapolis, IN from April 14 - 16 for the 2023 NRA Annual Meetings & Exhibits! See the latest guns and gear from the industry’s leading brands and manufacturers. There is no other show like this in the Country and entry is FREE for NRA Members and Family!

SEE THE MOST POPULAR BRANDS UNDER ONE ROOF!

A JAM-PACKED SCHEDULE OF EVENTS

In addition to the expansive Exhibit Hall, the show features several exciting events:

- The National Friends of NRA Banquet

- The NRA-ILA Leadership Forum

- The NRA Annual Meeting of Members

- The NRA Women’s Leadership Forum

- The Women’s New Energy Breakfast

- The National Prayer Breakfast

- 40+ Seminars & Workshops

- Celebrities, Raffles, Auctions and much more!

VISIT WWW.NRAAM.ORG FOR MORE INFO

2023 Pyramyd Air Cup

By Tom Gaylord

The 2023 Pyramyd Air Cup will be held at The Cardinal Center—616 State Route 61, Marengo, Ohio on August 24-27 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The Cup was last held in 2019 and was suspended for Covid and the aftermath. This is the world’s largest gathering of both airgun competitors and the public.

Here’s your chance to watch world-class champions competing for cash prizes that now rival competitions like the Bianchi Cup. No wonder competitors attend from multiple European nations, South Africa and all over the United States, including Hawaii.

A century ago the world struggled to get the .22 Hornet to group 10 shots within one inch at 100 yards. Today extreme benchrest competitors shooting .30-caliber air rifles put more shots into smaller groups at that distance!

The public will be shocked to see air rifles costing $5,000, mounting scopes costing $3,000 and ancillary gear running the tab over ten grand. But when the first prize is $20,000 people

will travel halfway around the globe to compete.

Field target shooters use inclinometers to measure the angle of some of their shots, so targets in trees and gullies don’t cause distance issues.

Photo Below-Inclinometer

These field target marksmen and -women humble law enforcement snipers as they try to keep all their shots within half a pellet’s diameter of each other. That’s 0.09-inches at 55 yards while shooting from the seated position!

Pyramyd Air, the world’s largest airgun retailer, will have several public ranges where attendees may shoot the latest and greatest airguns for free. In fact, the entire Pyramyd Air Cup costs nothing to attend. It’s 4 days of inexpensive worldclass fun for the whole family.

For more information visit https://www. pyramydaircup.com

Photo Banner -WFTF-position

Field target shooters try to keep their shots within half a pellet diameter at 50 meters.

Turkey Shoot - Open to the Public.

West Point Rod and Gun Club

42950 SR 518 Lisbon, OH 44432

36-inch barrel max length, no choke restriction No Scopes or rest

$2.25 per (8) rounds and money

(2) round $3.50 total to shoot all $25

Sunday's Sign Up at 11:30 am.

September 25- May

No shoot on major holidays.

2nd Annual Arizona NRA 3P Air Rifle State Championship Competition

Submitted by Dan P. Palmer, Match Director Reporter’s Work Sheet

The Cactus HS AFJROTC Precision teams from Glendale, Arizona won 1st and 2nd place for the second year in a row. The Cactus AFJROTC precision team scored 2,199.3-82. The Cienega HS NJROTC Sporter teams 1 and 2 from Vail, Arizona won in the 1st place categories of Veteran and New Shooter with scores of 2,164.6 and 2,029.1. The Kofa HS MCJROTC Sporter teams 1 and 2 from Yuma, Arizona won 2nd place categories of Veteran and New Shooter with scores of 2,140.4 and 2,027.2. The Fontana HS MCJROTC Sporter Team 1 from Fontana, California won 3rd place in the veteran category with a score of 2,138.7 and the Tombstone HS USAJROTC Sporter team 2 won 3rd place in the new shooter category with a score of 1,914.7.

Twenty-three of the sixty-three (63) cadets competing this year were female shooters. Ariana Cherry from the Cactus AFJROTC Precision Team 1 won individual 2nd place and Gracelynn Kastler from the same school

was awarded 3rd place individual. The second through sixth place Sporter veteran individuals were earned by female shooters and the 1st and second place Sporter new shooter individuals were earned by female shooters.

Maddox Falcon from the Cactus HS AFJROTC Precision Team 1 completed a personal record score of 590.8-32 and Ariana Cherry from the same team shot a personal record of 576.0-24, which were the highest scores achieved during the competition.

In the Sporter Veteran category Raymond Tevlin from Vail-Arizona was awarded 1st place individual with a score of 564.7, Yaira Castro from Fontana, California was awarded 2nd place individual with a score of 553.9, and Ashley Padilla from Fontana, California earned the 3rd place individual with a score of 548.9.

In the Sporter New Shooter category Zoe Mitchell from Vail, Arizona was awarded 1st place individual with a score of 533.4, Sophia Cassabaum from Vail, Arizona won 2nd place, and Broderick Johnson from Vail, Arizona won 3rd place individual.

We are hoping that next year’s event will bring in more teams throughout the state of Arizona and from the surrounding states. This match was one of two 3x20 entry competitions to be considered or invited to compete in the 1st Annual Arizona

NRA 3P Air Rifle Western Regional Championships on January 7 and 8, 2023. The first entry match was held on October 8, 2022 and it was the 2nd Annual Arizona NRA 3P Air Rifle JROTC State Championship.

All of our competitions are held at the Ben Avery Shooting Facility within the air gun in-door range. The event was co-sponsored and sponsored by the USFT-Youth Shooting Sports Program (YSSP), the Arizona Rifle and Pistol Shooting Association (ARPSA), and the NRA Day events. When teams arrive for the competition they are given NRA Day t-shirts, firearm safety rule cards, and the NRA Marksmanship Qualification Program (MQP) booklets, and some teams that are the first two teams to register get additional gifts from Crosman, such as key chains and stickers.

Photo Banner: Relay 1 Shooters

Photo Left: Cactus AFJROTC Precision Showing Off Trophies

Photo Top Right: Sporter Vet 1st Place IndividualRaymond Tevlin

Photo Bottom Right: Cienega

NJROTC Tm1 Sporter Vet Champions

The 27th Annual NRA National Gun Collectors Show

The 27th Annual NRA National Gun Collectors Show was held at the Westgate Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada on January 20th & 21st, 2023. Hosted by Morphy’s Auctions of Reading, PA and the National Firearms Museum, the show boasted $10,000 in prize money for winning displays.

Bryan L. Bossier, Sr. of Louisiana took home the E. Andrew Mowbray Trophy for Excellence in Exhibitry with his remarkable collection entitled, Winchester Model 1895. The Last of the Classic Lever Action Rifles.

Multiple awards from $500 to $4,000 are given annually to the displayers who share their collection and knowledge with the visiting public. The 28th Annual National Gun Collectors Show will be back in Las Vegas at the Westgate on January 26 & 27, 2024. For information on displaying or attending the Annual NRA National Gun Collectors Show please contact Cheryl Goyda at 877-968-8880 ext. 755 or via email at cheryl.goyda@ morphyauctions.com.

CAPTION: NRA Museums Director Philip Schreier presents Brian Bossier Sr. with the 2023 E. Andrew Mowbray Trophy for Excellence in Exhibitry at the 27th Annual NRA National Gun Collectors Show.

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Proud Partners

Firearm Instruction at Your Club Creates Unique Risks You Need to Mitigate

The following information is being sent to NRA members on behalf of Lockton Affinity, LLC, a licensed insurance producer. Any recommendation or advice provided is based upon the opinion of Lockton Affinity, LLC and not the NRA.

Talk to anyone about their club today and they’ll tell you that things are busy. We know, because for more than 22 years, Lockton Affinity Outdoor has been providing liability and property insurance solutions made just for clubs.

Over the years, we’ve received many questions from clubs about the unique risks they face — lead mitigation, homeowner–club disputes, general firearm safety and event and competition best practices.

Most recently, we’ve heard loud and clear that clubs are looking for advice about firearm instructors. Our hope is to help clubs like yours mitigate your risks by addressing the best practices for firearm instructors at a club.

To start, it’s important to understand that your club will have assumed liability for any firearm instruction happening at the club. Activities can vary.

They may involve instructors who are or are not club members instructing your club members, members of another organization (4-H for example) or other individuals who are not club members. Instruction may come from club members volunteering their time as well as professionals charging a fee.

The risks and best practices vary in different circumstances. Therefore, before going any further, have a conversation with your insurance agent. Find out exactly how your current general liability coverage will respond in the unfortunate event that a claim results from firearm instruction.

It may be that the coverage you have is sufficient for the activities happening at your club. But more likely, you may discover that you need additional specialized coverage to protect against your risks.

Firearm instruction liability coverage is one option that can provide protection for both premises liability as well as professional liability.

Premises liability protects against accidents that happen during the actual instruction, while professional liability provides protection for a club or instructor in instances where an injured party alleges or makes a claim of improper training.

For example, a person could attend a firearm instruction course and at some point in the future cause injury or damage to someone or something else and claim the instruction they received was faulty.

As a rule, most club general liability policies will provide coverage for premises liability for a club member instructor and club members or other groups being instructed at the club. However, most don’t include professional liability protection automatically, though you may be able to add it.

For example, if your club is interested in adding professional liability to the coverage you currently have with Lockton Affinity Outdoor, we can endorse that coverage on the current policy we have. A call to our team can get the process started for you. Again, please be sure to confirm your specific coverage with your insurance agent or customer service representative.

If your club allows members or non-members to use the club’s facilities to provide instruction to the public, this adds new risks you’ll have to protect against. Ask for proof of insurance from the instructor. They should have their own policy covering firearm instruction.

Have them add your organization as an “Additional Insured” on their policy and verify their proof of coverage by asking to see their certificate of insurance before allowing them to begin instructing.

When you have this safeguard in place, the instructor’s policy will respond first for any claim arising out of them using your facility to instruct. In the absence of this safeguard, you will be exposing your club to liability from a potential claim. Claims such as this are one large factor driving the cost and availability of insurance for clubs going forward.

To get the proper instructor coverage in place, clubs and instructors can visit NRAInstructors. org and follow the links to purchase Firearm Instructor Insurance from Lockton Affinity Outdoor. $1,000,000 of general liability and professional liability can be purchased for only $300 per year, before applicable taxes and/or fees, and is available in most states.

The Lockton Affinity Outdoor Insurance program is administered by Lockton Affinity, LLC d/b/a Lockton Affinity Insurance Brokers, LLC in California #0795478. Coverage is subject to actual policy terms and conditions. Policy benefits are the sole responsibility of the issuing insurance company. The National Rifle Association will receive a royalty fee for the licensing of its name and trademarks as part of the insurance program offered to the extent permitted by applicable law. Not available in all states.

A lot can go wrong at the club from property damage to third-party injuries, but Club insurance helps cover the costs if something does. Plus, Lockton Affinity Outdoor’s Club insurance is available to a variety of firearm-related clubs like:

Outdoor rifle and pistol ranges

Trap and skeet ranges

Hunting clubs

Leased hunting land

Landowner coverage and more

If you have your own range, meet at a range, participate in competitions and events, travel or own land, Lockton Affinity Outdoor has coverage for you. See what coverage will look like for your club by completing a quick, five-minute price indication at LocktonAffinityOutdoor.com.

An Adaptive Success Story

Our youngest son, Reed Kotalik, is a Star Scout with Troop 777. He will soon be 12 years old. Since he was a toddler, Reed looked forward to being a Boy Scout. His older brothers (including Rafe) are all Eagle Scouts, along with dad (John).

When Reed was 4 years old, he was diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy (CP) after extensive medical intervention as a baby. He was born with laryngomalicia, lacking cartilage in his throat to keep it structurally sound. During his critical first year, his brain was deprived of oxygen as a result of this condition. Soon after his 1st birthday, specialists at Texas Children's performed surgery to create a functioning throat for Reed. Extensive feeding, speech, and other therapy followed.

We "lone scouted" Reed through Cub Scouts and Webelos because for years he had regular EEGs, cardiac monitoring, sleep studies, MRIs, therapy and invasive intervention. Reed realized (and embraced) through the years that most things would be a challenge for him and that rising to those occasions is necessary to have some sense of normalcy. Before his 5th birthday, we were offered (and declined) a handicap parking pass for him. Perseverence has become a way of life.

When Reed bridged from Webelos to Boy Scouts, we knew he would do his best, but we worried that he would be limited on some of the adventures that were possible (that his older brothers and dad have experienced).

Just last year, he was diagnosed with Cortical Visual Impairment (CVI) after his optical issues became more apparent. The area of his brain that is most impacted by Cerebral Palsy houses important vision function. CVI isn't an eye issue that can be corrected with glasses. It is a decreased visual response due to a neurological condition and involves disrupted messages between Reed's eyes and brain that interprets what he sees and then how his brain directs the reaction. Coupled with leg inversion and muscle weakness from CP, we knew that we would need to provide adequate support to keep Scouting fun and safe for him. While Rafe and John have committed themselves to that task, we knew that we would need others to "become a Scouting village" for Reed. As a family, we deeply value the importance of Scouts learning to work within patrols, troops, and with other adult leadership as part of their journey.

Reed has found ways to adapt in his other pursuits. In lacrosse, he uses the green field as a backdrop to scoop up the white blur of a ball. On the track, the white lines are thicker and skewed, so Reed works to stay in the thin color of the lanes. White is a difficult color for Reed to work with. It easily reflects light and casts an immediate glare for him. It shuts down critical visual response from his brain. We were confident that he would do his best to adapt in Scouting, but knew that support from other Scouters would be as valuable.

Submitted by Chip Lock, Sam Houston Area Council Camp Shooting Sports Director, From Dawn Kotalik (Reed's Mom)

When we asked Reed (at the start of his Scouts BSA journey) what merit badges he wanted to take, he chose several that concerned us including the shooting sports ones. We knew that some of his selections had higher physical demands, but we were determined to give him the opportunities for those too. We respected that this was his journey and not our own.

Getting started with Shooting Sports:

Because John and Rafe were familiar with the qualification guidelines for shotgun, rifle, and archery, there was a concern that Reed may feel extremely defeated if he was unable to visualize the target and find a way to adapt to be successful.

We offered Reed the opportunity (through an invitation by Brian) to meet and work with Royce (in a smaller group setting) as an introduction to the Shooting Sports merit badges. We believe that provided a smooth and comfortable start for Reed. He enjoyed the small session of shotgun basics and a Hunter's Education course with his troop at a unit level camp.

As summer merit badge workshops became available last summer, we allowed Reed to register for rifle shooting. When he reported for class that day, he did not want to alert instructors as to his unique needs. We respected that he wanted to try and adapt on his own. He spent the first half of the day trying to qualify on the usual white-based target. As the afternoon continued, we could see that he was straining to visualize the targets and knew that type of strain usually results in further eye deterioration.

At that point, we shared information with Chip Locke and other shooting instructors for SHAC. They quickly began to explore a way to make a custom, adaptive target from their available materials that was blue-based (a shop towel) with orange round stickers. Reed (and we) were so touched that they found a solution to provide a target that was not on white paper. He qualified using the adaptive target and earned his first shooting sports merit badge that day!

Since that time, Reed has continued to work with the range's wonderfully supportive shooting sports staff. He has earned the Shotgun and Archery badges now. The orange clays worked well for him against a backdrop of the sky.

Our family deeply appreciates the ability provided to Reed to explore an adaptive solution that satisfied the same qualification standards so that he could find success with his peers.

Reed now has a passion for shooting sports. While he continues to work to qualify on the shooting badges, I am confident he will have continued support from his team. They are clearly setting a standard of being considerate and inclusive of those with various challenges.

Iowa is NO LONGER one of six states that do not recognize our precious Second Amendment rights in their constitutions. We’re no longer in the “I like to trample your civil rights” club consisting of California, New York, New Jersey, Maryland, and Minnesota. That all changed on November 8th, 2022. Two out of every three voters in Iowa SAID YES to freedom and liberty. It appears the Freedom Amendment (Iowa’s Right to Keep and Bear Arms Constitutional Amendment) was the highest-voted item, including all the races in the state this cycle, possibly, ever.

The Freedom Amendment is the culmination of over a decade of hard work. NRA and IFC have been partnered in this monumental endeavor from day one. We built the language together, worked through the tweaks together, and pushed this forward when others didn’t even bother to declare “for” or “against” on the resolutions for the Freedom Amendment as they passed through the Iowa General Assembly. It may sound odd, but many people show up to celebrate and take credit when there is a win. Too few roll up their sleeves and work the issue day and night on behalf of others. We’re proud to partner with NRA.

The Iowa Firearms Coalition, Iowa’s most effective gun-rights organization, has been hard at work for years to get this fixed! Amending Iowa’s Constitution was no easy task. The course was long and there are many hurdles and pitfalls along the way. But the “Freedom Amendment” is now Section 1A of Iowa’s Constitution, having met the requirement to pass in two consecutive General Assemblies and then be ratified by a majority of Iowa voters. Iowa will now be the 4th state in the nation to enjoy strict scrutiny-level protections for their Right to Keep and Bear Arms.

Congratulations Iowans, you did it!

The newest Amendment to Iowa’s Constitution, the Freedom Amendment, reads:

“The right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed. The sovereign state of Iowa affirms and recognizes this right to be a fundamental individual right. Any and all restrictions of this right shall be subject to strict scrutiny.”

The number of “thank yous” we owe is epic and we’re not sure we can do them all justice. But, the best start is to high-five your liberty-loving friends and family that supported Iowan’s civil rights and then hit our IFC Action Center to send the Legislature a thank you note for pushing the measure forth for Iowans to ratify with their votes.

1. Send a note from our IFC Action Center thanking legislators and setting the stage for future protections.

2. Join the Iowa Firearms Coalition and become not just a member but an active volunteer in the fight to preserve and maintain our God-given rights! IFC Membership

3. Consider donating to our sister organization, IFC-PAC, so we can continue to protect the right to keep and bear arms for Iowans of every color, sex, and creed. IFC-PAC Donation

Guess What? Biden Wants to Ban Guns!

Yes, that is sarcasm in our headline. Anybody who has ever heard Joe Biden speak publicly knows he wants to ban firearms. It is hard to find any occasion where he doesn’t talk about banning guns. It is likely that he talks about it in his sleep.

Nonetheless, we do feel it is important to point out whenever he renews his call to ban firearms, as he did last week while speaking at the House Democratic Caucus Issues Conference.

In the middle of his speech, it seemed that Biden realized he had not spoken about banning firearms, so without any sort of transition, he threw in:

I know I ma- — make some of you uncomfortable, but that little state above me, in Delaware, is one of the — has the highest rate — one of the highest rates of gun ownership. But guess what? We’re going to ban assault weapons again come hell or high water. And highcapacity magazines. When we did it last time, it reduced mass death.

Almost everything he said in that relatively brief string of words is not accurate—except, perhaps, the part about making some of the people in attendance “uncomfortable.”

First, the event was held in Baltimore, MD, which is not south of Delaware, but to the west. The “little” state to the north of Baltimore is Pennsylvania. Perhaps that’s a little nit-picky, and maybe Biden had some other point of reference in mind when he said the state was “above me,” but it’s hard to imagine what. Considering the president’s extensive list of things he speaks about without any apparent knowledge, we’re going to go with he also lacks a basic understanding of U.S. geography.

Then there’s his claim that Delaware has “one of the highest rates of gun ownership. That’s only true if you consider ranking no higher than 30th out of 50 as high. While there is no consensus on ranking states by rate of gun ownership, we found the majority of sources put Delaware in the bottom 10 states, with some putting it at the very bottom. One source did put the state at number 30, but with more than half the states ranked higher, one could hardly consider even that outlier as qualifying as “one of the highest states.”

His third point, his claim that he will achieve his goal of banning most semi-automatic pistols, rifles, and shotguns—what he refers to as “assault weapons”—appears to be the new talking point, upping his usual claim that we simply “need” to enact such a ban. During his recent State of the Union speech, he demanded a ban. Now he seems more prone to guaranteeing it. It’s unlikely that he has the ability to enact such a ban through Congress, so perhaps he intends to abuse his executive authority—as he has done with stabilizing braces.

Whether he is able to pull off some sort of legislative miracle, or if he tries to ban guns by Executive Order, neither route is likely to survive a legal challenge—one NRA would eagerly file, if needed—as the Supreme Court has made clear that banning firearms “in common use” would be unconstitutional. There are few firearms, if any, that are more “in common use” today than semi-automatic firearms. The same goes for the magazines that are commonly sold with those firearms, which Biden considers “high-capacity.”

Finally, there’s Biden’s completely debunked claim that the 1994 ban on semi-autos “reduced mass death.” A number of studies have consistently proven that the ’94 ban had no impact on crime, mostly because “the banned guns were never used in more than a modest fraction of gun murders.”

It’s hard to imagine anyone could be so wrong, so frequently, using so few words, but that seems to have become SOP for Biden. When he speaks, he will rail against guns and the Second Amendment, and when he does that, he will be wrong on the facts.

But make no mistake: no matter how misinformed Joe Biden might be on firearms, he still wields an enormous amount of power and influence over public policy merely by virtue of his office. It will take continuing vigilance and dedicated opposition to thwart his intentions. And if hell and high water won’t stop him, the combined efforts of the NRA, its members, and its supporters must.

NRA Affiliated State Associations

AL STATE RIFLE & PISTOL ASS'N 2009 Rodgers Drive Huntsville, AL 35811

205-655-3730

Eambhm1@aol.com

AK OUTDOOR COUNCIL, INC. 310 K St Ste 200 Anchorage, AK 99501 907-740-1702

www.alaskaoutdoorcouncil.org

AZ STATE RIFLE & PISTOL ASS'N P.O. Box 74424 Phoenix, AZ 85087 623-687-4251

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 P.O.Box 519 Elizabeth, CO 80107 719-966-7512

www.cssa.org

CT STATE RIFLE &REVOLVERASS'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

www.dssa.us

FL SPORT SHOOTING ASS'N, INC. P.O.Box 56261 Jacksonville, FL 32241 904-880-1715

www.flssa.org

GA SPORT SHOOTING ASS’N 880 Marietta Highway - PO Box 351 Roswell, GA, 30075 478-955-7068

www.georgiasportshootingassociation.com

HI RIFLE ASSOCIATION PO Box 543 Kailua, HI 96734 808-224-2824

www.hawaiirifleassociation.org

ID STATE RIFLE & PISTOL ASS’N PO Box 140293 Boise, ID 83714-0293 208-900-1911

www.idahosrpa.org

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

www.isra.org

INSTATERIFLE &PISTOL ASS'N,INC. P.O. Box 40025 Indianapolis, IN 46240 812-534-3258

www.isrpa.org

IA FIREARMS COALITION PO Box 310 Moville, IA 51039 515-423-0391

www.iowafc.org

KS STATE RIFLE ASS'N P.O. Box 8760 Topeka, KS 66608 913-608-1910

www.kansasrifle.org

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

www.kentuckysportsmen.com

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

www.louisianashooting.com

ME PINETREESTATE R&PASS'N,INC 14 Pine Road Wiscasset, ME 04578 207-882-4713

www.mainerpa.org

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

www.msrpa.org

(MA) GUN OWNERS’ ACTION LEAGUE PO Box 567, 361 W Main St Northborough, MA 01606 508-393-5333

www.goal.org

MI RIFLE & PISTOL ASS’N P.O. Box 71 Marshall, MI 49068-0071

586-727-1977

www.michrpa.com

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

www.mrra.org

MO SPORT SHOOTING ASS’N 6140 N. Wagon Trail Rd. Columbia, MO 65202-9658

573-449-2849

www.missourisportshooting.org

MT RIFLE & PISTOL ASS’N P.O. Box 48 Ramsay, MT 59748 406-579-8694 (weekends only)

www.mtrpa.org

NE MARKSMANSHIP ASS’N PO Box 390311 Omaha, NE 68139 402-880-4868

www.nemarksmanship.com

NV FIREARMS COALITION 5575 Simmons St, Ste I-176 North Las Vegas, NV 89031 702-373-5935

www.nvfac.org

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

www.gonh.org

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

www.anjrpc.org

NM SHOOTING SPORTS ASS'N, INC. P.O. Box 93433 Albuquerque, NM 87199 505-990-1802

www.nmssa.org

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

www.nysrpa.org

NC RIFLE & PISTOL ASS’N P.O. Box 4116 Pinehurst, NC 28374 910-639-4742

www.ncrpa.org

ND SHOOTING SPORTS ASS'N P.O. Box 228 Bismarck, ND 58502 701-255-4601

www.ndssa.org

NRA Affiliated State Associations

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

www.orpa.net

OK LAHOMA RIRLE ASSOCIATION 1530 N. Harrison Box 333 Shawnee, OK 74804 405-374-9262

https://oklahomarifle.org/

OR STATE SHOOTING ASS’N P.O. Box 231191 Portland, OR 97281-1161 503-635-5874

www.ossa.org

GUNRIGHTS & 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

SD SHOOTING SPORTS ASS'N PO Box 956 Pierre, SD 570501 605-254-2486

www.sdshootingsports.org

TN SHOOTING SPORTS ASS'N, INC. 4442 Gray's Point Rd Joelton, TN 37080 615-491-2633

www.tennesseeshootingsportsassociation.org

TX STATE RIFLE ASS'N P.O. Box 2140 Bastrop, TX 78640 512-615-4200

www.tsra.com

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

usrpa.org

VT FED'NOF SPRTMN’S CLUBS,INC. PO Box 225 Lyndonville, VT 05851 802-535-7111

www.vtfsc.com

Director of Field Staff

NRA Field Representative Directory

Bryan Hoover bhoover@nrahq.org

EASTERN REGION

Eastern Regional Director

Area 2 (NY, CT, MA, ME, NH, VT, RI)

Area 4 (DE, NJ, Eastern PA)

Area 5 (Western PA)

Area 7 (WV, Western VA, Western MD, KY)

Area 14 (IN)

Area 45 (DC, Eastern MD, Eastern VA)

Area 49 (OH)

Area 51 (MI)

CENTRAL REGION

Central Regional Director

Area 17 (WI)

Area 18 (IL)

Area 19 (MO)

Area 20 (OK, KS)

Area 21 (MN, ND)

Area 23 (IA, NE)

Area 29 (WY, SD)

Area 30 (CO, UT)

SOUTHERN REGION

Southern Regional Director

Area 9 (SC, Eastern NC)

Area 10 (GA, AL, MS)

Area 26 (Southern & Western TX)

Area 39 (AR, LA)

Area 42 (NCW)

Area 43 (TN)

Area 44 (Eastern & Northern TX)

Area 48 (FL)

David Wells dwells@nrahq.org

Bruce McGowan bmcgowan@nrahq.org

Greg Nyce gnyce@nrahq.org

Vacant

Michael Swackhamer mswackhamer@nrahq.org

Josh Toennessen jtoennessen@nrahq.org

Tom Eshelman teshelman@nrahq.org

Marc Peugeot mpeugeot@nrahq.org

Allan Herman aherman@nrahq.org

Donald Higgs dhiggs@nrahq.org

Tylor Flynn tflynn@nrahq.org

Jason Wolfe jwolfe@nrahq.org

Tim Besancenez tbesancenez@nrahq.org

Chad Grissom cgrissom@nrahq.org

Eric Linder elinder@nrahq.org

Dennis Conger dconger@nrahq.org

Logan Duff lduff@nrahq.org

Brad Dreier bdreier@nrahq.org

Mike Webb mwebb@nrahq.org

Steve Slavik sslavik@nrahq.org

Greg Brown gbrown@nrahq.org

Tyler Ward tward@nrahq.org

Alex Campbell acampbell@nrahq.org

Phil Martin pmartin@nrahq.org

Tom Knight tknight@nrahq.org

Liz Foley efoley@nrahq.org

Bret Eldridge peldridge@nrahq.org

NRA Field Representative Directory

WESTERN REGION

Western Regional Director

Area 28 (MT)

Area 31 (AZ, NM)

Area 33 (ID)

Area 34 (OR, HI, WA)

Area 35 (Northern CA, Central CA)

Area 46 (Eastern CA, NV)

Area 50 (CAM and CAS)

Area 53 (Northern AK)

Brad Kruger bkruger@nrahq.org

Joseph Crismore jcrismore@nrahq.org

Ron Capalongan rcapalongan@nrahq.org

Steve Vreeland svreeland@nrahq.org

Robert Berg rberg@nrahq.org

Daniel Wilhelm dwilhelm@nrahq.org

Vacant

Jason Russo jrusso@nrahgq.org

Vacant

Important upcoming deadlines and events:

NRA Annual Meeting and Exhibits - Indianapolis, IN - April 14-16

Clubs & Associations Workshop - Friday, April 14 - 10 am - 12 noon

Trainers Update - Saturday, April 15 - 1 pm

Aging Defender Seminar - Sunday, April 16 - 2pm Refuse To Be A Victim Workshops - all show days

Deadline for NRA Range Grant Program - August 1 - https://rangeservices.nra.org/funding-grants/

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

11250 Waples Mill Road

Fairfax, VA 22030

DOES YOUR CHILD KNOW WHAT TO DO IF HE OR SHE FINDS A GUN?

The Eddie Eagle GunSafe ® Program was developed in 1988 as a firearm accident prevention program seeking to help parents, law enforcement, community groups, and educators navigate a topic paramount to our children’s safety.

For over 30 years, the program has taught children what to do if they find a gun:

STOP! Don’t Touch. Run Away. Tell A Grown Up. In fact, over 31 million children have received Eddie’s important message since the program began.

In 2015, the program evolved with a fresh new look and some new friends for Eddie—his Wing Team. Together they remind children of Eddie’s important message. The program is designed for Pre-K through 4th graders and provides the tools to help parents and educators bring up an important safety issue with children in a fun and interactive way. Through a special kid-friendly web page, the Eddie Eagle Tree House , children are able to explore lessons, read storybooks, print coloring pages, watch Eddie’s video, and more!