Arizona business says contribution is "important to all of us at the core of the current debate on gun control"

Tuscon, Arizona Late last year, NRA's Eddie Eagle GunSafe Program reached an important milestone; 26 million kids. That's 26 million pre-k through 3rd graders who sang along and learned Eddie's lifesaving message of "Stop! Don't Touch! Leave the Area. Tell an Adult."

Thanks to that message, along with the coloring books, DVDs and other instructional items that come along with it, America's accidental firearm fatality rates have fallen steadily for decades.

The program centers around the Eddie Eagle mascot costume. Available to law enforcement agencies only, the costume captures the children's attention and draws them in. Problem is that the costume isn't cheap.

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King City Friends of NRA experiences biggest year ever after reaching the $100,000 milestone

King City, California - Last weekend the King City Friends of NRA of King City, California raised an astounding $100,000 at their annual banquet. The committee has consistently brought in $50,000 - $75,000 for years and surged to $75,000 - $100,000 in 2012, but this is the first time they have passed the $100,000 mark. It is a huge milestone for the group and they are extremely proud of the accomplishment.

The committee made history in another way last year when they gave $55,000 to a local Boy Scout camp. The grant was the largest ever awarded to a group in Central California.

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Money to be matched 3:1 with federal funds

A state-run shooting range located in northern Wisconsin’s Iron County will undergo improvements to expand opportunities and make the range safer thanks to a nearly $15,000 donation from the National Rifle Association’s Public Range Fund Grant Program.
 
Keith Warnke, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) hunting and shooting sport coordinator, accepted a check in the amount of $14,700 from the NRA late last year for the Snaketrack Public Shooting Range project.

This was the third grant awarded by the NRA Public Range Fund in 2012 for upgrading public ranges in Wisconsin. The first two, each for $25,000, were for the Yellowstone Lake State Park range in Lafayette County and the McMiller Range in the Southern Unit of the Kettle Moraine State Forest.

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Get your grant application moved to the top of the pile as an NRA Gold Medal Club

Fairfax, Virginia - What have you been waiting for?

It's the last day. The closing day. The final day that you can register as an NRA Gold Medal Club for 2013. Why do that ... a number of reason.

Just ask the folks at the Cumberland Riflemen in Millville, New Jersey or the Minnesota's So is the Northwestern Gun Club in Duluth. Both will tell you about the sense of pride and satisfaction that comes with achieving such a goal.

Then there are great outfits like the River City Rifle & Pistol Club in Mason City, Iowa and the White Oak Rod & Gun Club in North Huntingdon, Pennsylvania that have been with the program for a while now too. All doing great work helping to advance America's long tradition of excelling at the shooting sports.

More on qualifying as an NRA Gold Medal Club...

NRA brings 140 years of competitive shooting experience to partner up with the National High School Rodeo Association

The National High School Rodeo Association has been working hand in hand with the National Rifle Association for years now. A good example is the Brownells/NRA Youth Shooting Sports Ambassadors — a program that offers participants a wide array of benefits including travel opportunities and the chance to meet national shooting celebrities.

But the relationship runs deeper than that. Combining their participants love of rodeo and the shooting sports, these two organizations have created the fastest growing youth program at the NRA.

Once a year, a collective group of elite youths gather for the National High School Rodeo Association around the NHSRA (NHSRA) Finals. Having been labeled as one of the fastest growing youth organizations is notorious for providing non-stop action packed events for any cowboy enthusiast.

Since evolving from an idea started over 60 years ago by Claude Mullins, a native Texan educator who was a big fan of the rodeo sport, the NHSRA has drawn the attention of over 10,500 students.

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Awards $5,000 in college scholarships from funds raised at Friends of NRA events

Half of all money raised at Friends of NRA events goes back to the states they originated from. Who decides what to do with that money? Special State Fund Committees. These groups appropriate grants to organizations all over the state to improve the local shooting sports. The new issue of Traditions Magazine has a great story about the Oregon State Fund Committee helping youth shooters reach for their dreams by awarding college scholarships.

Traveling from the far corners of the state of Oregon, volunteers and committee members gathered for the annual Oregon Friends of NRA State Fund Committee meeting earlier this year. It was over casual conversation with members of the committee where an idea was generated to make an impact among the youth in Oregon.

It has been the mission of the Friends of NRA program and The NRA Foundation to look to the youth when determining how to allocate funds raised. We all know that the future of the shooting sports rests in the generation that always comes next. This is exactly why programs like 4H, junior ROTC, Youth Outdoor days and Youth Hunter Education Challenge (Y.H.E.C.) are among the most consistently supported by NRA Foundation grants.

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Funds raised at Friends of NRA events help hunting programs in every state

NRA Foundation grants help a variety of programs across the nation. In addition to competitive shooting teams, money raised at Friends of NRA events also goes to preserving our hunting legacy. Here's a thank you from the San Diego Junior Pheasant Hunt who was helped to its feet by one such grant a few years back.

San Diego Junior Pheasant Hunt Thanks The NRA Foundation
by Douglas Streed & Susan Bowers

As the San Diego Junior Pheasant Hunt finishes its ninth year, we pause to reflect how we have grown and who has helped us along the way. The first big boost came in

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Generous NRA donation will help Michigan youth keep breaking clays

Two weeks ago Friends of NRA made a very generous donation to the Upper Peninsula Youth Shotgun Sports Organization (UPYSSO) to promote and further the clay target shooting sports in Delta County.

The check, totaling almost $4,400, was presented by NRA Field Rep Al Herman during the Eastern Upper Peninsula Friends of NRA's annual banquet in Brimly, Michigan. This money will go a long way to helping the Delta County Crushers, a Scholastic Clay Target Progam (SCTP) shooting team, and is a great example of funds raised at Friends of NRA events going back into the local community.

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Money from Pennsylvania Friends of NRA events helps supply groups like the Millionaire Marksmen

Fairfax, Virginia - Since 2008 the Millionaire Marksmen has been a great shooting club in the Williamsport, Pennsylvania area. The student-run organization promotes engagement, involvement and mentorship in the community thanks to the collaborative efforts of teachers, school district administrators, community members and the Friends of NRA.

All ammunition students practice with is provided through generous Friends of NRA grants. Seeing as it's hard to have a marksmanship club without bullets, the club could not continue providing a safe, fun environment for junior shooters to hone their skills without the Friends of NRA's help.

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