NRA President joined by Offensive Lineman on NRANews

Alexandria, Virginia - As part of their "Straight Shooters" week, NRANews is bringing in a pair of heavyweights ready to take on the big issues — NRA President David Keene and retired NFL lineman Matt Light.

Keene, a lifelong hunter, has been involved in national politics for more than thirty years. Elected NRA President at the 2011 Annual Meetings and Exhibits in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, he recently spoke with CNN's Jake Tapper regarding possible firearm bans, restrictions and limitations being discussed on Capitol Hill.

"What we're interested in doing is getting members of Congress and members of the Senate to listen to their constituents and to vote to protect the Second Amendment," Keene told Tapper. "We think if you have a debate on these issues, if you have a debate on what's effective and what isn't effective, that what we'll come out with at the other end of this maze that is the Congressional bill making machine is going to be reasonable."

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History and policies of the National Rifle Association explained nationally

Fairfax, Virginia - If you've been watching the news this week, then there's a good chance that you've seen a number of NRA officials appear on a variety of shows. Just last night, Past President Sandy Froman was on with Anderson Cooper while Chris Cox appeared on Lou Dobbs Tonight on the Fox Business Network.

Each appearance required a visit to the respective network's studios. That was not the case, however, for a special segment filmed this week for PBS.

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St. Louis, Missouri - Headlined by NRA President David Keene and Executive Director of General Operations Kayne Robinson, this weekend's seminar covering “What NRA Does for Hunters” took place on Saturday at the America's Center Convention Complex. Sponsored by Cabela's, the 3 p.m. round table covered everything from the mounting influence of animal rights’ groups on hunting to the falling accessing public hunting lands.

"It's a big country, there's a lot of urbanization, and people are destroying places to hunt, places to shoot in preparation for hunting," said Robinson, "They create mountains of regulation that the average person is unwilling to put up with."

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St. Louis, Missouri - Just before 9 a.m. this morning, NRA Executive Vice President Wayne LaPierre was joined by Missouri Governor Jay Nixon and NRA President David Keene for the official opening of the National Rifle Associations 141st Annual Meetings and Exhibits at the America's Center.

Fairfax, Virginia - David Keene, President of the National Rifle Association, provides the following thoughts as the NRA announces their selection for the 2011 Law Enforcement Officer of the Year:

2011 NRA Law Enforcement Officer of the Year Deputy Michael Zack

Each year we honor a law enforcement officer whose valor, professionalism and willingness to risk everything to protect the citizens and community of which he or she is a part.

This year we are proud to honor Deputy Michael Zack of the Cecil County, Maryland Sherriff's department. Zack's willingness to risk his own life to come to the aid of a fellow officer, though he wasn't even on duty at the time of the incident, exemplifies the professionalism of our nation's best law enforcement officers who view their role in American society as a sacred trust entered into when they were sworn in as protectors of their community and its citizens. His fellow Deputy may well be alive today because of Michael Zack's heroism and for that he must be grateful. All of us should be just as grateful that there are men and women in this country like Zack willing to selflessly put themselves in harm's way to enforce our society's laws and provide the security essential to a free society.

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Kankakee, Illinois - The Electronic Target Event at the Illinois State Rifle Association's (ISRA) range had a little Camp Perry in it ... at lot of happy shooters and a touch of weather to spice things up. Members of ISRA shot along side of NRA President David Keene, Executive Director of General Operations Kayne Robinson and ISRA President Richard Peterson from ten to five on Saturday.

"It was pretty wild," said one member. "Seeing where you hit right after pulling the trigger, that was great."

Brought to the United States by ShotResponse through their parent company SIUS Electronic Target and Scoring Systems in Switzerland, this is the same company responsible for the electronic targets they'll be using in London for the Olympic Games in 2012. Not too shabby for an afternoon shoot in Illinois.

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Fairfax, Virginia - Sergeant Sherri Jo Gallagher, the 2010 U.S. Army Soldier of the Year and a member of the U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit, stopped by NRA Headquarters last week to meet with new NRA President David Keene. Some might think that being an NRA National High Power and Long Range High Power champion gave Gallagher a leg up in the competition, but that's only partially true.

"Marksmanship is only a small portion of the competition," said Gallagher. "We were also tested on battle operations, urban orienteering, tending wounded Soldiers on the battlefield simulations as well as a numerous amount of written tests. It was an unbelievable challenge."

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Special thanks to NRA's 1st Vice President David Keene for the photo and report:

Chris Dorsey of Orion asked me a year or so ago if I'd participate in an African hunt for broadcast as part of the "Dangerous Game" series he produces. I agreed to travel with Chris, Mark DeYoung of ATK, which owns numerous companies of interest to NRA members including Federal Premium Ammunition, Mark's son Scott, and a camera crew to Zambia for a 10 day hunt.

Mark was targeting a lion for the show and I was after a Cape Buffalo. We both succeeded in one of the most game rich areas of Zambia and Africa. It was an exciting hunt; my first for dangerous game featuring a stare down with a large Buffalo that winded us from about ten yards. We froze as did he and we simply stared at each other for more than a minute before the Buffalo decided we weren't worth charging and wandered off.

While the old bull in the photo was the reason for my being there, I also took an Impala, a Zebra and a Nile crocodile. All in all, the hunt of a lifetime!

Above, Keene is pictured on the left and Chris Dorsey on the right. The Dangerous Game series "highlights the drama and personalities of the courageous hunters who dedicate their lives to the pursuit of some of the most fearsome animals on the planet. Not only does the series focus on heart-pounding hunts, but it also showcases the key role hunters play in conserving the species and the environments where the animals live." We'll keep you posted just as soon as we know when Keene's segment is scheduled to air. 

For all the latest on how the NRA defends your right to hunt, check out NRAhuntersrights.org.

Phoenix, Arizona - A lot is accomplished at an NRA Annual Meeting of the Members. This morning’s meeting was nearly two and a half hours, and attendees heard from Executive Vice President Wayne LaPierre, President John Sigler, First Vice President Ron Schmeits, Second Vice President David Keene, the NRA-ILA’s Chris Cox, and our very own Executive Director of General Operations Kayne Robinson.

Below is a pictorial recap of the event.