There's always a chance that head shots are the only option left. The threat is hiding behind his intended victim, he's wearing body armor, or it's the only thing visible while peering out a window. This stage requires the officer to make that ever so difficult shot through a number of scenarios, including laying on his side, before the three minute bell is rung.

Be sure to stay tuned. We've almost wrapped up things on the competition side and are waiting on the final scores so the tactical and patrol champ can be crowned.

Starting with a duty pistol in the holster and a shotgun in a staging barrel, course number four at the Fairfax Tactical Police Competition tests the shooters ability in basic handgun and shotgun handling and accuracy. There are twenty-seven targets at this stage to do just that. Between stationary clay, falling steel, and five clay targets on a wheel, this is by far one of the more challenging tests of the day. Go through the six firing areas in under three minutes and might just you have a chance.

For those of you sitting on the edge of your seats ... the scores are in. Well, the preliminary scores are in, but that's enough to get the ball rolling. With these scores we issue a caution; not all events are included in these scores, so expect the names and numbers to change as the match concludes.

Here's where we are so far:

The Remington Outdoor Foundation was developed to focus on three vital areas of the outdoors; access, awareness, and education. To quote their website, Remington Outdoor "supports the efforts of its partners to share hunting and target shooting traditions with youth, women and other participants and outdoor enthusiasts while emphasizing the importance of safety, training, ethics, and access."

This year, they were kind enough to continue their support of the Fairfax Tactical Police Competition.

"We're extremely pleased that the Remington Outdoor Foundation has maintained their status as a major sponsor of this tactical and the National Police Shooting Championships in New Mexico," said Tournament Director Marc Lipp. "The NRA's relationship with Remington has been a long and productive one. In fact, Remington Law Enforcement has partnered with Remington Outdoor to become the 2010 Match Sponsor of the National Shotgun Championship."

To learn more about Remington Outdoor Foundation, visit their website at http://outdoorroadmap.com/.

You're sitting at your desk taking a complaint when all heck breaks loose. Screaming voices, outrageous demands, and a threatening, "I'll shoot you..." prompts you to run to the door with pistol drawn. Targets one through six, scattered amongst a couple of your fellow officers, must be engaged.

The third station is the Rifle Run. On signal, the shooter retrieves and loads his rifle while approaching the left wall. After taking out your first five targets, make your way to the second position where you can engage targets number six and seven. After that, there is a third firing area for numbers eight through thirteen. A whole lot of running and a whole lot of targets. Just keep it under three minutes.

To keep up with last year's tradition, the first station reviewed on the blog day is the second station of the field. Titled, "Traffic Stop Approach," you approach a van when the driver starts firing shots. After engaging the four primary targets, move to firing area #2 where three additional threats are found in and around a shed.

The safety briefings and course reviews are complete here in Fairfax, Virginia as the 3rd Annual Fairfax Tactical Police Competition begins. On hand are veteran and rookie shooters ready to take on the challenging courses that Marc Lipp and the rest of his staff from NRA Law Enforcement Division cooked up.

Be sure to check in throughout the day was NRAblog will continue update you on scores and courses of fire.

The Special Olympics Torch Run in Anchorage, Alaska drew hundreds of enthusiastic participants – some from across the state and some from across the nation. Organized locally by the Anchorage Police Department to raise funds for Special Olympics Alaska, the Anchorage event was one of thirteen scheduled runs to take place simultaneously in places like Barrow, Fairbanks, Homer, Juneau, Kodiak, and Sitka. Always up for an opportunity to interact with the community, Eddie Eagle was there to cheer on the runners.

"The fun run is a great way for families and neighbors to get out and stretch their legs, get some fresh air and support training and competition programs for over 2000 Alaskan athletes with intellectual disabilities," said Special Olympics Alaska President & CEO Jim Balamaci.

After the run, Eddie met with a number of the runners, posed for some pictures, and caroused with the kids. For the little ones, there were plenty of Eddie Eagle coloring books and DVDs to go around.

Eddie makes appearances like this all throughout the U.S. everyday, impacting kids in tremendous ways. Reaching over 23 million children since 1988, the Eddie Eagle GunSafe Program teaches Pre-K through third graders: “If you see a gun: Stop! Don’t Touch. Leave the Area. Tell an Adult.”

You too can bring the Eddie Eagle GunSafe Program to your community by contacting the Eddie Eagle Department at (800) 231-0752 or visiting their website at www.nrahq.org/safety/eddie.

NRA's 2009 Fairfax Tactical Police Competition was a huge hit. Designed for public and private sworn law enforcement officers and U.S. military members, last year's courses of fire ranging from "Routine Accident" to "Shotgun Skills" to "Parking Lot Attack" proved to be both entertaining and challenging for competitors from as far as way as Texas.

Made possible through sponsorship by the Remington Outdoor Foundation and our NRA Law Enforcement Competition sponsor partners, this year's prize table promises to surpass the $18,000 mark. Just remember – no competition guns allowed. NRA's Tactical Police Competitions only allow participants to use duty handguns, shotguns, and patrol rifles. That's all you're allowed to bring. And, as NRA Law Enforcement Division Director Glen Hoyer likes to say, "A desire to have fun."

You never know where NRA's favorite safety mascot is going to appear next. If you were lucky enough to witness the Blossom Time Grand Floral Parade, you would have seen Eddie Eagle enjoying a ride-around with the Oronko Township (Missouri) Police Department. As a special celebrity for the Floral Parade, Eddie was happily waving to the crowd while donning his famous smile.

"We love hearing stories like this," said Eddie Eagle Program Manager Eric Lipp. "It shows that our hard work spreading Eddie's life-saving message is really making an impact with the people."

But Eddie doesn't restrict his time to the St. Joseph/Benton Harbor, Missouri area. After all, the Eddie Eagle GunSafe® Program didn't reach more than 23 million children by staying in one place. This revolutionary program is constantly popping up all over the nation to teach Pre-K through third graders: “If you see a gun: Stop! Don’t Touch. Leave the Area. Tell an Adult.”

As you can see, the good people of Missouri welcomed him with open arms and you can too. For more on how to bring Eddie Eagle and his GunSafe program to your neighborhood, call the Eddie Eagle Department at (800) 231-0752 or visit their website.

Universal Coin & Bullion, LTD. VP of Marketing Paul Stein poses with Eddie Eagle and the new Spanish version of Eddie's DVD.

Available to any school, library, fire station or community group, the Eddie Eagle GunSafe® Program has been taught to over 23 million young children nationwide.

"Since 1871, the NRA has stood for the core principles of education and preserving freedom, and I am a proud supporter of their Eddie Eagle program with their latest DVD release in Spanish," said Mike Fuljenz, President of Universal Coin & Bullion, Ltd.

Launched in 1988, Eddie Eagle was created by past NRA President Marion P. Hammer, in consultation with law enforcement officers, elementary schoolteachers, and child psychologists. It teaches children in pre-K through the third grade the following safety message: If you see a gun: STOP! Don’t Touch. Leave the Area. Tell an Adult.

"I can't express how pleased we are to offer a Spanish version of this life-saving video," said Eddie Eagle Manager Eric Lipp. "Other materials, such as our workbooks and brochures, are already available in both English and Spanish. Now we can add Eddie's videos to the list."

The Eddie Eagle GunSafe Program has a booth conveniently located near the Will Call table in the Charlotte Convention Center.

Program Manager Eric Lipp reported steady crowds. “We’re mainly here to pass out materials for our members and guests,” Lipp said. “We want everyone to have the materials they need to keep their children, families, and neighbors safe.”

An NRA member from the Midwest said she came out to Charlotte to meet some family members, who volunteer with the Eddie Eagle Program in Alaska.

“They’re always helping out up there,” she said of her niece and nephew. “My young grandson watches the DVD, and he’ll be in the backseat of the car singing, ‘Stop. Don’t Touch. Leave the Area. Tell an adult.’”

Eddie Eagle himself makes appearances throughout the day, so check in with the folks at the booth to be sure you're on hand for a sighting if you're looking to meet the bird!

The NRA's popular firearm accident prevention program, Eddie Eagle GunSafe Program, recently celebrated 20 years of safety, and 23 million children reached.

Eddie Eagle himself is a popular character at the NRA's Annual Meeting each year. It's a good time for him to meet with the youngest members of the NRA, program manager Eric Lipp tells NRAblog.

"We'll be at our very own booth on the main level of the Convention Center on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, so stop by," Lipp said, noting Eddie Eagle makes several stops per day at the booth.

If you're in town for the Annual Meetings, don't forget to stop by Eddie Eagle's booth. Whether you have children with you or know someone back home who might benefit from this program, pick up some complimentary materials, as pictured above. 

As we reported last week, the Eddie Eagle GunSafe Program has spent several days in Charlotte, North Carolina, spreading its message to children in grades K through 3.

This article comes by way of the Gaston Gazette:

NRA gives gun safety message to Gaston County elementary students

Hands shot up on Wednesday morning when a guest speaker asked students at Catawba Heights Elementary what kinds of things keep them safe. But Jon Draper didn’t come from northern Virginia to talk about seat belts or smoke alarms.

The gun-advocacy meeting that could draw as many as 70,000 people to Charlotte doesn’t start until Friday, but some Gaston County schoolchildren have already encountered the National Rifle Association. In conjunction with the Mount Holly Police Department, the NRA-sponsored Eddie Eagle GunSafe program was held at Ida Rankin Elementary on Tuesday and at Belmont’s Catawba Heights Elementary on Wednesday.

Principals at both schools had to make special arrangements to participate in the program because of End-of-Grade Testing, which started on Tuesday for third- through eighth-grade students.

“We were fortunate enough to be able to use the auditorium,” said Ida Rankin Principal Ron Foulk.

The program is designed to teach children pre-K through third grades about firearm accident prevention.

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To learn more about this program, check out their website.