Support the NRA at dinners in Tennessee, Washington, Arkansas and more

Courtesy of Senior Event Services Coordinator Nicole McMahon, here are the Friends of NRA banquets for this next week.

At Friends of NRA events, you can find friendly, generous people who gather out of their love of the Second Amendment to raise money for the shooting sports. Here, you'll find unique, collectible NRA gear that attendees can win in raffles and games, or bid for in auctions.

Don't see a banquet near you on the list below? Don't worry, there's sure to be one nearby that's coming up soon. Check the Friends of NRA website for the full list of this year's dinners to help you plan.

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Maker of NRA's Knife of the Year finds fans at SHOT Show

Las Vegas, Nevada - Fourteen years ago, on the shores of Semiahmoo Bay, Brad Smith was tired of daily grind. Employed by a major sunglass manufacturer, the days had grown long and the work unrewarding. He needed a change.

Reaching back into family history, to the skills and lessons passed on years ago by his grandfather, he left the workplace to pursue what was then a hobby — knife-making. A decision that spurred the creation of Silver Stag Knives.

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Friends of NRA items you could take home from this year's dinners

Fairfax, Virginia - We're only a couple dozen banquets into the 1,100 Friends of NRA dinners that will be held across the country this year. Each one will have an ensemble of great items you can win at auctions, in raffles and playing games. The merchandise changes each year, so you're bound to have some new collectible catch your eye every time.

Not all banquets have the same merchandise either. There's a standard package that is present at every dinner, but the NRA Field Reps have a wide selection of additional items to stock their event. We've already covered a bunch of 2013's items here, here and here, but why not a few more?

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Dine with the NRA this week in Michigan, Florida, Texas and more

Courtesy of Nicole McMahon, NRA Field Operatons' Senior Event Services Coordinator, the Friends of NRA banquets held across the United States this next week are listed below.

There are about 1,100 Friends of NRA dinners each year and, with the season just begun, there are plenty coming up.

If you're interested in attending an event near you but don't know when it will be held, be sure to check the Friends of NRA website to see a list of upcoming events by state.

Find out where Friends of NRA dinners are happening ...

Matt and Jessie Duff finding Friends of NRA throughout the Beaver State - Oregon

Fairfax, Virginia - Friends of NRA airs Sunday nights on the Outdoor Channel. Following the adventures of Matt and Jessie Duff as they travel across the country, the show focuses on one truly unique NRA experience after another.

Last week we saw them at the National High School Finals Rodeo in Rock Springs, Wyoming. This week they continue their westward trek to the shores of Oregon.

Arriving first in Coos Bay, Oregon, Matt and Jessie are welcomed by the hard working members of the Coos County Friends of NRA Committee. A High Caliber Club, the committee raised $56,000 for the shooting sports in 2012. That's a lot of hard work. Well, it turns out these friends of the NRA work as hard as they play. Especially once they get out onto the sands of Coos Bay. That's where our hosts were treated to a dune buggy tour of the Bay's beaches.

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Friends of NRA's 2013 Gun of the Year is an instant classic

Fairfax, Virginia - Friends of NRA's 2013 Gun of the Year is a beautiful rifle from Weatherby's masterful Vanguard collection - the Eurosport Sub-MOA 270Win. This exclusive, 24” cold hammer forged barrel is beautifully complimented with a select Turkish Walnut stock that is hand rubbed in oil for a custom finish unlike any other in the Vanguard family.

Suitable for hunting or acquiring a target downrange, the Weatherby Vanguard Series 2 Eurosport Sub-MOA 270Win is a perfect fit for any firearm owner. Comprised with a match quality 2-stage adjustable trigger, the Eurosport is guaranteed to shoot a 3-shot group of .99" or less at 100-yards. In other words, you're going to hit your target.

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Support the NRA this next week at dinners in Utah, Iowa, Ohio and more

Fairfax, Virginia - Courtesy of Senior Event Services Coordinator Nicole McMahon, here are the Friends of NRA events for this next week.

At Friends of NRA events, you can find friendly, generous people who gather out of their love of the Second Amendment to raise money for the programs run by the NRA. It is these programs that include education, training, conservation and competition, that help people to continue exercising their right to bear arms.

Is a committee near you a member of the High Caliber Club? Banquets that raise over $25,000 join an exclusive group of committees who take Friends of NRA fundraising to the next level. A little over one in four committees earned this prestigious title in 2012 - what an accomplishment. As a showing of appreciation, these committees receive a special firearm to auction off the following year.

Find out where Friends dinners are happening...

Support the NRA at dinners in Texas, North Carolina, Wisconsin and more

Courtesy of Senior Event Services Coordinator Nicole McMahon, here are the Friends of NRA events for this next week.

At Friends of NRA events, you can find friendly, generous people who gather out of their love of the Second Amendment to raise money for the programs run by the NRA. It is these programs that include education, training, conservation and competition, that help people to continue exercising their right to bear arms.

Wonder what new items you'll see at Friends of NRA dinners near you? See our sneak peek of 2013 merchandise right here.

Find the nearest banquets to you on the Friends of NRA website to help plan which banquet(s) you will attend this year.

Find out where Friends of NRA dinners are happening ...

How did you get involved with the NRA and what does it mean to you?

Fairfax, Virginia - There isn't one distinct type of Second Amendment supporter. The Friends of NRA family is made of people from all walks of life and spans the entire country. But no matter where they live, what their hobbies are or what they do for a living, their appreciation for the NRA brings them together.

Under this umbrella, every volunteer, every donor, every committee and every business in every state has their own reasons for why they proudly call themselves a friend of the NRA. Friends of NRA is a grassroots organization. Its supporters get as much out of it as they put in. And these are real people with real reasons who get up and get involved with their local Friends of NRA committee.

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