It's easy! Go here, and select MATCH SCHEDULE. Click on the link for this match and complete the on-line PDF Form Fill Registration. SAVE it on your computer and then send a copy of your saved file as an e-mail attachment to LEcompetitions@nrahq.org.

Not sure if Tactical Police Competition (TPC) is for you? You don't have to be an NRA member to enter this match, but you must have military or law enforcement credentials. These will be required before you are able to compete. No competition guns are required; your duty gun is adequate. The nice folk in Law Enforcement Competition even have loaner patrol rifles and shotguns they'll be happy to share.  More...

NRA is proud to host the 3rd annual Women's Wilderness Escape scheduled for September 23 - October 1, 2010 at the NRA Whittington Center in Raton, New Mexico.

The cost of this nine-day retreat is $1,250 and is open to women 18 and older. Fee includes housing, food and all event activities. Transportation is not provided.

No experience is necessary, and all firearms and ammunition are provided. Participants will learn to shoot rifle silhouette, long range high power rifle, black powder rifle, pistol, trap, skeet, sporting clays and archery. Other activities include map reading, camping, survival training, game calling, hunter education and Native American history.

To find out more about the Women's Wilderness Escape and read what some of our 2009 participants had to say about the event, look here.

For a taste of what this 9-day program entails, check out NRAblog's coverage of the past two years' Escapes.  

The Shooting Hunting Outdoor Trade (SHOT) Show in Las Vegas is considered the largest trade show of its kind. While on the floor of the monstrous 700,000 square foot exhibit hall, NRAblog met a memorable young man.

Ben Goodson has been an Army Ranger -- the elite of the elite -- for 17 years. He is involved with Wounded Warrior Project, and as such, he was at SHOT Show promoting awareness of the group.

Pictured at right, Goodson displays a pair of guns International Supplies raffled to support the Wounded Warrior Project.

2008 Marion P. Hammer Woman Of Distinction Award recipient Ms. Patricia Stoneking has not slowed down. She is the first person to hold the position of President of the Kansas State Rifle Association for three consecutive years.

This article in the Lawrence Journal-World & News chronicles her accomplishments:  

Passion for firearms inspires woman leading rifle group

Patricia Stoneking’s life path seems to have taken a natural flow. The Bonner Springs resident naturally got involved with firearms through her family of hunting enthusiasts; she naturally found a role as activist for firearms that led her to lobby the Kansas government to change laws; and she naturally made a career out of educating people about proper firearm use.

Each milestone has led her to where she is today — the first woman to be elected president of the Kansas State Rifle Association and the first president to hold the position for three consecutive years.

Stoneking, a Shawnee native, first held a gun at age 8. It was a BB gun that her father gave her.

“My dad thought it was a cool thing to do,” she said. “I had a brother three years younger, so I don’t think he could wait for him to be old enough.”

February 8 marks the 100th birthday of Boy Scouts of America, one of the NRA's cooperative youth organizations. 

For one hundred years, BSA has taught young men the basic values of being “Trustworthy, Loyal, Helpful, Friendly, Courteous, Kind, Obedient, Cheerful, Thrifty, Clean, Brave and Reverent.” Of equal importance, the program emphasizes a respect and enjoyment of the outdoors, including various firearm safety courses. 

Read more about the Scouts in this article, published in Texas' TimesRecordNews:

Celebrating 100th birthday of the Scouting program

It’s a yearlong event where BSA will reintroduce to America the positive contributions Scouting makes in communities across the country and in the lives of our country’s youth. Nationally, as well as locally, the 100th Anniversary celebration will include other major events, activities, and initiatives to engage nearly 3 million youth and 1.2 million volunteers; an estimated 50 million Scouting alumni; and the general public across this nation. Bob Mazucca, BSA’s Chief Scout Executive, stated, “Our goal is not simply to recognize 100 years of service. Our expectation is that this anniversary will lay the foundation for making the BSA better and stronger for its next 100 years.”

The Boy Scouts of America serves nearly 4.7 million young people between 7 and 20 years of age with more than 302 councils throughout the United States. It is the nation’s foremost youth program of character development and values-based leadership training. It’s a program that has inspired a nation.

For 100 years, Scouting has been helping the youth of America find, in themselves and in the world around them, more than they thought possible. It’s legacy is a century of building character and instilling, in our nation’s youth, a spirit of achievement and of success. At its center is God, family, patriotism, responsibility, leadership, and respect.

Sylvia Schneider of the NRA's Headquarters Range brings NRAblog the following:

Due to inclement weather, the Range will remain closed tomorrow, Sunday, Feb. 7.

The Range's voicemail -- 703-267-1402 --  will be updated accordingly. 

The National Firearms Museum's Amber Lammers clued NRAblog in on the following:

"The NRA trophies that are normally in the atrium and inaccessible to visitors have been temporarily moved to the area where the museum store used to be," she said. "Upon entering the museum, directly to the right visitors can see some of the finest trophies the NRA has along with information about each one."

NRAblog is on the road again, this time heading to Pennsylvania for the 2010 Eastern Sports & Outdoor Show. The show lasts from February 6 until February 14.( Look for these smiling faces and get yourself a bright yellow NRAblog tote. (This was taken during last weekend's NRA Great American Hunting & Outdoor Show. Read the live coverage here.)

If you can't make it to this year's open-to-the-public show -- the largest of its kind -- stick around. NRAblog will be reporting on some of the show's most exciting events. NRA News will be there, too!

The Central Maryland Friends of NRA banquet is March 27, and the committee has good reason to be excited about this year's event: NRA President Ron Schmeits is keynoting.

Pictured above, members of the volunteer committee chat with attendees at the NRA Great American Hunting & Outdoor Show this past weekend in Carroll County, Maryland. They sold raffle tickets and promoted the event, which features both a live and silent auction, along with games, door prizes, and more. Held at the Pleasant Valley Fire Department, the event kicks off at 4 p.m. on Saturday, March 27.

Individual tickets are $40, and couples are $75. Sponsorships are also available. Interested in attending this Friends of NRA event? Not to worry -- just email the committee at mdfNRA@hotmail.com.  

Committee members working the table -- Jessica, Patrick, Rick, CJ, and Bob -- reported a high level of interest in the banquet. The committe's chairman is Mr. Craig Davis. Stay tuned for a report on this exciting event!

The National Rifle Association's Training Department is pleased to announce a special offer from FNH USA, continuing the company's longstanding support of NRA's programs. Through this new offer, NRA Certified Instructors and Appointed Training Counselors will be able to purchase select FNH USA pistols at a reduced cost, with ten percent of each sale benefiting the NRA Education and Training Endowment.

"We're thrilled to be partnering with FNH USA on this fantastic deal for our trainers," said Bill Poole, Director of NRA's Education and Training Division. "Not only can Instructors purchase quality firearms at discounted prices, but the generosity of FNH USA will allow us to expand and develop our firearms training programs."

The 9mm FNP-9 and the .40 caliber FNP-40, two of FNH's most popular handguns, are available to NRA Certified Instructors and Appointed Training Counselors for the discounted price of only $494.00, two hundred dollars less than the retail price. Instructors can purchase these pistols to use during their training courses, both as training aides and for live fire exercises.

More...

Women On Target coordinator Beth Hellmann passed NRAblog some information about an Instructional Shooting Clinic last week. “The Illinois State Rifle Association is one of the most active hosts of Women On Target Instructional Shooting Clinics,” she said. “So far this year, the ISRA has scheduled four clinics. These clinics fill up fast and are eagerly anticipated by the public.”

“Our thanks to Richard Pearson, Lori Shafer, and the Illinois State Rifle Association for their efforts, as well as to the Chillicothe Sportsmen's Club in Chatsworth for providing volunteers and range use,” Hellmann added.

NRAblog caught up with Lori Shafer, who echoed Beth's sentiment. "We have wait lists for almost all our clinics," she said, noting the club hopes to add a new clinic specific to shotgun instruction in 2010. "It's like a woman's day out for families. We have grandmothers, aunts, daughters, from ages 14 to 83."

More...

Sylvia Schneider of the NRA's Headquarters Range called NRAblog with an important -- and rare -- announcement:

"We're closing early today," she said.

Due to threats of inclement weather, the Range will shut its doors at 3 p.m. today, Friday, Feb. 5, and remain closed tomorrow.

"We're scheduled to open at 8:30 a.m. Sunday, just like any other day," Schneider said, "but range patrons are encouraged to call 703-267-1402 to confirm."

The Range's voicemail will be updated accordingly. 

The Opening Ceremonies of the 2010 Olympic Games in Vancouver start in just one week (check NBCOlympics.com for local listings), but let’s start talking biathlon, people!

That’s right – biathlon, combining the speed of cross-country skiing and the accuracy of rifle shooting. If you’ve ever participated in a shooting sports event, you know how challenging it can be to center and focus on the target.

Now, imagine that you’ve also got this surge of adrenaline from skiing as fast as you can – your heart beating fast – and now you have to get focused enough to hit five targets, 50 meters away, with the rifle you've been toting on your back.

We’ll be posting information about the Olympic Biathlon events this month. Until then, meet Team USA’s biathletes!

Tonight's Curator's Corner takes a twist as we bring you a live to tape segment from the floor of NRA's first annual Great American Hunting & Outdoor Show in Westminster, Maryland. Sitting in for this session is Senior Curator Doug Wicklund with one of the three guns the National Firearms Museum put on display. First off the boat is a firearm owned by President Dwight D. Eisenhower.

This particular shotgun is a Winchester Model 21. A side-by-side 20 gauge, Ike's Winchester is adorned with a variety of gold inlays. There are five stars representing his rank in the military, DDE for his initials, and what looks to be a prairie chicken.

Also pressed in gold is a seal which reads:

The friend? Coca Cola President Robert Woodruff.

Including custom orders, about 30,000 Winchester Model 21s were produced between 1931 and 1992.

More details will be shared by Doug tonight and every Thursday night at 10:20 p.m. EST as Curator's Corner hits the airwaves on NRANews.com and Sirius Patriot channel 144.