Eight paper targets and two separate Firing Areas make up the final course from the Fairfax Tactical Police Competition. Sounds simple enough, but there are a few twists to add to the mix. First, you can only load six rounds at a time. Second, all reloads must take place within designated Firing Areas. Third, the Range Office will slip a dummy round into your first magazine.

On a hot sunny day, clearing that dummy round could make all the difference.

One of the more challenging courses at the Fairfax Tactical Police Competition came to life at the “Gang Shoot in the Park” course. Here's how it went:

Jump from your car with rifle in hand and hit four steel targets downrange. Leave your rifle and return to the car where you’ll find a shotgun in the trunk. From there you proceed to firing area two where you’ll engage five clay targets. Trick there is that you only have four shells and more targets to engage. That's when the duty handgun comes into play.

Secure the shotgun on your back and move from firing area two to three. Ther.e you’ll find three paper targets behind the trees. and five behind a faux brick wall. It’s a lot to run and shoot in a mere three minutes, but your heart will be pumping!

Might have taken a while, but it was worth the wait.

Before handing out the trophies, Tournament Director Marc Lipp shared a few words with the crowd:

"On behalf of the National Rifle Association, I want to thank everyone for coming out. I would be remiss if I didn't thank the range staff and I can't tell you how happy we our to be here. If you ever run into the brass here, let them know how much you enjoyed your time here today.

"If you ever need anything, let us know. Please think of us when it comes to training or an armor school. A few years ago a student asked if there was anything the NRA could do about armor schools. So we asked the manufacturers and they came whole hog to offer the course for free. Glock, HK, Benelli, Colt, all the big ones agreed to come. Getting a slot could be hard, we even had one guy come here from Hawaii, so apply online and don't think you lost out if you're on the waiting list."

But enough of that ... let's get on to the winners:

Patrol Division			Tactical Division
Ting Sun, McKinney Police Department	330.75		C.A., US Army	286.94
Kevin Cates, Durham Police Dept.	338.21		Larry Houck, Department of Army	292.74
Charles Swinford, Montgomery Co. Police Dept.	339.57		Robert Windsor, Wake Co. Sherrif's	303.04
Jerry Tuscano, Perry Nuclear	348.06		Robert Kamensky, Montgomery Co. Police	318.25
Michael Lane, Lewisville Police Dept.	348.09		Jay Bodnar, Perry Nuclear	360.39

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.

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."

John Parker from NRA's Competitive Shooting Division sent NRAblog the following:

It's springtime and the Competitive Shooting season is at hand. Magazines are being filled, barrels are being cleaned, and the NRA CSS shooting season is in full effect. We have new people in new positions with new ideas that are being well received.

2010 promises to be a banner year for NRA’s Competitive Shooting Division. Many programs that have long been in the works could see the light of day later this year. Those programs include the Club Champion Tournament and the web-based tournament sanctioning project.

NRA Sanctioned Tournament requests are pouring in at a record pace. We have sanctioned more than 7500 tournaments to date, which is well over 1000 more tournaments than this time last year. If those numbers continue to rise over the year we should set a new sanctioned tournament record. Large gains are being seen in Silhouette Cowboy Lever Action, High Power Rifle as well as Police Pistol Combat tournaments.

Sponsorship programs are also growing with additional dollars finding their way to our Championship awards schedules and the expansion of new, exciting shooting programs. Our new Tactical Rifle Program Coordinator, Trevor Tuggle, is aggressively working to bring new two and three gun programs to local clubs. Action Pistol Program Coordinator Damien Orsinger is working closely with NRA’s Education and Training Division to increase defensive pistol courses of fire to the public so that CCW permit holders will be more familiar with their firearms and how to handle them in defensive circumstances.

Disabled Shooting Services Manager Vanessa Warner-Ross opens the world of shooting sports to the disabled through her very successful Disabled Sectional Rifle Tournament Program. New tournaments and volunteer clinics conducted across the United States have been met with great participation. There promises to be a very bright future for these programs.

Two trophies were approved by the Competitions and Rules Committee, and then by the NRA Board of Directors early this year. Both will be awarded in the NRA Long Range High Power Rifle Championships starting in 2010. The Burt Rollins Memorial Trophy will be awarded to the high scoring competitor using a Palma Rifle. The Remington Band of Brothers Trophy will be awarded to the winner of the 1,000 yard any sight match. This trophy will be displayed at the NRA Annual Meeting; as requested by the trophy donor, Remington.

The 2010 Tactical Police Competition on June 19 – held right here in Fairfax – now has online registration.

To register, go here and fill in the blanks. SAVE it on your computer, and then email 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...

Anniversaries are special occasions. Usually, those celebrating the distinguished event are lavished with thoughtful gifts from family and friends alike. NRA's Law Enforcement Activities Division (LEAD) has turned the table ... just a bit.

To celebrate their 50th Anniversary, LEAD has issued a commemorative challenge coin. With the NRA Seal on one side and a special 50th Anniversary badge on the other, this coin is sure to be a favorite for all. Unfortunately, all can not own one.

Ownership of these coins is restricted to a select few. Only those who attend a LEAD school, training seminar, or competition will receive this coin. And for those of you asking that all important question; no, they are not for sale in any stores. Don't worry thought - some LEAD 50th Anniversary items are.

For a 50th Anniversary memento of your own, visit our Program Materials Center page at http://materials.nrahq.org/go/home.aspx. Scroll down and click on the 50th Anniversary Commemorative Items link under Law Enforcement. From there you can choose a badge, an embroidered logo, and more. And be sure to keep checking back as new items should be added throughout the year.

LEAD has long worked to support the efforts of law enforcement throughout the land. In addition to classes and tournaments, LEAD offers the Law Enforcement Officer of the Year Award, the Jeanne E. Bray memorial scholarship fund, and a life insurance benefit program.