VFW and NRA strive for safety - Veterans of Foreign Wars; National Rifle Association

VFW has joined forces with five organizations as part of a national outreach effort. VFW magazine will profile each--all of which have objectives in common with VFW. First on the list is the National Rifle Association, which offers a host of safety and sporting programs sure to be of interest to many VFW members. Moreover, they are ideal means to attract younger members and their families to your Post.

VFW and the National Rifle Association (NRA) share a number of common bonds. Freedom, patriotism and a spirit of volunteerism are fundamental to both groups' members. Membership in the organizations, in fact, often overlaps. Safety and marksmanship are basic interests to many VFW members, and are essential NRA missions.

NRA offers a variety of safety programs from which VFW Posts can benefit, either by providing instructors or as participants. Activities range from marksmanship training and competitive shooting to disabled shooting services, accident prevention and crime avoidance.

Brief descriptions of some of the most relevant programs follow. (More extensive information on them and other NRA programs is available at www.nrahq.org.)

Personal Safety

VFW members concerned about the security of their homes and families can benefit from two NRA initiatives--Personal Protection in the Home and Refuse To Be A Victim[R].

Personal Protection in the Home examines techniques for the last-resort use of firearms in defense of one's home, plus alternatives and a study of the legal and moral ramifications of armed self-defense. (Taking this course requires completion of a Basic Pistol course first.)

To find either course near you, call (703) 267-1430 or visit www.nrahq.org/ education.

Refuse To Be A Victim[R] is a crime avoidance program for men and women. During seminars, certified instructors present a variety of strategies citizens can incorporate into their daily lives that will help prevent criminal confrontations. While geared primarily to adults, it is useful to people of all age groups and backgrounds.

Seminar participants learn about criminal thinking and common-sense tips about maximizing personal, home, automobile, telephone, travel and Internet security. Marksmanship training is not part of the seminar.

In addition to the core curriculum, instructors can present special modules for groups focused on: youth (preschool through college), the workplace or senior citizens/persons with physical disabilities.

Those interested in becoming Refuse To Be A Victim[R] certified instructors will need to successfully complete an Instructor Development Workshop, usually a two-day process costing $95. For more information about attending a seminar or becoming an instructor, call (800) 861-1166, e-mail refuse@nrahq.org or visit www.nrahq.org/rtbav.

Child Safety

NRA's Eddie Eagle GunSafe[R] Program is probably the nation's most well-respected gun accident prevention program for children. It has been honored and/or endorsed by groups such as the National Safety Council and the National Sheriffs' Association.

Launched in 1988, Eddie Eagle teaches children in pre-K through sixth grade that: If you see a gun: STOP! Don't Touch. Leave The Area. Tell An Adult.

Eddie Eagle is generally a school classroom-based program, taught by schoolteachers and law enforcement community safety officers. But virtually any private citizen who can gather a group of children together can present the program.

Self-explanatory instructors' guides make teaching easy, and colorful workbooks, a video, and other materials make the program a delight for kids.

To learn more about teaching Eddie Eagle or getting it included in a local school, call (800) 231-0752.

Competition

NRA's Competitive Shooting Division (CSD) sanctions about 10,000 shooting matches a year. Among these is a type of match called a postal. A postal match is one in which competitors fire on their home ranges using targets marked for identification. Targets are mailed to NRA for scoring and compilation of results.

Postals allow shooters to compete on a national basis without ever leaving their home range. NRA currently administers a VFW Postal Challenge (a series of monthly team and individual matches that run from December until April each year). Last year, 16 VFW Posts in 15 states participated.

The course of fire is NRA Indoor Three-Position Smallbore Rifle (three 10-shot strings of fire, one each from the prone, kneeling and standing positions, at a distance of 50 feet).

CSD also will introduce an air gun postal for VFW in 2003. For more information on the VFW postal match, call (703) 267-1482 or send an e-mail message to postals@nrahq.org.

Youth Training & Air Rifles

NRA offers a diverse slate of shooting sports camps for young people. But probably the best activity to bring into a VFW Post is an NRA air gun program.

In recent years, the costs of building indoor ranges have made it prudent to seek out alternatives to .22 caliber rifle and pistol shooting programs, especially for youngsters.

Recognizing this, NRA has stepped up the promotion of air rifle marksmanship training. Air rifle training programs are far easier to operate than a conventional rifle and pistol program. Expenses for entry-level guns and projectiles are low, noise levels are low, and space requirements are minimal.

For air guns, a newspaper-filled card board box, set up according to instructions available from NRA, is more than adequate as a primary backstop. Likewise, there are none of the environmental concerns that go with indoor shooting using even .22 caliber rifles.

As far as safety training, all safe gun handling rules that apply to conventional firearms apply equally to handling air guns. (Additional safety rules specific to air guns also are required.) For that matter, the basics of marksmanship are all the same.

NRA's Youth Programs Department can provide a great deal of assistance in running youth shooting activities through seminars, training aids and a variety of other resources. Materials of interest to VFW members include:

The NRA Neighborhood Air Gun Program booklet, covering all details of conducting an air gun program, including constructing an inexpensive range, equipment and a safety orientation.

Its companion piece is the NRA Marksmanship Qualification Program booklet. It provides an informal, year-round recreational shooting activity that provides incentive awards for developing and improving marksmanship skills.

Along this same line is a program to improve the skill of adult leaders who work with young people. Developing Your Youth Shooting Sports Program is a 58-page guide to organizing, publicizing and conducting a variety of youth-oriented firearm and outdoor programs. It also provides an extensive listing of manufacturers and resources available to support youth shooting sports.

To obtain further information on NRA youth programs and to receive all three booklets at no cost to VFW members, call (703) 267-1550, or e-mail the Youth Programs Department at dkullivan@nrahq.org.

Disabled Shooting Services

Another function within NRA's CSD is Disabled Shooting Services (DSS). The programs operated by this department have enabled thousands of Americans with physical disabilities to enjoy a wide variety, of shooting activities, including competitive events and hunting.

Dave Baskin, manager of the department, is past chairman of the U.S. Paralympic Committee for the Shooting Sports. He has been the head coach of the U.S. Paralympic Shooting Team since 1987.

Working directly with disabled veterans, DSS co-sponsors an air rifle league for members of the Eastern Paralyzed Veterans Association. The league--a series of shoulder-to-shoulder contests that run from March to September--attracts 70-100 entrants annually. Currently, NRA is dealing with other regional disabled veterans organizations to expand the event nationally.

DSS also works internationally to help hospitals and physical therapists operate the NRA Rehabilitative Shooting Program. This innovative effort uses the skills developed through shooting to improve patients' refined motor control skills, trunk balance, eye-hand coordination and self-esteem.

Intended particularly for treatment of spinal cord injuries, the program is in use in Birmingham, Ala., and four other U.S. hospitals, plus the National Rehabilitation Hospital of Ireland.

DSS also offers free, expert guidance on disability-related hunting and shooting sports challenges. Advice ranges from which firearm is best suited to a particular circumstance to the names of guides or outfitters who work with disabled clients.

NRA will help VFW Posts get any type of competitive programs organized and under way. No question goes unanswered. Call (703) 267-1495.

For Women Only

NRA offers a special program called Women On Target[TM]. Launched in 1999, it sponsors three types of events for women only: hunts, charity shooting and instructional clinics.

With a growing number of women in the military being exposed to firearms, and thus becoming veterans, this seems an opportune family recreational pastime to add to Post activities.

For more information or a schedule of 2003 Women On Target[TM] events, call (800) 861-1166, or log onto www.nrahq. org/women.

Instructor Certification

Today, 800,000 civilians a year take a NRA basic firearm training course (BFTC), taught by 43,000 NRA-certified instructors. With the shooting experience that many VFW members have, becoming an NRA-certified instructor is a natural step, one that allows shooting and safety knowledge to be passed on to the community.

Several standards must be met to become NRA-certified, including demonstration of a solid background in firearm safety and shooting, and successful completion of the BFTC and exam.

Certifications may be earned in a number of courses, such as Basic Rifle, Basic Pistol, Basic Shotgun, Personal Protection and Home Firearm Safety.

Instructor training courses are taught by NRA training counselors. To locate a training counselor who will train and certify VFW Post members to teach NRA basic courses, call (703) 267-1430.

Certified instructors are qualified to teach a BFTC, which focuses on gun safety and marksmanship fundamentals. For VFW members interested in working with shooters in formal competition, a separate training course is available to earn a coach's certificate. To learn about this process, call (703) 267-1589 or e-mail the National Coach Trainer at hmoody@nrahq.org.

Financial Assistance

NRA Foundation grants are a significant source of funds for projects and programs that help foster the shooting sports. It exists to support a wide range of firearm-related public interest activities.

The foundation aids efforts to promote firearm and hunting safety, conservation and marksmanship development, and to educate the general public about firearms in their historic, technological and artistic context.

Funds granted by the Foundation may benefit children, youth groups, women, individuals with physical disabilities, law enforcement officers and hunters.

Since 1994, The NRA Foundation has awarded almost $33,000 in grants to VFW Posts.

The NRA field representative for each state is the primary contact for grant information, or you can go to www.nrafoundation.org/foundation and click on "Grants."

COPYRIGHT 2003 Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States
COPYRIGHT 2003 Gale Group