How many of you have attended a hunter’s safety course or had their kids attend a gun safety program?  Maybe your child participates in a shooting team at school or an after-school organization.  Maybe you’ve attended a shooting clinic or gone to a nice, well-built and run shooting range?  Chances are, if you’ve done these things or a myriad of others, the NRA has helped to make that possible.  In a lot of ways, the NRA Foundation works to provide the resources we need now so that we and our children can enjoy the shooting sports in the future.

One of the ways that the NRA Foundation raises funds for these and other programs is through the Friends of the NRA program.  The FNRA is basically a coalition of local groups that put together fund-raising activities that fund firearms education, youth shooting teams, and many other activities that help to ensure the longevity of the shooting sports.  Half the money raised by the groups in a given state are guaranteed to be spent in that state through grants, while the other half is used to fund activities with a more national scope.

In Louisville, the local FNRA group has been busy setting up their annual banquet, but they’ve also been holding drawings for guns and gear, as well as manning a “Wall of Guns” booth at the Knob Creek Machine Gun Shoot.  The drawings and such are an important way to raise money for the program, but the big-ticket item is the annual banquet.  For a relatively low cost, you get a good dinner, entertainment, access to a silent auction and drawings, and get to have a great time.  The bonus is that all of the proceeds go to the Friends of the NRA, with at least half of it being spent right here in the Commonwealth.  You can buy individual tickets, but there are usually great deals on group packages, where you get admitted to the banquet, tickets for the games and silent auction, and possibly even a bonus such as a firearm or other gear along with it.  If you’re not close to Louisville, there are FNRA events all over the country, so I’m pretty certain there’s a banquet somewhere near you..

So, if you’re of a mind to have a good time, take a chance on getting some great guns and gear, and want to help out a good cause, please buy yourself a ticket or three to the banquets, buy some drawing tickets, and help the Friends of the NRA pay for programs that plant the seeds of our future in the shooting sports.  Even better: contact your local committee and get involved.