1,600 Juniors Compete at the Grand and other news!
RECORD TURNOUT FOR SCHOLASTIC PROGRAM . . . Youth baseball has the Little League World Series. Youth trapshooting has the Scholastic Clay Target Program (SCTP) National Championships. More than 1,600 youth trap shooters from 26 states converged on the newly constructed World Shooting and Recreational Complex in Sparta, Ill., Tuesday and Wednesday for the SCTP trap nationals. The two-day team competition, held in conjunction with the world's largest shooting competition―the Grand American World Trapshooting Championships―was the largest in SCTP's six-year history. "Thanks to hard work and commitment from our volunteer coaches and state directors, support from a growing number of state wildlife agencies and strong support from our industry sponsors, SCTP participation continues to grow at a remarkable rate," said Zach Snow of NSSF, which developed, sponsors and manages SCTP on the national level. The program, which began the year with about 6,000 youth participants, added over 2,000 more this spring and summer and now includes more than 8,300 in 41 states.
View the complete results from the SCTP national championships.
GRAND OPENING . . . Kicking off with the SCTP nationals, the 107-year-old Grand American opened in its new location in Sparta, Ill., last week. The new $50 million, 1,500-acre World Shooting and Recreational Complex is expected to be an economic boon for southern Illinois, with the annual Grand being the facility's largest draw. The Associated Press, St. Louis Post-Dispatch and Chicago Tribune all provided coverage from the event, while the Illinois Southern helped put to rest any potential misconceptions with an editorial titled, "Guns plus the public doesn't equal danger." St. Louis-area television stations also provided coverage. View a televised report from KSDK's Steve Jankowski.
NSSF DEMANDS NBC CEASE AIRING POLITICAL AD. . . Last Thursday, WNBC-TV in New York City began broadcasting a political campaign commercial by candidate for attorney general Andrew Cuomo that states Cuomo "led a legal battle against gun makers who arm gangs." In response to this blatantly false and defamatory statement, NSSF has demanded the station cease any further broadcast of the ad and will also file a complaint with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). Read NSSF's letter to NBC Universal executive vice president and general counsel Richard Cotton.
ANNIE'S GOT YOUR GUN . . . The number of women turning to firearms for sport and safety has grown exponentially over the past five years. A recent article in the Chicago Tribune ("Lady's Got a Gun," Aug. 10, 2006) drew attention to this, citing increased membership in programs like NRA's Women on Target, which went from 500 participants in 2000 to close to 6,000 participants last year. With increased safety concerns and a growing love of the shooting sports and hunting, women are among the fastest growing demographic of shooters and firearms purchasers. NSSF's Scholastic Clay Target Program has also grown remarkably popular with young women. In 2005 alone, SCTP saw an 84 percent increase in teenage girls participating.
REPORT: OUTDOOR RECREATION POURS $730 BILLION INTO ECONOMY . . . A report released Friday by the Outdoor Industry Foundation, Southwick Associates and Harris Interactive revealed the economic impact of outdoor recreation, including hunting. The study concludes that $730 billion is spent annually, supporting 6.5 million jobs, that is, one in 20 jobs in the U.S., and producing $88 billion in federal and state taxes. The "Active Outdoor Recreation Economy Study" was released at the Outdoor Retailer Summer Market in Salt Lake City.
RHODE TAKES SHOT AT SKEET . . . She has two Olympic gold medals and a bronze in doubles trap, but with the International Olympic Committee eliminating her event, Kim Rhode has her shotgun pointed in a new direction: international skeet. Rhode, in between training and an appearance at the SCTP nationals in Sparta last week, found the time to discuss her new goals in an interview with the Santa Clarita Valley Signal.
SUNDAY HUNTING TO BE DISCUSSED . . . Virginia remains one of only a few states that prohibit hunting on Sunday, but that might be about to change, reports The Roanoke Times. Sunday hunting is scheduled to be discussed by the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries' Wildlife and Boat Committee on Aug. 21. The results of the meeting will likely be passed onto the full board at its Aug. 22 meeting. The department's board doesn't have authority to end the ban on Sunday hunting, but its endorsement would likely be weighed heavily by the General Assembly.
CHINA ENCOURAGES HUNTING . . . To enhance its wildlife management system and boost the nation's economy, China is calling for the launch of a national hunting club "to further regulate the market, enhance relevant laws and co-ordinate between hunting areas in remote places and customers in the east coast," reports the China Daily. The first-ever auction of hunting quotas, scheduled for yesterday, has been postponed, however, to solicit suggestions from the public, reports the Shanghai Daily. That paper reports that last year international hunters killed more than 700 wild animals in China, contributing more than $4 million to that nation's wildlife conservation.
OREGON ALLOTS TAGS FOR TERMINALLY ILL YOUNG PEOPLE . . . The Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission has approved the issuing of up to 25 free hunting tags for terminally ill youngsters. At the hearing held by the commission earlier this month, Danny Benson, spokesperson for the non-profit group "Hunt of a Lifetime," was an avid proponent of the proposal, reports the Salem, Ore., Statesman Journal. During his presentation, Benson recounted the story of one of two similar participants on 2005 hunts: "Troy got to come on his hunt…he returned home [to Pennsylvania] with a trophy mule deer…Troy got to experience his dream…four months later he passed away."
GIRLS PROVE DOMINANT IN INTER-CAMP SHOOTING MATCH . . . When the Camp Oatka rifle team from Lake Sebago, Maine, pulled into Fleur de Lis Camp in Fitzwilliam, N.H., for a match against an all-girls team, the boys didn't beam with the confidence their undefeated record should have provided. "We can beat everyone else. We just can't beat the girls," Oatka's coach, Brian Petersen, said before the match. Despite his team's string of victories, he did have little reason to be confident. "Then again, who would be, knowing your last victory [against the girls] came when gas cost 93 cents a gallon and Ronald Reagan was president?" reports The Boston Globe in an amusing recap of the ensuing event and an insight into the girls' superiority.
CAMP PERRY COMPETITON ENDS TODAY . . . The annual NRA National Outdoor Rifle & Pistol Championships, which began with pistol competition on July 11, concludes today with the final high-power rifle long-range championships. The NRA Web site conveniently posts the results of all championship matches.
TIMES PROFILES GUN COLOR MANUFACTURER . . . Sunday's edition of The New York Times Magazine profiled Chippewa Falls, Wis.-based Lauer Custom Weaponry, which manufacturers DuraCoat gun coloration products. Since he began selling DuraCoat in 2002, Steve Lauer has attracted customers in firearm manufacturers, hobbyists, small gun shops and gunsmiths.
BIG GAME IN THE BIG CITY . . . Across America, and surprisingly in predominately liberal urban areas with strict gun laws, a deer hunting video game has become the hottest-seller in bars and arcades, reports the Associated Press. In the coin-operated Big Buck Hunter Pro, players use a plastic shotgun to hunt deer, elk and other game, often firing furiously at the screen. Asked if the next step might be heading to the woods with Remingtons and Mossbergs, Buckmasters Whitetail Magazine editor Russell Thornberry commented, "I thank God they are doing it in a bar. I'm not sure I'd want them hunting anywhere near where I was hunting. They'd be a danger to me and the deer."
MISSOURI STUDENT WINS NSCA/NSSF SCHOLARSHIP . . . Brian Ehrich, 18, has only been shooting registered targets for a year, but nevertheless is looking forward to shooting for University of Missouri when he matriculates as an Animal Sciences major. Though the university doesn't offer shooting scholarships, the Laclede, Mo., resident will find financial aid in the form of the 2006 NSCA/NSSF scholarship he has been awarded. Ehrich has not only been an active shooter on his Scholastic Clay Target Program (SCTP) team, but he has also served as assistant coach of his squad, epitomizing the best of the growing number of SCTP alumni.
PENNSYLVANIA SPORTSMEN TO GET THEIR OWN MUSEUM . . . The Keystone State boasts loads of edifices of culture, including art, science and history museums. On August 19 ground will be broken for a different kind of center, the Hunting and Fishing Museum of Pennsylvania, on Lighthouse Island near Tionesta. The construction project is a 25,000-square-foot facility dedicated to the preservation and presentation of Pennsylvania's hunting, trapping and fishing heritage, reports the Star-Gazette.
FEDERAL COURT AFFIRMS SPORT HUNTING REPRESENTATION . . . Despite the attempts by Native Alaskan groups to exclude recreational hunters from participating in decision making concerning the use of the state's federal lands for subsistence purposes, the U.S. District Court for the District of Alaska has acknowledged the government's desired balance of representation by setting aside 30 percent of the committee seats to recreational and commercial users. Among those battling for years for this decision has been Safari Club International. The court's ruling, however, only allows this decision to stand until the end of the year, by which time the government has been directed to correct procedural errors that have clouded the issue.
View the complete results from the SCTP national championships.
GRAND OPENING . . . Kicking off with the SCTP nationals, the 107-year-old Grand American opened in its new location in Sparta, Ill., last week. The new $50 million, 1,500-acre World Shooting and Recreational Complex is expected to be an economic boon for southern Illinois, with the annual Grand being the facility's largest draw. The Associated Press, St. Louis Post-Dispatch and Chicago Tribune all provided coverage from the event, while the Illinois Southern helped put to rest any potential misconceptions with an editorial titled, "Guns plus the public doesn't equal danger." St. Louis-area television stations also provided coverage. View a televised report from KSDK's Steve Jankowski.
NSSF DEMANDS NBC CEASE AIRING POLITICAL AD. . . Last Thursday, WNBC-TV in New York City began broadcasting a political campaign commercial by candidate for attorney general Andrew Cuomo that states Cuomo "led a legal battle against gun makers who arm gangs." In response to this blatantly false and defamatory statement, NSSF has demanded the station cease any further broadcast of the ad and will also file a complaint with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). Read NSSF's letter to NBC Universal executive vice president and general counsel Richard Cotton.
ANNIE'S GOT YOUR GUN . . . The number of women turning to firearms for sport and safety has grown exponentially over the past five years. A recent article in the Chicago Tribune ("Lady's Got a Gun," Aug. 10, 2006) drew attention to this, citing increased membership in programs like NRA's Women on Target, which went from 500 participants in 2000 to close to 6,000 participants last year. With increased safety concerns and a growing love of the shooting sports and hunting, women are among the fastest growing demographic of shooters and firearms purchasers. NSSF's Scholastic Clay Target Program has also grown remarkably popular with young women. In 2005 alone, SCTP saw an 84 percent increase in teenage girls participating.
REPORT: OUTDOOR RECREATION POURS $730 BILLION INTO ECONOMY . . . A report released Friday by the Outdoor Industry Foundation, Southwick Associates and Harris Interactive revealed the economic impact of outdoor recreation, including hunting. The study concludes that $730 billion is spent annually, supporting 6.5 million jobs, that is, one in 20 jobs in the U.S., and producing $88 billion in federal and state taxes. The "Active Outdoor Recreation Economy Study" was released at the Outdoor Retailer Summer Market in Salt Lake City.
RHODE TAKES SHOT AT SKEET . . . She has two Olympic gold medals and a bronze in doubles trap, but with the International Olympic Committee eliminating her event, Kim Rhode has her shotgun pointed in a new direction: international skeet. Rhode, in between training and an appearance at the SCTP nationals in Sparta last week, found the time to discuss her new goals in an interview with the Santa Clarita Valley Signal.
SUNDAY HUNTING TO BE DISCUSSED . . . Virginia remains one of only a few states that prohibit hunting on Sunday, but that might be about to change, reports The Roanoke Times. Sunday hunting is scheduled to be discussed by the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries' Wildlife and Boat Committee on Aug. 21. The results of the meeting will likely be passed onto the full board at its Aug. 22 meeting. The department's board doesn't have authority to end the ban on Sunday hunting, but its endorsement would likely be weighed heavily by the General Assembly.
CHINA ENCOURAGES HUNTING . . . To enhance its wildlife management system and boost the nation's economy, China is calling for the launch of a national hunting club "to further regulate the market, enhance relevant laws and co-ordinate between hunting areas in remote places and customers in the east coast," reports the China Daily. The first-ever auction of hunting quotas, scheduled for yesterday, has been postponed, however, to solicit suggestions from the public, reports the Shanghai Daily. That paper reports that last year international hunters killed more than 700 wild animals in China, contributing more than $4 million to that nation's wildlife conservation.
OREGON ALLOTS TAGS FOR TERMINALLY ILL YOUNG PEOPLE . . . The Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission has approved the issuing of up to 25 free hunting tags for terminally ill youngsters. At the hearing held by the commission earlier this month, Danny Benson, spokesperson for the non-profit group "Hunt of a Lifetime," was an avid proponent of the proposal, reports the Salem, Ore., Statesman Journal. During his presentation, Benson recounted the story of one of two similar participants on 2005 hunts: "Troy got to come on his hunt…he returned home [to Pennsylvania] with a trophy mule deer…Troy got to experience his dream…four months later he passed away."
GIRLS PROVE DOMINANT IN INTER-CAMP SHOOTING MATCH . . . When the Camp Oatka rifle team from Lake Sebago, Maine, pulled into Fleur de Lis Camp in Fitzwilliam, N.H., for a match against an all-girls team, the boys didn't beam with the confidence their undefeated record should have provided. "We can beat everyone else. We just can't beat the girls," Oatka's coach, Brian Petersen, said before the match. Despite his team's string of victories, he did have little reason to be confident. "Then again, who would be, knowing your last victory [against the girls] came when gas cost 93 cents a gallon and Ronald Reagan was president?" reports The Boston Globe in an amusing recap of the ensuing event and an insight into the girls' superiority.
CAMP PERRY COMPETITON ENDS TODAY . . . The annual NRA National Outdoor Rifle & Pistol Championships, which began with pistol competition on July 11, concludes today with the final high-power rifle long-range championships. The NRA Web site conveniently posts the results of all championship matches.
TIMES PROFILES GUN COLOR MANUFACTURER . . . Sunday's edition of The New York Times Magazine profiled Chippewa Falls, Wis.-based Lauer Custom Weaponry, which manufacturers DuraCoat gun coloration products. Since he began selling DuraCoat in 2002, Steve Lauer has attracted customers in firearm manufacturers, hobbyists, small gun shops and gunsmiths.
BIG GAME IN THE BIG CITY . . . Across America, and surprisingly in predominately liberal urban areas with strict gun laws, a deer hunting video game has become the hottest-seller in bars and arcades, reports the Associated Press. In the coin-operated Big Buck Hunter Pro, players use a plastic shotgun to hunt deer, elk and other game, often firing furiously at the screen. Asked if the next step might be heading to the woods with Remingtons and Mossbergs, Buckmasters Whitetail Magazine editor Russell Thornberry commented, "I thank God they are doing it in a bar. I'm not sure I'd want them hunting anywhere near where I was hunting. They'd be a danger to me and the deer."
MISSOURI STUDENT WINS NSCA/NSSF SCHOLARSHIP . . . Brian Ehrich, 18, has only been shooting registered targets for a year, but nevertheless is looking forward to shooting for University of Missouri when he matriculates as an Animal Sciences major. Though the university doesn't offer shooting scholarships, the Laclede, Mo., resident will find financial aid in the form of the 2006 NSCA/NSSF scholarship he has been awarded. Ehrich has not only been an active shooter on his Scholastic Clay Target Program (SCTP) team, but he has also served as assistant coach of his squad, epitomizing the best of the growing number of SCTP alumni.
PENNSYLVANIA SPORTSMEN TO GET THEIR OWN MUSEUM . . . The Keystone State boasts loads of edifices of culture, including art, science and history museums. On August 19 ground will be broken for a different kind of center, the Hunting and Fishing Museum of Pennsylvania, on Lighthouse Island near Tionesta. The construction project is a 25,000-square-foot facility dedicated to the preservation and presentation of Pennsylvania's hunting, trapping and fishing heritage, reports the Star-Gazette.
FEDERAL COURT AFFIRMS SPORT HUNTING REPRESENTATION . . . Despite the attempts by Native Alaskan groups to exclude recreational hunters from participating in decision making concerning the use of the state's federal lands for subsistence purposes, the U.S. District Court for the District of Alaska has acknowledged the government's desired balance of representation by setting aside 30 percent of the committee seats to recreational and commercial users. Among those battling for years for this decision has been Safari Club International. The court's ruling, however, only allows this decision to stand until the end of the year, by which time the government has been directed to correct procedural errors that have clouded the issue.
posted by SHOOT! MAGAZINE | 4:41 PM
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