Firearms Less Than 1.5% of Accidental Fatalities Among Children

National Shooting Sports Foundation

NEWTOWN, Conn --(Ammoland.com)- For children and youth 14 years of age and under,unintentional injuries are the leading cause of fatality, but firearms account for the lowest cause of injury among youth.

“Tragically, 18 times more children are killed by suffocation from bedding, plastic bags or small objects than guns.” said Ammoland Editor, Fredy Riehl

About NSSF
The National Shooting Sports Foundation is the trade association for the firearms industry. Its mission is to promote, protect and preserve hunting and the shooting sports. Formed in 1961, NSSF has a membership of more than 6,000 manufacturers, distributors, firearms retailers, shooting ranges, sportsmen’s organizations and publishers. For more information, log on to www.nssf.org.

Virginia Citizens Defense League

Covington VA --(Ammoland.com)- This might be of interest to the entire VCDL group who have children.

My 12 year old son and I attended the gun show yesterday at the Showplace in Mechanicsville.

One firearm’s dealer asked me to pick up and hand guns to my son first, before allowing him to handle guns at the show, since the ATF would be all over him in his words if the parent didn’t hand the child the gun.

I will comment that my children are always under my direct supervision when handling firearms no matter where we are.

I politely asked the firearm’s dealer to show me the written legislation in the 2nd amendment that prevents persons under the age of 18 from handling a firearm at a gunshow.

Then he switched his statement claiming that it’s Virginia law for children under age 16. I asked to see the Virginia law in writing since I’ve never heard of it. He was polite and stated that he saw it my way but he needed to comply with the ATF and VA laws. Additionally, the gun show did not have a sign at the entrance stating that children under age 16 are prohibited from handling firearms without a parent picking up the subject gun first and handing it the child.

It seems like everywhere I go, people are running their mouths and quoting laws, codes and/or ordinances to me that directly interfere with the constitution and my constitutional rights, but are unable to show me where they’re written or who authorized them. I can’t even get Eric Cantor, my elected official in the 7th District, to provide me with the written legislation that authorized the Census Bureau in 2010 to request more than the three questions that the constitution clearly dictates when conducting the 10 year census.

I would appreciate your providing clarification for me and VCDL members who have children in the updates.

Are there federal or state laws that prohibit children under the age of 16 from picking up or handling firearms at a gun show, with or without direct parent supervision?

Incidently, my son had quite a wish list by the time we left, but I doubt that would have been the case if he hadn’t handled the merchandise first!

As always, thank you for all of your hard work in running the VCDL and helping the membership with our questions and concerns.

Jim Dinger

Federal law is one problem: 18 USC 922 (x) prohibits a person under 18 years of age to possess a handgun without the prior written permission of the parent or guardian. With the parent handing the gun to the child and not the dealer, that changes the situation. Although, technically, the parent should have a written note giving themselves permission to hand the gun to the child. Hey, gun laws are mostly stupid and this is another one.

State law requires the child must be in the presence of an adult while the child is in possession of a handgun. This one is kind of sticky, too, as gun shows are not specifically listed in the exemption – just shooting ranges and firearms education class. Code section is 18.2-308.7.

Thanks to Mike Stollenwerk for his guidance on the federal code section.

About:
Virginia Citizens Defense League, Inc. (VCDL). VCDL is an all-volunteer, non-partisan grassroots organization dedicated to defending the human rights of all Virginians. The Right to Keep and Bear Arms is a fundamental human right. Visit: www.vcdl.org

2010 Pennsylvania Junior Small Bore Rifle Camp

Pennsylvania Rifle and Pistol Association

Butler, PA --(Ammoland.com)- The Intermediate Junior Small bore Rifle shooting camp has been a summer activity in Pennsylvania for the past 30 years.

This years camp was held 15-19 June, 2010, at Indiana, PA. NRA Foundation grants help to support this endeavor and assist in keeping the cost of attending as low as possible.

Sixteen adults, junior program coordinators, coaches, and energetic volunteers, assisted the camp with various activities. Twenty juniors, ages 11 through 16 years of age, were the camp participants. All were state residents, with the majority of them from western and central Pennsylvania. The camp also is conducted with the assistance of the National Rifle Association and the NRA Day Camp program.

The camp begins on the afternoon of the check-in day, and juniors get right into shooting with a short record course of fire. The purpose of this match is to get everyone involved from the start and to get the coaches interacting with the shooters. Also we get our scoring and records group up to speed, and most importantly, we can determine the experience/ability level of our junior shooters.

After a dinner meal at the local Ciccies Pizza, everyone returned to the Clymer rifle range for the first of the evening fun matches. The first nightes fun match was a club rifle match. For this match teams were randomly selected, and both coaches and juniors firing for the team. It was a short 10 shot prone match, each shooter firing one target. Eight shooters comprised four different teams. Two or three coaches fired on each team. Most of those present had not shot a club rifle for a few years, and some had not ever fired a club gun.

The rifles used were Remington 513T rifles, with a lot of variation in stock size, sight apertures, trigger pull, etc. Everyone came away from the experience with a greater appreciation of the problems encountered by the beginning shooter who often starts their shooting experience with guns usually provided by local clubs. All the junior kids were more than ready to get back to their match rifles for the remainder of the camp.

Bob Kinges team, some say a \ringer team., was the winning team. Members were Mary Sloan, Trent Thomas, Steve Hutta, Morgan Duerr, Chris Duerr, Bob King, Gene Lechmanick, and Tom Benedict. An appropriate awards ceremony was held immediately following their win, and each team member enjoyed a Hershey candy bar for their fine efforts.

The second day is devoted to the three shooting positions. There are two relays of juniors, ten each relay. Ten juniors shoot on the indoor range, while the others have short classroom lessons. The relays take turns moving from classroom to range and back to classroom. A lot of time is devoted to prone, standing, and kneeling positions, both on the firing line, and in the classrooms. Each shooteres positions are analyzed and corrected as necessary while they are shooting. In the classroom the instructors cover the position fundamentals, and various other subjects related to making each one a better shooter. One of the teaching points of this and every dayes instruction was to have shooters become very aware of their natural point of aim. This tends to be one of the fundamentals that beginning shooters need ongoing reminders about. The evening fun match was the Bonus Prone Match.. The rules are a little different, and shooters are allowed to refire shots that are not tens. Appropriate awards were distributed at the conclusion.

Bob King’s Team—winner of the club team match

The third day was supervised training time on the range. Shooters were given an opportunity to shoot each position and get additional help from coaches. This was a low key training day, enabling shooters to polish up their skills. There was a One Shot Special Target match during the day. The evening fun match was a One shot Elimination Match. Shooting from the standing position, shooters fired one shot, awaited scoring, and were eliminated by the better shot from their competitors. This exercise stressed the one shot at a time, theme of camp. The result is the best shooter is left standing. Sometimes it is not the best shooter in camp, but the luckiest! Awards were presented to the winners.

The final day saw shooters firing a half-course 3-position record match under typical match conditions. Competition was spirited–this is like the final exam. The evening match was a continuation of the dayes record firing with a 10-shot standing Olympic finals. Scores of the finals were added to the dayes half course to produce the grand aggregate.

A number of fine awards were donated as prizes for the camp. Wolf Performance Ammunition donated T-shirts, .22 ammunition, back-packs and other Wolf logo items. Eley Ammunition donated .22 ammunition, T-shirts, and Eley hats. Anschutz donated three very nice back-packs. The Army National Guard donated neat back-packs and duffle bags. Various local vendors donated rifle cleaning supplies and gun products. NRA Collegiate shooting donated beautiful ball-point pens, and NRA Sports donated NRA T-shirts. The awards were presented on Saturday. Every junior was able to pick several items from the awards table.

Camp is already planned for the coming year. 2011 will follow a similar schedule, probably at the same locations. IUP has re-done their dormitory rooms and they are more expensive than in the past. Camp cost will likely be a bit more for the coming year. This yeares camp was one of our most enjoyable. The smiling faces in the photos are a pretty good indicator that the kids had a great time and also learned something that should be useful for their future shooting competitions.

2011 Camp announcements and registration will be available in February.

About:
Pennsylvania Rifle and Pistol Association: Constitution of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Article I, Section 21, “The right of the citi-zens to bear arms in defense of themselves and the State shall not be questioned.” We uphold, promote and support the right to keep and bear arms. Visit: www.pennarifleandpistol.org

National Rifle Association

FAIRFAX, VA --(AmmoLand.com)- School children in and around Charlotte, North Carolina will soon learn the lifesaving message of the National Rifle Association’s Eddie Eagle GunSafe Program.

Eddie Eagle staff, in conjunction with the Mount Holly Police Department and the Monroe Police Department will be presenting their award-winning program to children in five elementary schools in the Charlotte area from Monday, May 10 through Wednesday, May 12.

The Eddie Eagle Gunsafe Program is a firearm accident prevention program designed for children Pre-K through the 3rd grades. The program teaches children, if they find a gun, to: “STOP! Don’t Touch. Leave the Area. Tell an Adult.” Now in its 22nd year, the program has reached over 23 million children nationwide.

Eddie Eagle Gunsafe Program

Since the Eddie Eagle program’s inception, over 721,587 North Carolina children have been taught its lifesaving message. Much of this has been made possible through funds raised by Friends of NRA and grants distributed through The NRA Foundation, which have provided free curriculum materials for instructors of the program.

“We are excited to work with the Mount Holly & Monroe Police Departments while helping bring Eddie Eagle’s life saving message to the local elementary schools,” said Eddie Eagle Program Manager Eric Lipp.

“It’s great to see local law enforcement’s commitment to teaching children firearms accident prevention.”

Accidental deaths with firearms have been decreasing for decades and are now at an all-time low among the U.S. population. Among children in the Eddie Eagle age group, fatal firearm accidents have been reduced more than 80% since the program’s nation-wide launch. NRA believes that firearm accident prevention programs such as Eddie Eagle are a significant factor in that decline.

The program was created by past NRA President, Marion P. Hammer, in consultation with law enforcement officers, elementary school teachers, and child psychologists. It has been endorsed by the Office of Juvenile and Delinquency Prevention (within the U.S. Department of Justice) and has been praised by a host of national and community organizations, governors, and state legislatures for its effectiveness.

“The NRA is committed to helping keep America’s children safe,” said Ms. Hammer. “This program also instills in our youth the important values of leadership, discipline, and personal responsibility that will help our children throughout their lives. It is imperative that all parents be responsible for teaching good judgment and gun safety to their children,” she added.

Eddie Eagle will also be making public appearances at NRA’s 139th Annual Meeting and Exhibits, to be held May 14-16 at the Charlotte Convention Center in Charlotte, North Carolina.

THE EDDIE EAGLE GUNSAFEâ PROGRAM: Schedule of Assemblies

Monday, May 10, 2010

Tabernacle Christian School 10:00 AM

First Assembly Christian School 1:00PM

Tuesday, May 11, 2010

Ida Rankin Elementary School 9:30 AM

Wednesday, May 12, 2010

Catawba Heights Elementary 9:00 AM

Shining Light Baptist Academy 1:00 PM

The NRA encourages citizens nationwide to participate in heightening firearm safety awareness within their local communities. Schools, law enforcement agencies, civic groups, and other interested in more information about the Eddie Eagle GunSafeâ Program should call the Eddie Eagle Department at (800) 231-0752 or visit their Web site at: www.nrahq.org/safety/eddie.

John L. May - Sales Director - Wilson Combat

Wilson Combat

Berryville, AR – -(AmmoLand.com)-  April has arrived roaring; our weather went from over a foot of snow in a single day to shorts and tee shirts playing outside with the kids in the last few weeks.

Now that conditions are improving and maybe growing stable, I am looking forward to taking some time to go shooting with my son. He has been after me all winter to let him shoot something, it seems his interest in all things related to guns and shooting is increasing. It should be a great deal of fun seeing it all through his eyes again.

I suspect that my daughter will follow close behind since she never wants to miss out on anything that her older brother gets to do. In years past I have spent a good deal of time on the range with various youth groups, it is worth the time and the pay back is exceptional. Go shooting, take a kid, if you do not have one of your own, check with your local ranges and I’ll bet they will be glad to have your help with some program they have going on right now.

The Gun of the Month for April is our Light-weight Professional. The Professional offers you the best of both worlds, full-size grip for better control, shorter barrel length that make it a good choice for concealed carry. Many find that the shorten barrel makes it easier to carry inside the waistband and with the reduced weight of the aluminum frame it offers even more convenience to those of us that carry daily. Saving half a pound from the full steel Professional, the difference will be very noticeable by the end of the day. These Professionals setup for carry, with Tactical Thumb Safety, White Out-line Tritium Sights, all Black Armor-Tuff, and as all the “Guns of the Month” we have a few ready for prompt delivery.

One of the biggest values that often get overlooked is our Remington Steal Rebuilds. You can send in your old well used Remington 870 and we will replace any worn or damaged parts, covert it to a 3” chamber, update the shell feed, install synthetic stock and fore end, replace the spring and follower, strip and re-park it all for $229.95. What a deal, take that old faithful or bargain 870 that we all have in the safe and make it like new. Starting with the Remington Steal Package you can add as much as you want all the way to one of our Standard Models with all the bells and whistles. What a great way to add value to the existing shotguns in your collection while improving its effectiveness at the same time. The choices are up to you; you can keep it simple or make an all out fully loaded home defense tool that will perform under any condition.

Rob Haught, our Shotgun Guru has been telling us the virtues of the Remington 870 and how to properly equip it for your needs. Choose from our different rebuild packages giving you the best value in building your own home defense tool and Scattergun of your dreams.

Every day while reviewing the orders that are beginning the process of becoming your new custom gun, I enjoy seeing the subtle changes that you request to make them entirely unique.

There is a section on our website, the Unique Gun Gallery that will show photos of some of the guns that we have built for you. You can also send in your favorite photos of your Wilson Combat Firearms and we may post them as well. It is a great way to show others what your favorite Wilson looks like. We try to post anything that catches our eye in that section, but after thirty years there are already many of you that have photos that should be included. If you would like us to consider posting them please email your jpeg files to photos@wilsoncombat.com and we will see about adding it to our page.

What a great way to enjoy a piece of history, guns we build today mixed with guns that we have built from the past thirty years.

As always we would like to hear from you. Please send us any questions that you have related to Wilson Combat or any of our products and we will do our best to get you an answer. If you have any problems or concerns feel free to contact me and I’ll see what I can do to get it all squared away.

Wilson Combat Light-Weight Professional 1911

About:
Founded in 1977, Wilson Combat has grown to include more than 50 employees – no one else in the custom gun business has as many professionals, as many years of experience, or as much history with hand-crafting custom guns as we do. Here’s an idea of the type and number of years experience you will find at Wilson Combat.

Bass Pro Shop's Christmas Tradition Continues

Bass Pro Shops

Springfield, Missouri --(AmmoLand.com)- For generations, to help pass the time between Thanksgiving and Christmas, kids and their parents have made holiday ornaments and done other fun crafts. Now you can introduce your child to these time-honored traditions every weekend at Bass Pro Shops Santa’s Wonderland.

Each Saturday and Sunday from 12 noon to 5pm (while supplies last) November 28th and continuing through December 20th, bring the kids to the Santa’s Wonderland at your local Bass Pro Shops and enjoy a different craft activity.

Saturday and Sunday, November 28th and 29th, create a unique Santa ornament out of a fishing bobber, December 5th and 6th construct a fun reindeer hat fit for Rudolph himself, December 12th and 13th change a candy cane into a reindeer and December 19th and 20th decorate cookies for Santa.

These are just some of the fun events going on at the Santa’s Wonderland at Bass Pro Shops this season. You can also enjoy old-time model trains, slot car racing, remote control cars, a Red Ryder® laser arcade, a Nerf-type soft gun range, The Strike bass fishing game and activity tables where you can color and write a letter to Santa. It’s all absolutely free.

Santa will be in residence there throughout the season so you can get a free 4 x 6 photo with him and his reindeer from 5pm to 8pm Monday through Friday, Saturday’s 10am to 9pm and Sunday’s noon to 5pm. Don’t forget to grab your Bass Pass if the line is long, and your appointment with Santa is set.

Remember Christmas as it used to be when you were a child and enjoy the season again with your children at Bass Pro Shops Outdoor World. For more information visit www.basspro.com/santa and click on the store site.

About Bass Pro Shops Group:
Bass Pro Shops -56 retail stores in 26 states and Canada visited by over 100 million people annually, international catalog and internet retailing, American Rod & Gun wholesale division selling to over 7,000 independently owned retail stores worldwide, Outdoor World Incentives also selling Bass Pro Shops gift cards through over 132,000 retail outlets across America and a restaurant division with 26 locations. For more information regarding Bass Pro Shops store locations, products or special events, please visit www.basspro.com. To request a free catalog call 1-800-BASS PRO. Follow us on Twitter @ bass_pro_shops.

Michigan Gun Owners

Michigan --(AmmoLand.com)-Michigan Gun Owners was established in 2002 with the mission to educate the public and encourage grass roots activism on a state-wide level through various outreach programs and a popular community forum on the internet. Michigan Gun Owners has become Michigan’s fastest growing, grass roots gun rights advocacy organization.

Owning a gun is a serious responsibility. Using guns safely and keeping them out of the hands of individuals who should not have access to them are the two main priorities of Michigan Gun Owner. If you handle guns safely and responsibly and then project that onto the people around you, they will do the same. Make sure that if you let someone handle or use your guns, they use them in a safe and responsible manner. If that is in doubt, then you should not let that person use or handle your guns.

Get Trained!
If you are going to own a gun, for whatever reason, you should take a class from a certified instructor on how to safely operate and shoot the gun. There are a lot of schools and independent instructors out there who can train you; and in most cases for not a lot of money. Getting professionally trained is worth it.

Children and what to teach them about Guns
Every parent, whether you have guns in your home or not, will have a different opinion on when they feel is the best time to teach their children about guns and how much to teach them. Below is some advice that we hope will help everyone on this issue.

Young Children
Young Children are curious and will certainly pick up a gun as if it was a toy because they don’t know any better. They should to be taught what guns look like, that they are dangerous, and that they should not be touched. If they find one, they should be taught to not touch it and to come and tell you immediately. They should be taught the difference between toy guns and real guns and the differences between movies and TV as compared to real life.

Adolescents
When children get older and are able to play independently outside of your watchful eye, they should be taught not to be around or accept a gun from anyone without your consent. If one is offered or shown to them they should come home immediately and tell you or tell the closest adult or Policeman. Only if you hand them a gun or with your approval should they touch one.

How to use a gun
At what age should you teach your children how to use a gun? That is a question only you as their parent can answer. You might start by remembering what age you learned to shoot; but the best advice we can give you is to ask yourself these questions. Do they understand what a gun is and what is it used for? Do they understand the difference between a real gun and a toy gun? Can they hold the gun up and shoot it safely? Do they understand the safety rules? If you can answer yes to these questions they are probably ready. Keep in mind that children learn from watching their parents. So if you handle guns safely and take it seriously, they will too.

About:
Michigan Gun Owners is a not-for-profit, all volunteer organization committed to educating the public and engaging in grass roots activism. Visit MiGunOwners.org

Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks

KINSLEY, KS —-(AmmoLand.com)- On Saturday, Sept. 19, the Kinsley Gun Club will host its 17th Annual Kids Klassic trap shooting tournament for young shooters. Each youngster will fire at 100 targets. A $25 entry fee will include a custom T-shirt, lunch, and a chance to win a door prize, including a Remington 1100 Classic Trap shotgun, a Tri-Star SB shotgun, and one of two Remington .22-caliber rifles — all provided by area businesses and the shooting fraternity. The entry fee does not include shells.

Shooters will compete for trophies, Olympic-style medallions, shotgun shells, and other prizes in four age groups for individuals and five-person teams. Ten $100 savings bonds will be awarded by drawing, so everyone has a chance to win. Other awards include 19 flats of shotgun shells and individual trophies for four age groups with special awards to 4-H members. The top three five-shooter teams earn trophies and shells. A trophy and prize will be reserved for the top girl shooter, as well.

While everyone high school age and younger is welcome to attend, participants who enter must be strong enough to handle a shotgun safely and are expected to know the basic rules and etiquette of trapshooting. The shoot is not for beginners.

Entries (including T-shirt sizes and number of adults for lunch) must be received by Sept. 14. To enter, receive an official program, receive more information, or find out where to practice close to home, phone toll free at 1-888-324-5445, email franko@gbta.net, or write to Frank O’Brien, P. O. Box 351, Lewis, KS 67552.

About:
The Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks is a cabinet-level agency with a Secretary appointed by the Governor. A seven-member, bipartisan commission, also appointed by the Governor, advises the Secretary and approves regulations governing outdoor recreation and fish and wildlife resources in Kansas. The commission conducts business during regular public sessions.

Weatherby SA-08 Shotgun Models: Youth Synthetic and Waterfowler

Weatherby.com

Paso Robles, CA - -(AmmoLand.com)- Weatherby® has expanded its line of SA-08 semi-automatic shotguns with new Youth Synthetic and Waterfowler models for hunters and shooters.

The Youth Synthetic has a short 12 1/2-inch length of pull, 24-inch barrel and only 5 3/4 pounds of weight. The Waterfowler sports Mothwing Marsh Mimicry™ camo on the stock and metalwork, with the exception of the matte black bolt. Utilizing the moth’s biological patterns, Mothwing camo is designed to mimic and disappear into the surrounding environment.

“Like all SA-08 semi-auto shotguns, the Youth Synthetic and Waterfowler are precisely balanced, and feel trim and lightweight,” said Brad Ruddell, Weatherby’s vice president of sales and marketing. “They offer the utmost in load versatility, as well as performance-tested reliability and very affordable prices. The Youth Synthetic is easy for young hunters and shooters to handle, while the Waterfowler helps marshland hunters stay well concealed in their environment.”

Both models feature the proven dual valve system, which allows shooters to quickly adapt the shotguns to accommodate the widest load ranges, from ¾ ounce to heavy 3-inch magnum. Another benefit of the dual valve system is reduced recoil as compared to traditional single valve shotguns.

Other key features of the Youth Synthetic and Waterfowler:

• • injection-molded synthetic stock is durable yet lightweight
• • alloy receiver further reduces weight and improves overall balance
• • unique drop-out trigger system can be removed and reassembled quickly for easy cleaning
• • chrome-lined barrels can withstand years of high-volume shooting and reduce the effort necessary to keep the barrel clean

New Weatherby® SA-08 Shotgun Models: Youth Synthetic and Waterfowler

• barrels have lengthened forcing cones for improved patterns and less shooter fatigue
• ented top rib for smooth follow-through after the shot, also dissipates heat
• Weatherby’s screw-in Integral Multi-Choke System is compatible with the Briley® thread pattern; each shotgun comes with Improved Cylinder, Modified and Full choke tubes that allow shooters to tailor their shot patterns for specific hunting applications

The Youth Synthetic is available in 20 gauge, has a black stock and matte black metalwork to reduce glare, and a brass bead front sight. Retail prices start as low as $449.

Available in 12 gauge, the Waterfowler offers a choice of 26-inch or 28-inch barrel length. The gun weighs a light 6 1/2 pounds. Manufacturer’s suggested retail price is $649.

For more information, contact a local Weatherby dealer, call the company at (805) 227-2600 or visit www.weatherby.com.

About:
Founded in 1945, Weatherby, Inc.’s line features the popular Vanguard® and legendary Mark V® rifles, over/under and side-by-side shotguns in the classic Athena® and Orion® lines, semi-auto and pump shotguns, premium ammunition and security/shooting accessories. The company is based in Paso Robles, Calif., and invites all hunters and shooters to visit and join its free online community at www.weatherbynation.com.