Scholastic Clay Target Season Gets Under Way
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Scholastic Clay Target Season Gets Under Way





SEASON'S FIRST EVENT DRAWS 200 YOUTH SHOOTERS . . . NSSF's popular Scholastic Clay Target Program got off to a great start this weekend in Arizona, with nearly 200 youths competing in the country's first SCTP state shoot, the SCTP Arizona Commissioner's Cup Sporting Clays Championship. Throughout this spring and summer, more than 10,000 young trap, skeet and sporting clays shooters are expected to compete in SCTP state and national championship events nationwide. The program, which has been called the "Little League" of shooting, has grown exponentially since its inception. Arizona boasts one of SCTP's most successful and diverse programs, with most participants competing in all three shotgun disciplines. In Arizona, SCTP is managed and funded by the Arizona Game and Fish Department. This weekend's state championship, held at Phoenix's Ben Avery Shooting Facility, was held in conjunction with the department's annual Outdoor Expo, which nearly doubled in attendance from last year. A list of upcoming SCTP state and national championships is available online at SCTP's Web site. Check back often for additions.

  • UPDATE ON ILLINOIS BULLET SERIALIZATION THREAT . . . Following timely and strong opposition to a bill in the Illinois Senate Judiciary Committee (SB 1095), legislation that would have mandated ammunition being sold and possessed in the state carry a serial number, the sponsor, knowing she did not have the votes, failed to attend the hearing and the anti-gun legislation was never brought up. NSSF is confident the legislation will not advance out of committee at this point. NSSF led a coordinated campaign to stop the bill. Special recognition for this sound defeat goes to Sen. William Haine as well as Winchester, which wasted no time in working the phones, contacting organizations and dispatching its people wherever they were needed. Still a threat to Illinois sportsmen is a proposed semi-auto ban and .50-caliber ban.


  • BILL WOULD CREATE UNNECESSARY RESTRICTIONS ON RETAILERS . . . A firearms dealer liability bill, AO6525, has been re-introduced in the New York State Assembly, claiming to "reduce gun trafficking by making it more difficult for criminals to obtain firearms, rifles and shotguns from gun dealers." This legislation would only serve to further inhibit firearms dealers by creating restrictive and overbearing commercial practices, including more stringent and redundant recordkeeping, increased liability insurance, additional sales restrictions, additional employee training and additional licensing requirements. This legislation stands no chance of curbing the illegal acquisition and use of firearms. NSSF is urging all FFLs and firearms enthusiasts in New York to contact their state legislators to oppose this bill.


  • VIRGINIA GOVERNOR STANDS STRONG AGAINST BLOOMBERG . . . New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg will have a harder time targeting Virginia gun dealers for lawsuits under legislation signed Friday by Gov. Tim Kaine, reports The Roanoke Times. The legislation (House Bill 2653) restricts "simulated straw purchases," the modus operandi of Bloomberg's civilian investigators. The mayor has used simulated transactions to allege wrongdoing and file suit against out-of-state firearms dealers. The U.S. Department of Justice has said the "evidence" derived from Bloomberg's private investigators does not warrant prosecution and has further admonished the mayor for his operations. NSSF has repeatedly warned that Bloomberg's actions have endangered law enforcement and interfered with ongoing criminal investigations, warnings that have now been validated by the DOJ.


  • LINDENWOOD LOOKS TO EXTEND STREAK AT COLLEGE CHAMPIONSHIPS . . . In most sports, the story of Lindenwood University would be a classic David-and-Goliath saga: little school from St. Charles, Mo., chops down giants more than twice its size -- Texas A&M, Mizzou, Kentucky, Purdue and others -- on its way to a national title. But in shotgun sports, it is Lindenwood who stands as the titan. With three consecutive national championships, the Lions aim to continue their impressive run at the upcoming ACUI Intercollegiate Clay Target Championships this week at the National Shooting Complex in San Antonio. NSSF is a major sponsor of the annual event, which will be taped and later televised on ESPN U.


  • NEW YORK BILLS FOR JUNIOR BIG-GAME HUNTERS NEED SUPPORT . . . New York is the only state in the nation that does not allow 14 year olds to hunt deer with firearms, but various state assembly and senate bills in the spirit of the Families Afield initiative would lower the New York minimum age from 16 to either 14 or 12. Assemblyman Robert Sweeney, new chairman of the state Assembly's Conservation Committee, has indicated that he has received no e-mail support from sportsmen for Bill A6900, which would permit a junior hunter who has completed a hunter education class and has reached the age of 14 to hunt deer with a parent or guardian. Sportsmen are encouraged to e-mail support for A6900 to Assemblyman Sweeney at Sweeney@assembly.state.ny.us and to also contact their district's assemblyman.


  • ZUMBO SUBMITS LETTER FOR CONGRESSIONAL RECORD . . . After Michigan Sen. Carl Levin chose to attack firearms owners by using outdoor writer and TV personality Jim Zumbo's remarks on black guns as his launch pad, Zumbo submitted an explanation of his ill-advised comments, as well as an overview of Levin's anti-gun record, and demanded that this letter to the U.S. Senate be entered into the Congressional Record, as Levin's had been.


  • POSITIVE MOOD AT EUROPE'S IWA SHOW . . . IWA & OutdoorClassics 2007 closed with more than 30,000 trade visitors attending the show in Nürnberg, Germany, the most in the 34-year history of the International Trade Fair for Hunting and Sporting Arms, Outdoor Articles and Accessories. Attendance was up 12 percent from the previous year. Attendees expressed interest in products and services offered by the 1,055 exhibitors.


  • GANDER MOUNTAIN REPORTS EARNINGS . . . Outdoor retailer Gander Mountain Co. (NASDAQ:GMTN) on Thursday reported record sales of $911.4 million in fiscal year 2006, an increase of 13.3 percent over 2005. Comparable store sales declined 1.1 percent on a 53-week comparable basis. For the fourth quarter, sales increased 16.4 percent to $326.9 million compared to the same period the previous year. The company reported net income of $15.3 million in the fourth quarter, or 85 cents per share, compared to net income of $22.2 million, or $1.45 per share, the previous year.


  • TED SZABO, PARA PRESIDENT, DIES AT 60 . . . Ted Szabo, gifted engineer and designer who co-founded Para-Ordnance Mfg., Inc. in 1985, passed away last week at age 60. His company reflected his talents by displaying innovative genius, including Szabo's long dreamed of high-capacity frame and magazine for Model 1911 pistols.


  • ATA HIRES YOUTH DIRECTOR . . . The Amateur Trapshooting Association has announced the hiring of Edie Reynolds of Raleigh, N.C., as ATA youth director.


  • SCHOONEN TO HEAD BOONE AND CROCKETT CLUB . . . Tony Schoonen, executive director of Wonders of Wildlife, the Springfield, Mo.-based fish and wildlife museum and aquarium and headquarters of National Hunting and Fishing Day, will be changing hats and moving west when he becomes the chief of staff of the Boone and Crockett Club in Missoula, Mont. Wonders of Wildlife has begun the search process for a replacement, whom it hopes to have in place before Schoonen leaves at the end of May.


  • OLYMPIC MEDALISTS LEAD U.S. WORLD CUP TEAM . . . Olympic gold medalist Matt Emmons and silver medalist Maj. Mike Anti have led a strong team of American shooters into the first rifle/pistol International Shooting Sports Federation World Cup of the season. The action at Ft. Benning, Ga., began on Saturday, March 31, and continues through Sunday, April 8. The tremendous number of entries from more than 60 nations makes this the largest shooting World Cup in a non-Olympic year to be held on American soil.


  • RHODE SETS RECORD AT WORLD CUP . . . Making the transition from double trap to international skeet apparently hasn't hindered three-time Olympic medallist Kim Rhode. At the first World Cup of the season, Rhode set a world record with her combined women's skeet score of 98, including a 73 in qualification and perfect 25 in the finals. Rhode switched to skeet after the International Olympic Committee eliminated the women's double trap event from competition. Right behind her at the World Cup in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, was U.S. shooter Haley Dunn, who took silver. In the men's skeet event, Lance Bade won gold, earning a coveted quota spot for the U.S. Read a complete roundup at www.usashooting.com.


  • EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY AT NSSF . . . NSSF is seeking a coordinator for its popular Scholastic Clay Target Program (SCTP). The Shooting Development Coordinator position involves building participation, developing partnerships and volunteer networks and gaining widespread publicity of the program. This individual will coordinate all aspects of SCTP. Applicants must demonstrate excellent written and verbal communications skills, knowledge of the firearms industry, experience in clay target shooting activities and coordination of shooting events. Travel is required, including weekend travel. The position is based in Newtown, Conn. Qualified candidates should forward a cover letter, resume and salary history to dkenney@nssf.org or mail to D. Kenney, NSSF, 11 Mile Hill Road, Newtown, CT 06470 or fax to (203) 426-7994. No phone calls, please.


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