In the hunting community poaching is a major issue and a major cause for concern for animal, gun, and hunting enthusiasts. In the United States today, hunters are some of the biggest contributors to conservation efforts. Did you know that Sportsmen contribute nearly $8 million daily toward conservation for everyone through licenses, excise taxes and other special taxes such as duck stamps? That equates to over $2.7 billion annually for conservation.

Poaching is the illegal taking of wild plants or animals contrary to local and international conservation and wildlife management laws. It is against everything we stand for as hunters, shooting ethusiasts and conservationists

While when talking about poaching, most people think about elephants in Africa who are poached for their ivory but there are many examples of poaching (no less harmful to the animals or the ecology) closer to home. The below is the list of instances that are considered poaching:

• The game or fish is not in season; usually the breeding season is declared as the closed season when wildlife species are protected by law.
• The poacher doesn’t own the land he is poaching on and/or hasn’t got permission to hunt on that land
• The poacher does not possess a valid permit.
• The poacher is illegally selling the animal, animal parts or plant for a profit.
• The animal is being hunted outside of legal hours.
• The hunter used an illegal weapon for that animal.
• The animal or plant is on restricted land.
• The right to hunt this animal is claimed by somebody.
• The type of bait is inhumane. (e.g. food unsuitable for an animal’s health)
• The means used are illegal (for example, baiting a field while hunting quail or other animals, using spotlights to stun or paralyze deer, or hunting from a moving vehicle, watercraft, or aircraft).
• The animal or plant is protected by law or that it has been listed as extinct or endangered (see for example the Endangered Species Act for the USA or the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918 and similar laws/treaties).
• The animal or plant has been tagged by a researcher.

If you suspect poaching is going on in your community, we urge you to call the poaching hotlines set up by the NRA.  They are 100% toll free and available in every state in the United States.

It seems like every branch of shooting sports draws a fair share of conflicting opinions, but at the root of every branch of this sports sits a group of dedicated enthusiast.  Last month I got close look at large caliber handguns and before that the world of single-shot rifles.  Today we take a look inside of the world of “Long Range Rifles.”   This group of sportsmen are fascinated with the precision of rifle manufacturing and the science of ballistics.

Some of the sportsmen focus on bench-rest shooting competitions, other focus on large game, and some on varmint hunting.  The shooting competitions are often classified as precision and tactical matches.   The common themes to most of these matches are as follows:

• An accurate cold bore shot.
• Precision shooting under improvised field positions.
• Precision shooting at unknown distances, often very long distances.
• Precision shooting under induced stress conditions, such as mild exertion, timed events, fire on command and similar techniques.
• Shooting steep departure angles from buildings, towers and/or mountains.
• Engaging moving targets.
• Rifle manipulation drills, to include rapid reloading and/or magazine changes.
• Engaging multiple targets.

This is a serious art as the science behind this sports involves calculating the following variables:

• Velocity = Muzzle velocity in feet per second
• Bullet Wt = Bullet weight in grains
• Sight in at = the range the gun is sighted in at in yards
• Ball Coefficient  = Ballistic coefficient
• Sight Ht. = Height of sights above bore
• Intervals = Intervals at which table displays data in yards
• Max. Range = The longest range displayed on table in yards
• Muzzle Elevation = Horizontal inclination of gun in degrees
• Temp = Temperature in degrees Fahrenheit
• Altitude = Feet above sea level
• Wind mph = Wind speed in miles per hour
• Wind direction = Wind direction in degrees

Before you trade in your old 30-06 and start exploring this sport, you might want to first investigate the the cost of the high-end equipment that this precision sports requires.   You might also touch up a few of your lost math skills.

If you are passionate about gun safety like the rest of us here at www.SafeGunSafes.com are, you might consider volunteering at the Eddie Eagle Program—the children’s gun safety arm of the NRA. There are many opportunities to make a difference in the lives of children and parents across the United States.  Volunteers are absolutely vital to the success of the program, which has been in operation and been saving the lives of children across the US since 1988. One million children are reached and educated hrough the Eddie Eagle program each year and through volunteering you could have hand in educating and influencing their understanding towards guns for the rest of their lives.

Instructor
Plays the role of educator, empowering children with the knowledge they need to avoid firearm accidents. Certification to teach the program is not required. Our step-by-step instructor guides provide volunteers with the information necessary to effectively teach the program. Program materials that kids will enjoy include: an animated video, student workbooks, and student reward stickers. Volunteers can teach the program in local schools, libraries, or religious and civic organizations.

Promoter
Assists the Eddie Eagle Program at the grassroots level. Their role is to present Eddie Eagle materials throughout their community. Volunteers introduce the program to local school boards, law enforcement agencies and state legislatures. Volunteers can also attend community functions to hand out Eddie Eagle literature to parents and children. Local businesses and medical professionals can also be contacted to distribute materials to their customers.

If you think volunteering for Eddie Eagle might be for you, we encourage you to get in touch with the program either by calling (800) 231-0752 or e-mailing (eddie@nrahq.org). They will be able to help

One of the biggest concerns for anti-gun supporters is the welfare of children in gun-owning households. A large part of family safety around guns comes from the parent and the behavior that parents can instill into their children’s lives. One or two lessons about gun safety are likely to be forgotten so you need to focus on repetitive lessons that are reinforced through everyday living.

It is the parent’s responsibility to keep their children safe. Parents who understand and accept this responsibility to learn, practice, and teach their children gun safety rules ensure their children’s safety much better than those who do not. Even if you do not own a gun, it is important to teach your children good practices. You never know where or when they will encounter guns.

The NRA has some excellent resources for parents who are keen to talk to their kids about gun safety and I suggest that you head over to their website to check it out in full. Here is a summary of the basics that you need to make sure every child knows about guns and other firearms.

What Should You Teach Your Child About Gun Safety?

If you have decided that your child is not ready to be trained in a gun’s handling and use, teach him or her to follow the instructions of NRA’s Eddie Eagle GunSafe^® Program. If you find a gun:

STOP!

Don’t Touch.

Leave the Area.

Tell an Adult.

The initial steps of “Stop” and “Don’t Touch” are the most important. To counter the natural impulse to touch a gun, it is imperative that you impress these steps of the safety message upon your child.

In today’s society, where adult supervision is not always possible, the direction to

“Leave the Area” is also essential. Under some circumstances, area may be understood to be a room if your child cannot physically leave the apartment or house.

“Tell an Adult” emphasizes that children should seek a trustworthy adult, neighbor, relative or teacher — if a parent or guardian is not available.

The NRA’s Eddie Eagle GunSafe Program includes an instructor guide, activity books, poster, and an animated video to explain its four-step safety message. For more information about the program, visit www.nrahq.org/safety/eddie or call (800) 231-0752.

So very quickly can you come up with 6 phrases (sayings) that utilize “gun”?

1. “Stick to one’s guns”  …  . to remain firm in one’s convictions; to stand up for one’s rights.
2. “Gun Shy”  …   markedly distrustful, afraid, or cautious
3. “Son of A Gun”…  Any child born on board a ship who had uncertain paternity.   A self demeaning statement.
4. “Jump the Gun”  …   To leave the starting blocks before the signal, to “jump the gun,” is to start prematurely.
5. “Notch In Your Gun”   … Talks about the practice in the old west of putting a notch with your bowie knife in the stock of your gun for every man you killed
6. “Smoking Gun”  ..  Incontrovertible evidence; the proof of guilt that precipitates resignations.

Any more?

Sometimes its tough to learn just by reading about something so I thought for those of you who are visual learners here is some great advice for those of you who are new to the gun range. The experts talk about what sort of materials or gear you should bring to the range both for shooting purposes and for safety purposes. One thing to remember: ALL the experts I’ve ever talked to have emphasized gun safety over anything else.

Are you a newbie at the range? Are you looking for some tips to improve your aim and shooting skills? Make sure you ask your local range master for help, but here are some additional tips from a range master on simple (and not so simple) things you can do to improve your performance. Do you have any tips for other newbies that you’ve learned along the way? One tip that wasn’t mentioned but should have been – when you are finished shooting make sure that your gun is stored properly for transport back to your home or storage facility and then placed in a securely locked gun safe for keeping.

Handgun Shooting Tip #1  -  Hand Placement

Why Place Your Hand As High Up As Possible On The Handle Of A Handgun?

The main reason for the high position of the hands on the gun is improved leverage. Placing your hands as high up on the gun as possible will give you more leverage to control muzzle flip. The higher up you get on the gun, the less the muzzle will flip upwards. It’s just physics. Getting your hands as high up on the back of the gun as you can with your strong hand will lessen the effect of recoil. Experiment for yourself at the range. Start with placing your strong hand in the highest possible position and fire off a few rounds. Then move you hand down a little and fire a few more. You should notice an increase in muzzle flip the farther down you go

Handgun Shooting Tip #2  – Dry Firing Your Gun

Is It Bad To Dry Fire Your Gun?

My range master recommends dry firing your guns as much as possible at home to improve aiming and trigger pull techniques. Most modern center fire guns are not damaged by dry firing (though some of the old guns may be). Dry firing is not recommended for guns that shoot rim fire ammunition as damage to the firing pin may occur. My range master tells me to practice dry firing while watching television. He said there are a lot of bad guys on TV that need to be shot.

Handgun Shooting Tip #4  -  Gun Weight

Heavier Gun Means Less Recoil

It’s not the Recoil that makes you shoot bad, it’s the fear of the recoil. Learning to shoot with a powerful handgun can cause you problems that may take a long time to overcome. Fear of recoil and anticipation of recoil. For a long time I was somewhat hesitant to shoot a .45 semi-automatic pistol. I was afraid the recoil would be too much for me (I have a weakened right hand from minor nerve damage in my arm).

My first handgun was a .357 magnum revolver. Looking back, that was probably a mistake. It was a pretty lightweight gun and had a little kick (recoil) to it when I shot it. I shot .357 magnum, 38 special+p and 38 special caliber ammunition through it. Another mistake I made was shooting the powerful .357 magnum and 38 special+p ammunition. I should have learned using the weakest ammo that I could find. Learning this way gave me an apprehension and “fear” of the recoil, even though I knew that the physical recoil that I felt was no problem and I could handle it easily. Teaching my mind that the “big bang does not mean big pain” was difficult to do and took many hours and many rounds down range to overcome it.

Handgun Shooting Tip #8  -  Adjusting Gun Sights

How Do You Adjust The Sights Of A Gun?

I asked my range master about adjusting the sights of my revolvers and pistols. He replied that he knows that I only point shoot (and don’t use the gun sights) so why bother? He then said “wait a minute” and walked away to retrieve an item from the front desk area. The item he retrieved was a laser bore sighter. It turned out to be a handy (and cheap) little laser device that you stick into the barrel of your empty gun for adjusting your sights. With the bore sighter putting a red dot on the target you simply adjust you sights accordingly. Since you are not shooting your gun there is not recoil expectation to through you off. The nice thing about this device is that you can adjust the sights of your gun at home and not waste valuable range time.

Handgun Shooting Tip #11  -  Squeezing The Gun

How Hard Do You Squeeze Or Grip Your Hands When Shooting A Handgun?

You have to adjust your grip to what suits you best. When I first began shooting, the range master noticed that I was gripping my handgun such that my hand was turning white and was shaking slightly. He told me to grasp the gun firmly, but not to the point of shaking.

I think the best answer to this question is for each person to experiment with different grip strengths while shooting at the range. Start off by gripping the handgun very hard and see how well you shoot. By starting off “hard” you don’t have to worry about the gun flying out of your hands. Loosen your grip a little and fire off a few more rounds to see if that feels better or worse. Continue until you find the right grip for you.

Shooting has become such a popular sport that it now has an Olympic team and support to help those athletes who want to make it on the world’s stage.

Here is a brief write up on the organization that supports our top shooting athletes:

USA Shooting, a 501c3 non-profit corporation, was chartered by the United States Olympic Committee as the National Governing Body for the sport of shooting in April 1995.  The organization implements and manages development programs and sanctions events at the local, state, regional, and national levels; developing shooting athletes from grassroots to Olympic medals.

Headquartered in Colorado Springs, Colorado, at the U.S. Olympic Training Center, USA Shooting has a full-time staff dedicated to furthering the sport and supporting athletes and members of the organization.  The organization has a USA Shooting News magazine publication, as well as public and member specific web sites.

Partially funded by the U.S. Olympic Committee, USA Shooting relies on donations from supporters of the Olympic Movement, membership dues, event fees and corporate partners.  In 2008 the USA Shooting Team Foundation, a separate 501c3 non-profit corporation, was established to act as the fundraising arm of USA Shooting.  Click here to learn more about how you can support the USA Shooting Team.

Do you know any young shooting wizards who might be interested in learning about competition on a national and international stage? As with any serious athlete, shooting takes skills, focus, and hours of practice. That said, athletes are masters of discipline and learn many things that help them to succeed in their post-athlete careers later in life. If you are interested, you can search for shooting clubs here.