Get Involved: National Training Week July 4-11

By Jeff Knox

National Training Week, July 4 through 11, is set aside in conjunction with Independence Day to remind people that liberty and independence are closely tied to responsible possession of firearms. Every American owes a debt of thanks to our forebears who saw fit to enshrine the right to arms in our Constitution and to use that right to defend our liberty for the past 234 years. National Training Week is an opportunity to exercise that right and to share it with others.

There are endless reasons for getting involved: Manufacturers, resellers, and range operators can grow their businesses by promoting this event and then making firearms, ammunition, training, and shooting facilities more affordable and accessible leading up to and during this special week. It is an ideal time for ranges to host the National Shooting Sports Foundation's First Shots program and for clubs to invite the public to Open House days. Firearms enthusiasts get an excuse to burn through some of that ammo that's been stacking up and dust off those neglected guns. It's also a great time to ask a friend and coworkers to go shooting and introduce them to the fun and history of firearms.

National Training Week also happens to fall just a few weeks before the deadline for voter registration leading into the all-important November elections. This makes it a perfect time to try and make sure that every shooter and gun owner is registered to vote and is reminded of their duty to cast a ballot. The site www.GunVoter.org is prepared to assist in that effort with voter registration information and links as well as information on the candidates and races around the country.

National Training Week is a grass roots idea initiated by Alan Korwin of Bloomfield Press, the people who print the gun law books. It has been endorsed by most national gun rights organizations including The Firearms Coalition, Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms, Gun Owners of America, and the Second Amendment Foundation along with dozens of state and local organizations and clubs. Talk to your favorite groups about participating! The Appleseed Project will be hosting at least 15 of their tremendous shooting/training/history events around the country over the two weekends of National Training Week so there’s likely to be one near you.

The key to making National Training Week a success is getting the word out and the key to getting the word out is you. Go to the NTW page of the Bloomfield Press website at www.gunlaws.com/NationalTrainingWeek to download fliers to post in store windows and on club bulletin boards. Copy this article and send it to everyone you know. Talk with gun shops about planning discounts and specials. Talk to ranges about offering free gun rentals and having factory rep days during the week. Be sure to talk to your club about using National Training Week as a recruiting tool to bring in new members and to showcase facilities for the community. And of course, when you get something lined up, send an announcement to the local media to generate publicity.

What a great way to celebrate Independence Day week – at the range with family and friends exercising your rights. To preserve the hard-won liberty entrusted to us we must remember our past as we look to the future and unite to ensure that the very best among us are in the lead in these troubled times. National Training Week gives us an opportunity to forge bonds between the past and the present and build bridges to the future.

Take your grandkids shooting and save the republic during National Training Week!

Permission to reprint or post this article in its entirety is hereby granted provided this credit is included. Text is available at www.FirearmsCoalition.org.