Ken Hanson for National Rifle Association (NRA) Board of Directors

I would like to take this opportunity to introduce myself further to our readers. My name is Ken Hanson and I am running to represent you on the National Rifle Association Board of Directors (BOD).

I am on the ballot this year via nominating committee and via member petition. The BOD elections occur via ballots mailed out to voting members in the March, 2010, edition of the NRA magazines (American Rifleman, American Hunter, America's 1st Freedom) The ballots should be in your mailbox about the time you read this.

A "voting member" is any citizen, at least 18 years of age, who has been a NRA annual member for at least 5 years in a row or is a Life Member or higher. The top 25 vote recipients will win a three-year term on the Board of Directors.

Since this election is a "top-25" election, I strongly encourage voters to educate themselves about the various candidates, and cast votes only for those they know will adequately represent them, even if this results in fewer than 25 votes cast. This is also known as a "silver-bullet ballot." When voters use the full 25 votes simply because "they can," a candidate might get a substantial number of votes during an election from this "over-voting," without regard to any particular qualifications.

I am proud of the variety of services I have provided over the decades – club member, rank and file volunteer, club officer, volunteer attorney, paid attorney, volunteer speaker, author, lobbyist, instructor, shooter, competitor, gun dealer, campaign volunteer or coordinator...no task has been too humble or too lofty.

In the past year alone, I have: instructed students, represented gun owners, written briefs, testified on behalf of gun rights, drafted and lobbied for legislation, served as a generic volunteer for campaigns, worked as a consultant for campaigns, answered NRA member questions referred by the NRA, spoken to community groups, spoken on behalf of the NRA at local functions, served on the local Friends of the NRA committee, written legal memos for various bar associations on Lautenberg disability problems, presented information at national legal conferences on gun rights, drafted legislation introduced in Ohio, and pretty much anything else I am asked to do, be it stuffing envelopes or breaking down boxes.

This wide spectrum of experience gives me an insight and knowledge base with regard to "how things work in the real world." A good Board of Directors consists of a wide variety of life experiences – the famous, the rich, the large business owner, the small business owner, the self-employed and the foot soldier. My mix of experience will serve you well on the NRA BOD.

I ask for your vote this March, and I encourage you to do your own independent research in to all of the candidates so that your vote may be an informed one.

Sincerely,

Ken Hanson