Make Sure You Know National Rifle Association Friends of NRA

The National Rifle Association offers various programs under the banner of protecting the Second Amendment. In addition to providing programs more directly related to firearm, such as educational programs, instruction programs, and firearm safety programs, it also has developed programs for fund raising as well.

Friends of NRA is on the National Rifle Association grassroots fund-raising program created with the sense of community in mind. It was created in October of 1992, with its birthplace being Columbia, Missouri, where the new foundation held their first event and banquet.

The program was helped developed by MidwayUSA and Larry Potterfield, in collaboration with the National Rifle Association. MidwayUSA continues to be the national corporate sponsor of the program. The Friends of NRA program organizes and holds events in communities across the United States with the purpose of raising money for local, state, and national programs.

All the proceeds of the net profit are set to benefit the NRA Foundation. Half of the proceeds are used to benefit local and state programs, while the other half used for programs on the national level. The funding will often go to other programs such as firearms safety, youth programs, hunter education (See Also: State Hunting Laws), and wildlife conservation.

The raised money is also used to plan, develop, and build new NRA facilities across the country. In raising money for the NRA Foundation, the Friends of NRA also helps assist in achieving the larger goal of the National Rifle Association educating Americans about firearms, and promoting firearm-related sporting activities. Friends of NRA events are held year-round and across the country.

Since its founding, the NRA Foundation has helped raise over $140 million and funded over 15,000 grants. State Fund Grants are awarded to eligible applicants that seek to promote firearm and hunting safety, shooting sports, as well as the education of firearms to the general public.

Most of the funds raised went to help fund many youth programs across the United States. The Friends of NRA events are held by local NRA committees or organizations, largely organized and carried out by volunteers and NRA members.

A typical Friends of NRA event will have at its target to provide family fun. An event may consist of a banquet or dinner, as well as activities for children, followed by different types of fund-raising activities, such as auctions or drawings for collectibles and other firearm related items. The Friends of NRA also have a standard merchandise package, designed for those who wish to contribute with out necessarily emptying their bank accounts.

Some of the collectible merchandise typically auctioned off at a Friends of NRA event will consist of limited edition firearms, works of art, jewelry, as well as hunting, sporting, and outdoor equipment (See Also: NRA Store). As of 2008, the Friends of NRA helped raise a total of $15.9 million with the help of the organization of over 980 events with a total 190,000 attending. It is clear the National Rifle Association has created various types of programs to help fund its various programs.

With the rising popularity of these types of programs, it can be claimed that the NRA is gaining more and more members who are willing to defend the Second Amendment, and showing their support for the organization is certainly one way to accomplish that feat.

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