Governor addresses FNRA supporters at banquet

WASILLA — To loud applause, Gov. Sean Parnell expressed his appreciation to the 450 paid ticket holders at the Mat-Su Chapter of Friends of the National Rifle Association banquet for their active support of the Second Amendment during his keynote speech at the Curtis D. Menard Memorial Sports Center Saturday.

“I also want to let you know how well your legislators are doing in leading the way toward supporting the Second Amendment,” Parnell said.

In his statement, the governor specifically named Sen. Charlie Huggins, the Senate president, as an example of strong leadership in the ongoing Second Amendment debates.

Mat-Su Borough Mayor Larry DeVilbiss spoke immediately after Parnell and read a borough proclamation reaffirming local residents’ rights to keep and bear arms. The mayor also was loudly applauded as he finished reading his remarks.

In an interview during the banquet, Denny Hamann, vice chairman of the Mat-Su Chapter of Friends of the National Rifle Association (FNRA) described the group and what its function.

“We are a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization whose sole purpose is to raise and distribute funds for firearms training and education; support various women’s, young adults, and children’s firearms-related programs, like the Eddy Eagle GunSafe Program for kids; and to support the development and expansion of public shooting ranges,” he said.

The Eddy Eagle GunSafe Program teaches children ages pre-kindergarten through third grade four important steps to take if they find a gun. Program mascot Eddie Eagle presents these steps in an easy-to-remember format. Begun in 1988, the program has reached more than 26 million children in all 50 states.

The Alaska FNRA State Fund Committee has also granted funds to the Scholastic Clay Target Program, now in the Valley’s high school system, and to both the Upper Susitna Shooters Association and the Matanuska Valley Sportsmen Inc. for further development of their respective shooting ranges.

“There are 20 chapters of FNRA in Alaska and 1,150 chapters across the nation. All these chapters’ fundraising efforts support at least 95 percent of all nonpolitical NRA activities around the country,” Hamann said.

He said the NRA is composed of three different divisions. The NRA, which is the membership-supported group, provides monthly magazines and other membership shooting-related benefits; the NRA-ILA, the political arm of the organization; and the NRA Foundation, of which the FNRA is a part.

“The NRA Foundation has funded over 18,000 grants totaling over $200 million, becoming this country’s leading charitable organization in the support of shooting sports. The FNRA is totally nonpolitical and no monies from our fundraising are used for any political purpose,” Hamann said.

The Alaska FNRA State Fund Committee received grant requests last year totaling $673,000 and funded about $400,000 in grants statewide.

“The final numbers haven’t been determined yet,” Hamann said, “but the Mat-Su Chapter, as part of the Alaska FNRA State Fund Committee, might be able to approach doubling our statewide grant requests in 2013 over the 2012 numbers.”

Last year’s banquet generated the largest dollar amount in the history of the Mat-Su Chapter. Preliminary counts have this chapter’s fundraising efforts in 2013 ranked first in the nation to date and, according to Hamann, probably finishing the year in the top five chapters for fundraising nationwide.

Hamann said the funds raised by the 20 state FNRA chapters are split between local and national programs.

“All the people who work to put these banquets together are volunteers,” he said.

The Alaska FNRA-supported programs rely exclusively on the generosity of Alaska firearms enthusiasts. Donations for this banquet alone were received from more than 250 companies and private individuals.”

Some of the items available at auction included a Charlie Daniels autographed fiddle, a custom-made 1 of 20 survival knife featured in a national magazine story, an aluminum ATV meat-hauling trailer, a one-day halibut fishing charter and a Shane Lamb artist’s print titled “Family Ties.”

Literally hundreds of other donated pieces were included in the evening’s activities. Items ranging from a smoked salmon fish basket to a custom log doggie bed were included in either the silent or live auctions. Dozens of various types of firearms were also given away in several different raffles and games, which served to raise tens of thousands of dollars for the FNRA chapter. All firearms transfers will follow both federal and state laws and requirements. No firearms were transferred at the banquet.

If you’re interested in securing tickets for the 2014 Mat-Su Chapter banquet, watch the FNRA Alaska website. Tickets to this year’s event sold out about 10 days before the event and more than 50 people were placed on a waiting list on the chance an already purchased ticket became available.

Howard Delo is a retired fisheries biologist with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. You can leave him a message by emailing sports@frontiersman.com.