PRESIDENTS CORNER 

May 2021

Dear FSSA members,

I hope you all are well.  It’s encouraging to see the many restrictions from COVID finally being relaxed.  We are fortunate that restrictions in Florida have not been as severe as in other states.  Despite continuing ammo shortages, high prices, and the challenges of finding affordable reloading components, I hope that you have been able to get some “trigger time”.  My wife and I are both instructors and competitive shooters, and we are experiencing the same ammo and reloading challenges that FSSA members are facing.  For you and me “trigger time” is a happy time.  “Trigger time” is for many of us a necessary time.  We need to practice to maintain and improve our shooting skills.  I encourage you to look at other opportunities to maintain your shooting skills despite the ammo and reloading component shortages.  Dry fire more often.  If you have a .22 caliber and can purchase ammo, shoot it instead of more expensive ammo.  Consider purchasing an air gun and practice with that.  And there are more options available to maintain your skills.  However, do not stop shooting.

Summer is just around the corner and with that, it’s good to have a series of National Shooting Championships on the calendar for many to participate in after COVID nearly cleared the calendar of events in 2020.

The 2021 NRA National Championships for Smallbore Rifle, Precision Pistol and High Power Rifle will be fired on the first-class ranges of the Indiana National Guard at Camp Atterbury, Ind., beginning on July 6th. Online registration began on April 8th.  This is the first time that all three championships will be fired at NRA’s new marksmanship center at Camp Atterbury.  Registration is ongoing and information can be found at https://competitions.nra.org/competitions/nra-national-matches/.

The CMP National Matches will be held at Camp Perry.  Registration is ongoing and information can be found at: https://thecmp.org/competitions/matches/cmp-national-matches/

Congratulations to FSSA junior members Mary Tucker, earning Gold in Smallbore Rifle, and to Matt Sanchez, earning Bronze in Smallbore Rifle at the recently completed National Junior Olympic Rifle Championships at Hillsdale College.

Postponed a year because of the coronavirus pandemic, the Summer Olympics are scheduled to begin officially July 23 with the opening ceremony in Tokyo.  FSSA is excited that Mary Tucker will be representing the USA in Smallbore Rifle along with 20 other shooting sports athletes.  Go USA!

In Florida Silhouette news, Chuluota Sportsmen's Club completed their spring .22LR Youth Program. The skies were spotless, the temperature was great, and a nice breeze made the weather perfect.  The kids loved that instant gratification of knocking those “animals” right off the stands! Youth is the future of our sport, and with a generous donation made to the program, Chuluota Sportsmen's Club can continue to provide this fun program.

Gateway Rifle and Pistol club recently completed its annual Dixie Match, an NRA Regional Precision Pistol Championship, with other NRA and CMP events.  Sixty-one competitors from 12 states attended the three-day event. 

Florida continues to hold many other tournaments in various disciplines throughout the state.  Many thanks to the clubs that provide the facilities and volunteers to run these fun events.

There are lots of firearms training events being held around the state as well.  Thank you, certified instructors.

Florida continues to be a great state for training, hunting, recreational shooting, and competitive shooting.

The NRA’s 2021 Annual Meetings and Exhibits will be held September 3-5, 2021 in Houston, Texas at the George R. Brown Convention Center https://www.nraam.org/.  For NRA Life and 5-year members expect your ballots for Board of Directors in the upcoming NRA magazines.  The FSSA Board is proud to endorse Edie Fleeman, Carrie Lightfoot and John Sigler for reelection to the NRA Board of Directors.  Edie and John are both staunch supporters of competitive shooting programs and especially its competitors.  Carrie has been an incredible force in establishing and supporting women’s shooting programs.  We wish them good luck in their reelection.

Thank you for your membership in FSSA.  We’ve got a lot of new members and a lot of renewing members.  THANK YOU.  Please continue to encourage others to renew or join.  To FSSA’s affiliated clubs, thank you for your continued support.  Please let us know what is happening at your club, so we can share with our members.  If you have some extra time, love the shooting sports, and want to make a positive impact within Florida, please consider a spot on FSSA’s Board of Directors.  Please contact me if you are interested in more information.

If you have any questions or comments, I look forward to hearing from you at president@flssa.org.

Please join with me in your own way and take some time on Memorial Day to honor those brave men and women of our Armed Forces, who unselfishly gave their lives in defense of our freedoms and the freedoms of many other countries.  Then on July 4^th, let’s celebrate Independence Day, and take a moment to give thanks for all God’s blessings on our great country.

Be well, stay safe, have a great summer, and enjoy our(your) Second Amendment Freedoms. 

Ted

Ted Carter

president@flssa.org

www.flssa.org