President of the Ohio Rifle and Pistol Association: First Shot at Camp Perry

Monday, July 7, 2008

First Shot at Camp Perry

Today, there was the annual First Shot Ceremony at Camp Perry for the National Rifle and Pistol Championships. As ORPA President, I was invited to attend, and I was very honored and happy to represent your Ohio Rifle and Pistol Association. Speakers included Governor Ted Strickland and U.S. Representatives Marcy Kaptur and Bob Latta. Camp Perry is in Representative Kaptur's district, and, as many of you know, Representative Latta has shot many times at Camp Perry, and he said that he is planning to shoot once again in this year's Garand Match. NRA President John Sigler was the primary speaker and the "First Shooter." The First Shot Rifle was a one-of-a-kind Bushmaster DCM, generously donated by Bushmaster.

There were many other distinguished guests and a large crowd on hand to witness Army parachutists jumping from a helicopter with a U.S. flag that had flown over the U.S. Capitol and a flyover of Air National Guard fighters. I was not in the best position to take photographs, but there are a few below. Please note the pictures of the Shooters' Memorial, where they are gradually replacing the plain bricks with engraved bricks. A few examples are shown. It is not too late to get your own brick(s). Click here for more information.

Please plan on attending the National Matches, if you are not participating. Ohio is privileged to have the finest shooters in the world attend, and there are many shooting-related vendors also available with special National Match deals. More information on the matches can be found here and here. Many ORPA Members and Teams shoot at these matches, and many Members also give much of their time and effort in helping to run these matches.