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Creedmoor and the International Matchesby David Minshall |
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The NRA in America
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The NRA in AmericaTo trace the origins of the range one needs to go back to the immediate post Civil War years in America. Understandably, at the time there was little interest in marksmanship or military matters from the general public, and although the US National Guard received plenty of drill and marching instruction there was little, if any, marksmanship training. The impetus for the development of marksmanship skills within America's National Guard units came from the pages of the Army and Navy Journal. The editor was William Church, and a kindred spirit was George Wingate, whose "Manual for Rifle Practice" appeared in six instalments in the Journal in late 1870 and early 1871. Reprinted in book form in a number of editions the manual became the standard work upon which rifle practice was developed in America. Throughout his editorials Church urged for marksmanship training, and in September 1871 he held a meeting for New York National Guard officers interested in developing marksmanship skills amongst their troops. From this initial informal meeting and nucleus of interested parties, seeds were sown for the formation of a new association. The men set to work and progress was rapid. Just two months after the original meeting, on 17 November 1871, "the National Rifle Association", was granted a charter by the state of New York, "to promote rifle practice, and for this purpose to provide a suitable range or ranges in the vicinity of New York … …" The first year
of the National Rifle Association (NRA) existence passed by quietly.
Real progress began in 1872 when, under President William Church and
Secretary George Wingate, the New York Legislature was induced to appropriate
$25,000 for the purchase of a range near New York City, the Association
agreeing to raise $5,000 on its part.
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©2004 DB Minshall | ||
