Frank Brownell Makes Generous Personal Gift to NRA

Frank Brownell, President of Brownells, the Iowa-based gunsmithingsupply house we’re all familiar with, has given an unprecedented personal gift of $253,000 toward The NRA Foundation’s Law Enforcement Endowment for the Law Enforcement Patrol Rifle Training Program. Support from the Brownells is not new. In 2003, the Brownell Family Foundation paid off their earlier pledge of $250,000 and renewed it for another $250,000 to fund NRA’s Youth Shooting Sports Camps.

The personal gift from Frank Brownell, combined with other gifts from the Brownell family and a giving program for their customers, brings their combined contributions to over $1.3 million.

Sandra Froman, NRA President, told Frank and Pete Brownell: "On behalf of the National Rifle Association and its nearly four million members, let me express our grateful appreciation to you and your family for your generous support of NRA’s educational programs, and most of all, for your extraordinary vision and leadership at a time when the concept of funding NRA programs through endowments was just an idea.

The NRA’s Law Enforcement Activities Division (LEAD) provides firearms instructor training exclusively to public and private lawenforcement officers and military personnel. The Patrol Rifle Instructor School is one of seven disciplines available. In 2005, LEAD trained a record 2,005 police firearm instructors from the ranks of federal, state, and municipal police departments, as well as from the military.

According to Ron Kirkland, NRA Director of LEAD, "We have trained over 50,000 Law Enforcement Firearm Instructors since 1960, and over 12,000 NRA Certified Instructors are currently training police officers nationwide.

In fact, NRA is the largest private lawenforcement training organization in the United States. "Our law enforcement men and women are near and dear to me," commented Frank Brownell. "I have many good friends in the profession and I know their training is important to saving their lives and also our own’t hose they protect," he added. "I was brought up believing that if you could help, you did. I was brought up to act on what I believed in, to follow my heart, and to put my money where my mouth is.

I’m sure I speak for all the readers of this publication and all the many satisfied customers of Brownells when I say: Nice going, Frank. Editor Keith Lawrence Technical