Gunsite Academy Leads Radio Salute for NRA Birthday

Following the success of last year's event, the Yavapai Amateur Radio Club plans to host another special-event station on Nov. 17, 2018 in honor of the National Rifle Association's 147th birthday. The radio station will operate from the 2,000-acre campus of Gunsite Academy using the call sign K7NRA, an FCC-licensed amateur radio station.

The special celebration builds on the success of last year's event, also hosted at Gunsite Academy, thanks to the generosity of Buz Mills, Gunsite Academy owner and amateur-radio operator. The special call sign, "K7NRA," was offered by another amateur radio operator for the event. All amateur radio stations, particularly those operated by NRA members and Gunsite Academy alumni, are encouraged to participate in the special event. The station will conduct operations from 0800 MST to 1700 MST on the following frequencies: 7.250, 14.040, 14.250 and 21.335 MHz. A special NRA/Gunsite Academy certificate, an acknowledgement of communications, will be sent to all those stations who made contact during the event.

On Nov. 16, 2018, the National Rifle Association celebrates 147 years of fighting for the Second Amendment. The organization was founded in the state of New York in 1871 for the purposes of providing improved marksmanship training for the general population. Following the Civil War, Union Army records noted that troops fired approximately 1,000 shots for every Confederate casualty. Gen. Ambrose Burnside, who served as the NRA's first president, remarked that, "Out of ten soldiers who are perfect in drill and the manual of arms, only one knows the purpose of the sights on his gun or can hit the broad side of a barn."