Crimson Trace

SUBSCRIPTION    SUBMIT RELEASES    ADVERTISE    ARCHIVES    CONTACT                                  FRIDAY, MAY 17, 2013
— TOP STORIES
This morning at 10 a.m. MountainTime (Friday morning, May 17) fifty-four Colorado Sheriffs and other plaintiffs will hold a press conference detailing their filing of their federal civil rights lawsuit against Colorado's House Bills 1224 (magazine ban) and 1229 (sales and temporary transfers of firearms). The press conference will be held at the Independence Institute, 727 East 16th Ave., Denver. | For More...

Beretta has made its position on Maryland's new gun control law clear: "Prior to introduction of this legislation the three Beretta Holding companies located in Maryland were experiencing growth in revenues and jobs and had begun expansion plans in factory and other operations. The idea now of investing additional funds in Maryland and thus rewarding a Government that has insulted our customers and our products is offensive to us so we will take steps to evaluate such investments in other States. At the same time, we will continue our current necessary operations within Maryland and we are thankful for and welcome the continued support of our employees as we do so." | For More...

— BIRDING
Thanks to skill, lots of practice, and a little bit of luck, five intrepid Cornell University students tallied 166 species of birds in 24 hours to capture the Cape May County division championship at the World Series of Birding in New Jersey on May 11. | For More...

— BOATING
Louisiana is once again participating in the national "Safe Boating Week" that is scheduled for May 18-24 and signifies the beginning of the spring and summer boating season. | For More...

The Wellington State Park boat access facility on Newfound Lake in Bristol, N.H., will be closed for repairs from Tuesday, May 28, through Friday, May 31. | For More...

May 18 through May 24 is National Safe Boating Week and Colorado Parks and Wildlife is reminding boaters to boat safe, boat smart and boat sober. As the weather starts to warm up, everyone is anxious to get outside and enjoy the sunshine. | For More...

— COMPETITIVE SHOOTING
Thursday GLOCK, Inc. announced the Team GLOCK captain KC Eusebio won the 2013 European Steel Challenge in record time, held in Winterswijk, Netherlands, May 10-12, 2013. | For More...

— CONTESTS
Fans of North American Fisherman-TV have an exclusive opportunity to win a fishing trip of their choice this season! North American Fisherman is giving away a trip for one lucky person to fish with either Capt. Tyler Kapela off the coast of Florida, or Capt. Eric Haataja near his home of Milwaukee, Wis. on Lake Michigan. | For More...

— ELECTRONIC MEDIA
If anglers aren't familiar with the Fish Orlando! effort, modern technology offers a new way to explore its many facets. The application allows residents and tourists to see maps of the major lakes in the area, read specific rules, identify local sport fish and obtain fishing tips via any Android or Apple operating system. | For More...

— FISHERIES
The Washington DFW has closed the recreational halibut fishery in Marine Area 2 (Westport-Ocean Shores), including the northern nearshore area from the Queets River (47º31.70'N. latitude) south to Point Chehalis (46º58.00'N. latitude) and east of a line approximating the 30 fathom depth contour as defined by the following coordinates until further notice. | For More...

— FISHING TOURNAMENTS
Jason Christie won the Walmart FLW Tour event on Beaver Lake, Arkansas, then headed 120 miles east to Bull Shoals Reservoir and won the Bassmaster Elite Series event. Thanks to BoatUS Angler's "Weigh-to-Win" cash bonus program, Christie is still cashing-in. | For More...

— HUNTING
A recent survey, funded by the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) and conducted by Southwick Associates, focused on participation levels of students in the years immediately following their graduation from hunter education class. The survey revealed that a significant percentage of hunter education students do not buy a license after graduating. | For More...

— INDUSTRY
Sonic Boom, manufacturers of high quality exploding targets, is quickly gaining traction within the marketplace and becoming the preferred choice of both retailers and end-consumers alike. | For More...

Burris Company is proud to announce the new Burris® C4™ Riflescope has won a 2013 Outdoor Life "Great Buy" award. | For More...

Viridian has named Joe Houser as its new Sales and Marketing Director. He will be responsible for all sales and marketing, including managing sales channels, developing and executing marketing and advertising strategies, and working on new product development. | For More...

Bob Robb has been named editorial director for the company's outdoor titles, in addition to his current role as editor of Archery Business magazine, Mark Melotik has been promoted to editor of Bowhunting World magazine, and Hilary Dyer has been promoted to group managing editor of the Birmingham office. | For More...

Bill Hicks & Co., Ltd., a full-line distributor for the hunting and shooting industries, is proud to introduce TenPoint and Wicked Ridge Crossbows to their product line. | For More...

American Technologies Network Corp. introduces the Night Scout VX; ATN's newest addition to affordable, quality night vision devices for camping, hiking, birding, boating or home defense. | For More...

Chevalier Advertising, Marketing & Public Relations is pleased to announce the addition of Justin Yoshimura to its creative team. Yoshimura will assist in the continuing full-service support Chevalier provides to its clients by helping to create marketing collateral across all types of graphic mediums. | For More...

— INVASIVE SPECIES
To remind Hoosiers and visitors to Indiana to protect forests by not moving firewood, Gov. Mike Pence has declared May 19-25 as Emerald Ash Borer Awareness Week in Indiana. | For More...

— LICENSING
The Arizona Game and Fish Department will host a series of meetings statewide to seek the public's input in developing a new hunting and fishing license structure and fees, as authorized by the recent passage of Senate Bill 1223. | For More...

— LITIGATION
CADEX Inc. (CADEX Defence, Inc.) and Ashbury International Group, Inc. recently settled a nearly 18-month legal battle concerning modular sniper rifle stock design elements. Following the May 2 settlement, CADEX retains the production and sales rights to its existing Strike Dual Rifle Chassis design and will continue manufacturing and selling the dual rail rifle chassis system in the United States and globally. | For More...

— NEW PRODUCTS
Browning has added five new knives to the Black Label line of Products. The design and rugged construction make the knives perfect for everyday use or self defense. Added to the Black Label line of knives for 2013 is the Backlash, Checkmate, Fear Factor, Trip Wire and Strike Force. | For More...

Wildgame Innovations proudly introduces Sugar Beet Crush, a highly effective concentrated deer attractant that combines real sugar beets crushed and blended with fresh, heat-processed beans. | For More...

— NEWS
Organizers of New Hampshire's IDPA championship announced that iconic American firearms maker Smith & Wesson will be the title sponsor of the Granite State's 2013 state match. The Smith & Wesson Live Free Or Die State IDPA Championship is scheduled to take place October 18-19. | For More...

— ORGANIZATIONS
The House Agriculture Committee marked up and reported out to the House floor their 2013 Farm Bill today, with a 36-10 vote. The House bill includes a regional Sodsaver provision, applying only to the Prairie Pothole Region states of Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Iowa and Minnesota. | For More...

Nebraska Pheasants Forever (PF) and Quail Forever (QF) wildlife biologists across the state are hosting 17 landowner habitat tours over the next four months. These tours are designed to demonstrate habitat management practices, available conservation programs, the financial benefits of conservation programs, and how to create the best results on your next habitat project. | For More...

The Sheboygan/Manitowoc Pheasants Forever chapter is offering a signing bonus for landowners enrolling in the USDA Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) General Sign-up 45, which runs May 20 through June 14. | For More...

Dr. Michael P. Crosby officially assumed the leadership of Mote Marine Laboratory and Aquarium Thursday, May 16, 2013, following the nonprofit organization's annual Board meeting. | For More...

— POACHING
Four Louisiana men were found guilty of poaching Iowa deer from a case that started when someone made a call to the Turn in Poachers hotline. The investigation began in late November 2011. | For More...

— PUBLISHING
When Predator Xtreme asked their readers what gear they trust in the field, they didn't hold punches. The ballots have been counted and the winners announced for Predator Xtreme's first Reader's Choice Awards. | For More...

— RADIO
This week, Dan Small Outdoors Radio features Wisconsin state game farm superintendent Bob Nack, Petenwell County Park superintendent Darrin Tolley, outdoor blogger Carrie Zylka and Madison tackle dealer Gene Dellinger. | For More...

— RECREATION
Although Indiana DNR campgrounds and cabins at state parks, state reservoirs and recreation areas are booked to capacity for Memorial Day weekend, some shelters remain available for picnics and other day-use gatherings. | For More...

— SHOOTING COMPETITIONS
Glenn Eller (Houston, Texas), the 2008 Olympic gold medalist, has shown he might be rounding back into form that led him to his triumph in Beijing. With a win Wednesday at the USA Shooting Spring Selection Match on his home range in Fort Benning, Ga., he's now climbed to the top again among America's elite Double Trap competitors. | For More...

— STATES
The Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Commission and the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries have announced that June 8 and 9 will be "Free Fishing Weekend" for Louisiana citizens and visitors. | For More...

— TELEVISION
This week, Scott Leysath's boots are on the ground in Oklahoma for the Annual Waynoka Rattlesnake Hunt where he does his fair share of catching and eating the dangerous snake. Watch the intense drama unfold on Dead Meat on Sunday, May 19. | For More...

This week, Capt. George Gozdz and guest host, Peter Barrett, educate and 'reel' in big time results. The target species is a blacktip shark and the men go above and beyond in their journey to demonstrate the joys of shark fishing from a beach. Don't miss Reel Time with Florida Sportsman this Saturday, May 18 | For More...

— WILDLIFE
Kris Williams of the Caretta Research Project and a group of volunteers were patrolling the beach on Georgia's Wassaw Island at 11 Monday night when they discovered the year's first loggerhead sea turtle nest. | For More...

FEATURE
Marine Finds Healing in Competitive Shooting
EDITOR'S NOTE: Today's feature comes to us courtesy of the Army News Service. We want to thank ANS, author David Vergun and photographer Sgt. Justin M. Boling for sharing this story with our readers.

COLORADO SPRINGS, CO - Former Marine Staff Sgt. Matthew Benack is the one to watch at the Wounded Warrior 2013 games.

He's taken gold medals in archery and air rifle for the last three years and thinks he has a good shot at gold again this year.

However, he may have a problem winning this year, a problem of his own making. He explains:

"I love to teach others to shoot. The real joy I get is when they learn to outshoot me.

Matthew Benack, a member of the Marine Corps team, will compete this year in archery, air rifle and pistol events during the 2013 Warrior Games in Colorado Springs, Colo., May 11. Benack, a current resident of Jacksonville, N.C., is one of only a couple Marines who competed in the Warrior Games all four years it has existed. Sgt. Justin M. Boling photo with ANS permission.
"I've got a guy on my tail this year who I taught and I've gotten his confidence level up enough that he realizes he can beat me when he puts his mind to it," he continued.

The competition will be close this year, Benack predicted, but whoever wins it will be a Marine since they placed in the top tier during the preliminaries.

At the end of the day, he said, irrespective of service "we always shake hands. It's all good sportsmanship."

The Warrior Games is a Paralympic-style competition for wounded, ill and injured service members held here at the Olympic Training Center and the Air Force Academy.

Benack grew up in Arnold, Missouri, where he said shooting came natural. He said that shooting "kept me busy and sane following my injuries in 2010 in Iraq, the lowest point in recovery." He suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injury.

All of the wounded warriors here are at different points in their recovery, he said. "Some are at rock bottom and others are climbing out where I'm at ready to get back to as normal a life as possible."

Having gone through the recovery process, Benack said he's able to give back to other wounded warriors who are still struggling and trying to cope. He said just talking with them and being their friend is enough.

"Being with someone who experienced the same heartaches, trials and tribulations you went through means a lot," he said, adding that doctors and medication alone are not enough.

Although the games only last a week, he said the friends they make here will last a lifetime. And, though they might live hundreds or thousands of miles apart, they keep in contact using social media.

Help from family

Rocky, a wounded service dog, acoompanies owner during the 2013 Warrior Games registration, May 10. ANS with permission
Tara, his wife, and their five children have also been tremendous in helping with the recovery process, he said.

Having family support was vital, he said, noting that some of the wounded warriors are less fortunate and don't have families "so we become their family.

Tara also suffers from PTSD, he said, following a horrific vehicle-train collision in Texas in which four other wounded warriors were killed while traveling to a wounded warrior event in Midland in a trailer.

The accident, in which neither he nor Tara were injured, brought flashbacks of his own time in combat when he smelled burning flesh and saw the awful carnage, he said.

Read more: http://www.dvidshub.net/image/929091/warrior-games#.UZAxD5XwyAY#ixzz2T7x8oQ47
Besides family support, Benack said his service dog Rocky provides a large measure of love and comfort. Rocky was a gift from a nonprofit paws4vets in 2010. The organization provides assistance dogs at no charge to veterans, service members and their families who have physical, psychological or emotional disabilities.

Another way Benack said he deals with his pain is through volunteer work helping other veterans. He works in the Adapt & Overcome Program which assists veterans of every service who are recovering from PTSD, TBI and similar injuries acquire the skills they need to adjust and return to civilian life.

Returning to civilian life is not easy, Benack said. People don't understand how someone can be "wounded" without any physical injuries. He hopes society will get educated about the invisible injuries and hopes the games will bring that message out.

One of Benack's biggest disappointments is that only a few hundred wounded warriors get to do this every year. He hopes competitions like this will spread across America and the rest of the world.

"I fought side by side with Australians, Brits and others who've been similarly injured," he said. "We've all chewed the same dirt. We've all been through the same heartaches. They need a program like this."
May 18
May 22-25
Pickwick Lake, Florence, AL
May 22-25
Green Valley Rifle and Pistol Club, 4350 Academy Rd., Hallsville (Columbia), MO
May 31-Jun 1
Waukeshaw Gun Club, Waukeshaw, WI
May 31-Jun 2
Heartland Public Shooting Park, Grand Island, Nebraska.
Jun 1
387 Perch Pond Road, Holderness, New Hampshire
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