The IHEA-USA Awards New Firearms Fundamentals Course RFP to Kalkomey Enterprises

The International Hunter Education Association-USA announced that Kalkomey Enterprises of Richardson, Texas, will be building its new Firearms Fundamentals Course, which will be available to Americans this fall through some Fish & Wildlife Agencies in the United States.

With support from the Association of Fish & Wildlife Agencies (AFWA), the IHEA-USA is taking the first step toward an official, nationwide course that individual states can use to ensure that their citizens have the necessary training to be safe gun owners. The IHEA-USA Firearms Fundamentals Course is designed to improve the awareness, understanding, and beginner uses and practices of new firearm possession. This online course will be available for executional use by all 50 states and territories through their respective wildlife and natural resource agencies later this year.

“Previous research showed that one out of three hunter education graduates did not purchase a hunting license within six years of graduating,” stated Alex Baer, Executive Director of the IHEA-USA. “We’ve identified that many Americans take Hunter Education primarily as a firearms safety course without the intention of hunting, and we want to offer this audience and the growing number of Americans purchasing their first firearm a course designed specifically for them. As the leading governing body for safe hunting, it makes sense that we could and should address safe target shooting and firearms ownership more directly. Consequently, we will offer a course that not only benefits the American public, but also contributes to each state’s Fish & Wildlife educational catalog.”

This new online course will teach firearms safety through three options: handgun, shotgun, and rifle, and will inform and raise awareness about the importance of how excise taxes from manufacturers’ firearms and ammunition sales directly contribute to all states’ wildlife conservation and management efforts. There will also be opportunities for manufacturers in the outdoor space to contribute to this program’s success and its ability to reach new firearm owners.

For more information on this release or partnership with the IHEA-USA on this critical project, contact Leaha Thomas leaha@boltstrategy.com or Mike Thomas mike@boltstrategy.com.

About the IHEA-USA: The International Hunter Education Association – USA (IHEA-USA) is the professional hunter education association affiliated with the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies and the United States Fish and Wildlife Service hunter education programs. These programs employ 55,000 instructors, many of whom are volunteers, teaching hunting and shooting safety and responsibilities throughout the United States.