Boy Scouts of America and the NRA's National Firearms Museum open Marksmanship Exhibit

On August 20th officials of the Boy Scouts of America and the National Rifle Association of America will open a new exhibit at the National Scouting Museum located at BSA's National Headquarters in Irving, Texas. The exhibit,A Century of Marksmanship, coincides with the 100th anniversary of Scouting and the partnership BSA & NRA formed in 1910 to provide Scouts with a safe and fun environment to learn and participate in the shooting sports.

The exhibit contains photographs, firearms, merit badge books and patches from the 100 year history of the Marksmanship Merit Badge. Numerous firearms commissioned to commemorate Scouting are exhibited, having been generously donated by Remington & Henry Repeating Firearms. Graphic images were also generously supplied by Boy's Life Magazine and the members of the Remington Society of America.

From BSA's founding in 1910, the shooting sports have been an exciting part of the Scouting experience. "Marksman" was one of the first 14 Badges of Merit offered in the original 1910 Scout Handbook. It is estimated that currently 20,000 badges each of Rifle Shooting and Shotgun Shooting are earned annually by Scouts.

Since 1910, of the millions of boys who have proudly worn the BSA uniform, many have had the opportunity to handle and shoot their first gun during a Scouting sponsored event.

Today NRA training counselors, certified instructors and range safety officers provide safe and educational environments for Scouts to learn firearm safety and an introduction into the shooting sports at hundreds of BSA summer camps and range-day activities.

The exhibit is a cooperative effort between the staff's of the National Scouting Museum and the NRA's National Firearms Museum. It was generously funded by the NRA Foundation through the philanthropy of George S. Rich of Maryland.

The exhibit is on display at the National Scouting Museum, 1329 W Walnut Hill Lane, Irving, TX 75038 The museum is open Monday 10 a.m. - 7 p.m. Tuesday - Saturday 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. & Sunday 1 p.m. - 5 p.m. There is an admission fee. The National Scouting Museum is the official museum of the Boy Scouts of America. For more information on the National Scouting Museum, please visitwww.nationalscoutingmuseum.org .

The National Firearms Museum is located at NRA's National HQ , 11250 Waples Mill Rd. Fairfax, VA 22030 and is open 9:30 a.m. - 5 p.m. 7 days a week. There is no admission fee. The National Firearms Museum is the official museum of the National Rifle Association of America. For more information on the National Firearms Museum, please visit www.nramuseum.org