Barrett Firearms Benefits NRA
Mike Webb said Barrett was the largest single financial supporter, with well over $30,000 contributed.” What made the Barrett gift so interesting, besides the amount of money raised, was that it was done in a unique manner,” observed Webb.
”Ronnie donated 24 tours to his manufacturing plant for a minimum donation of $1,000 each to the NRA Friends chapters, and then gave us a Barrett Model 98B rifle with a retail value of approximately $5,000.” “This past year was a record one for our Friends of the NRA across the state,.” added Webb.
“”We netted $362,000 to promote programs on behalf of the Boy Scouts, 4-H Clubs, Junior ROTC and many others.”
“The Barrett tours and rifle donation pushed our fundraising to an all-time high.” Webb said. “NRA members from Memphis, Knoxville, Chattanooga, Nashville and other parts of the state were amazed after taking the Barrett plant tours.”
Their comments included: ”This made my bucket list. It was absolutely awesome to see how the Barrett rifles are made. This tour was one of my highlights for the year, worth every dollar.”
Ronnie Barrett, the company founder and CEO, who is also on the NRA Board of Directors, said the idea for doing tours came about because of the great interest.
”We get telephone calls almost every day asking if we do public tours.”
The calls come from throughout the state and all over the country. Some people will say that they’re planning a trip to Tennessee and would like to visit us.
Because we are a closed shop with high security and production schedules to meet, it is just not conducive for public tours, so our answer has to be no. But because there is so much interest, we hit upon the idea of doing a few selective tours to benefit the NRA Friends and also some other charities that are important to us. Altogether, our company provided over $50,000 in 2010 to different charities through the tours.h
Each of the winning bidders from the Friends of the NRA tours had his or her name entered into a drawing for a Barrett Model 98B rifle.
Joe Dement from near Jackson, TN, was the winner whose name was drawn by Barrett during a ceremony at The Outpost Armory in Murfreesboro, a retail gun store owned by his daughter and son, Angela and Chris Barrett.
Webb also presented Barrett with a plaque for his contributions and commitment to the Tennessee Friends of the NRA as a 2010 statewide donor.
Barrett Firearms will be adding a unique twist to the tour fundraising project this year. Each Friends chapter will get a tour donated, but there is more.
According to Barrett, each of the winning bidders will be eligible to win a Model 82A1 .50-caliber rifle through a drawing in December. The winner will be allowed to visit the Barrett factory to participate in manufacturing his or her own rifle and to select a personalized serial number for it.
Webb said, ”This is incredible. We have the possibility of collectively earning up to $60,000 or more for our Friends chapters through the tours. And, the winner can honestly say that he or she helped to make a Barrett rifle and even chose its serial number.”
About:
Barrett is a family-owned and operated company specializing in high performance rifle systems and accessories. Barrett manufactures rifles, ammunition, optics, and other related accessories for civilian sport shooters, law enforcement agencies, the United States military, and over 63 foreign allied militaries worldwide. For more information, go to barrett.net.