PLAINS – The annual Friends of the Sanders County National Rifle Association dinner was held in the pavilion at the county fairgrounds on Saturday. The event raises money for the county branch of the NRA.

The fundraiser featured a silent auction, raffle and drawings for various types of prizes. Items included multiple types of firearms such as hunting rifles, shotguns and handguns. There were also riflescopes, camouflage gear, outdoor grilling equipment, original works of art and gift certificates.

Prizes available during the live auction included a variety of special items. Auctioneer Gene Johnson presided over the event that featured a digital camouflage blanket, a signed Charlie Daniels fiddle, an NRA waffle maker, a children’s bicycle, a wine rack, coffee brewer and a three-day and two-night African safari in Namibia.

Friends of the Sanders County NRA Committee Chairman Dennis Bursell said the event raises money that directly benefits the people in local communities.

“We support the rifle range here, the skeet range, the 4H Shooting Club,” said Bursell. “They are building a shooting range over in Hot Springs that we are contributing to. Wherever there is a need, that’s where we jump in.”

Bursell said the money collected at the dinner would stay in the county or at the very least in the state of Montana. He said the main goal of the group was to promote responsible gun ownership and safety.

“What we do is promote shooting safety and shooting sports. We contribute to the Eddie Eagle Program which teaches grade-school kids if you see a gun don’t touch it. Don’t pick it up. Tell an adult,” said Bursell.

Fellow committee member Dennis Evans reiterated that the money collected from the raffle table he was manning would stay in Sanders County. Evans said the funds would go to support the Plains Trap Club and the 4H Shooting Club among others.

“All the money from the raffle stays right here and is used for shooting projects in Sanders County. The profits from the dinner and the auction will go to the state and be used as grant money,” said Evans. “We promote hunter safety, hunter education and the shooting sports so that when people purchase a gun they have the education to use it safely and properly.”

The National Rifle Association was founded in 1871 as a nonprofit organization to promote firearm ownership, firearm safety, marksmanship, hunting and self-defense training in the United States. The NRA is one of the largest certifying bodies in the country for firearm safety and proficiency training.

The NRA’s political activity is based upon the premise that firearm ownership is a civil right protected by the Second Amendment of the Bill of Rights.

While there are several versions of the text of the Second Amendment, the one passed by Congress states “A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.”