In The Outdoor Wire's June 25, 2024 edition, Paul Erhardt wrote an excellent piece about the NRA's ongoing commitment to the hunting community. Indeed, the National Rifle Association has helped hunters for generations, and I have benefited from this. You will likely have benefited as well.

In what seems like a lifetime ago, I built and ran a nonprofit youth hunting organization called The Green Bow Foundation. The first partner I had, when I had nothing but a pound of want-to and a gallon of hope, was the National Rifle Association. They had no idea who I was and probably still don't. They didn't care if I was politically friendly with my wallet to their initiatives and didn't ask for anything in return. Nope. They just helped me because they care about hunting, hunters, and its future. They always have.

Fast forward to a few years ago when I started working at The Hunting Wire. One of my ideas was to create a series that amplified leadership voices for the hunting community. Guess who stepped up first? You're damn right - the NRA. In fact, Peter Churchbourne helps co-facilitate the Voice of Leadership Panel with Jim Curcuruto and me.

For those of you who don't know Peter, let me share some things with you so you understand how good of hands the NRA's Hunter's Leadership Forum is in. Peter helped me plan, build, and execute the Voice of Leadership Panel. I took an idea to him, and he worked (a lot) behind the scenes to help it and me succeed. He still does. On more than one occasion, he has tactfully and, when necessary, assertively advised me against bad actors in our community to help protect me and our efforts on the Voice of Leadership Panel. When I had a tree-stand incident where a piece of gear failed, he immediately fedex'd me a new, better self-recovery system. Whenever I need God's honest truth about something in our community or my actions or intended actions, I know I'll get it from him. He has always helped me be a better hunter, editor, advocate, and contributor to our community, and I highly doubt I can ever return the favor.

But that's the thing about Peter. It was never a favor. It's just who he is, and a lack of a quid pro quo mentality in a man like him from the position he is in is all the proof I'll ever need to know that the NRA picked the right person to lead its leadership initiative.

Thank you, Peter, for being such a good friend and mentor to our community and me.

Jay Pinsky