The National Rifle Association announced on Thursday it will donate a total of $25,220 to two central Pennsylvania police agencies through its charitable foundation.
The new grants represent the latest charitable donations the NRA has given to groups in central Pennsylvania as a result of its annual Great American Outdoor Show, which is held in Harrisburg, the state's capital. Since the NRA created the show four years ago it has donated nearly $200,000 to local law enforcement, youth groups, and other eligible organizations.
"The NRA is able to continue hosting the Great American Outdoor Show each year because of the support of the central Pennsylvania community, and we constantly look for ways to give back to those who help make this event possible," Jason Brown, an NRA spokesperson, told the Washington Free Beacon.
$15,220 will be provided as a grant to the Pennsylvania Game Commission in order to help their Woodland Tracking Team obtain night vision goggles. That will enable officers to see better while searching for lost or missing hunters and hikers at night.
$10,000 will go to the Swatara Township Police Department to support their K-9 program. The department recently reintroduced their K-9 program after 11 years without it. The NRA said the program will be used for building searches, drug interdiction, and criminal apprehension.
Brown said the two agencies were picked because of what they do to help support the outdoors and hunting communities.
"We identify organizations that not only exemplify the spirit of the shooting sports and the outdoors, but particularly those who build and shape the future of this lifestyle," he said. "Those groups represent the life blood of the outdoors in Pennsylvania, and by supporting and empowering them to make a lasting positive impact in their communities, we invest not only in the future of the Great American Outdoor Show, but the future of our outdoor traditions."
The Great American Outdoor Show will be held at the Pennsylvania Farm Show Complex in Harrisburg between Feb. 3 and 11. It is one of the largest gun and outdoors shows in the country with 650,000 square feet of exhibits.