In Tennessee, when you order a take-out pizza, you get a cardboard shooting target at no extra charge. Nashville, Tennessee-based Hunt Brothers Pizza has come up with a clever idea to promote pizza consumption among the hunting and shooting fraternity. They’ve put targets on the boxes — what a cool idea.

Hunt Brothers offers cardboard pizza boxes with five red and black bullseyes printed on the back. Now your used empty pizza boxes can do more than just take up space in the trash can. This is a pretty smart idea we think — it’s a great example of clever “dual-use” packaging. Hopefully pizza parlors in other locations nationwide will follow suit someday….

Give credit to The Firearm Blog for finding this story and publishing it first.

The Exhibit Hall doors opened this morning at the NRA’s 144th Annual Meetings & Exhibits. For the past few days workers have been hustling night and day to set up the large booths and exhibits. Today, industry reps and NRA Members get down to business in the convention center. This year the Show is hosted in at the Music City Center in Nashville, Tennessee. Appropriately, on Friday afternoon, show visitors were treated to an outdoor Country Music Jam.

Another Thursday highlight was the appearance of the “Gun Gurus”, the experts from the NRA Firearms Museum. Thursday afternoon, nearly 30 lucky individuals took the stage for a special spot on Outdoor Channel’s Gun Gurus. They brought with them historic and collectible firearms to be reviewed by the Gun Gurus. “It’s been a few year since we’ve held an evaluation at the Annual Meeting,” said NRA Museums Senior Curator Philip Schreier. “After seeing the firearms at this year’s event … it was well worth the wait.”

Big Show Requires a Big Effort
Hundreds of companies will showcase their products in Nashville. NRABlog.com editor Lars Dalseide explains what it takes to put on a show of this scale: “When members arrive here in Nashville for the NRA’s 144th Annual Meetings & Exhibits, most will make way for the famed Exhibit Hall. What they’re going to see is the finished product, but it takes a lot to get there.”

Lars notes: “The more impressive the booth the more time and manpower it takes to assemble. One to two to three days worth of carpeting and constructing and a good deal of sweat goes into the final product. Some are put together by the vendors and some by local crews here in Nashville. Either way, someone went through a great deal of effort to make it all possible.”

What’s the best part about the NRA Annual Meetings & Exhibits? Well, if you’re a kid (or a kid at heart), the answer is the indoor shooting range. Every year, the first place we visit at the NRA Show is the Air Gun Range operated by Pyramyd Air. There you can try out, for a nominal fee, many different kinds of air pistols and air rifles. It’s fun, and its great to see so many young people learning about marksmanship is a safe, supervised setting. (Photos courtesy Pyramyd Air.)

Arsenal of Air Guns
A host of air guns will be available to shoot under the guidance of qualified instructors. You can get your hands on new models from Air Arms, Air Venturi, AirForce, Beeman, Beretta, Benjamin, Crosman, Remington, Swiss Arms, Stoeger, Umarex USA, and Walther.

One of the rifles at the Air Gun Range, the Stoeger Arms X20S, even has a suppressor.

Pyramid Air-Sponsored Air Gun Range Hours and Location
The “Pyramyd Air” Air Gun range will be located in room 103 in Music City Center. The air gun range will be open the following hours:

Thursday, April 9: 2:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.
Friday, April 10: 8:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.
Saturday, April 11: 8:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.
Sunday, April 12: 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

The NRA Annual Meetings and Exhibits extravaganza is just a week away. Registration starts on Thursday April 9th, and the Exhibit Hall opens at 9:00 am on Friday the 10th. If you are planning to attend, here are some links that can enhance your experience:

Free Hotel Shuttle Bus Service
The NRA offers free shuttles from downtown hotels to the Music City Center all weekend. There are three routes serving different hotel areas. Shuttles run 8:00 am to 7:00 pm on Friday and Saturday, and 9:00 am to 6:00 pm on Sunday.

Click HERE for shuttle bus routes and schedules.

FREE Event Planner Mobile App
NRA Annual Meeting Attendees with smartphones should definitely download the FREE Show Planner App. With versions for both iOS and Android devices, the App includes: Interactive Map of Exhibit Hall (with booth locations), Event Schedule, New Product List, and Seminar/Workshop Info.

Firearms Law Seminar
The 18th Annual NRA Foundation National Firearms Law Seminar will be held Friday, April 10. This seminar will cover current litigation trends, civil rights, self-defense laws, ATF audits, NFA Trust law, firearm forensics, and more. To register, visit NRAFoundation.org/lawseminar or call 1-877-NRF-LAWS.

Country Music Concert on Friday
The NRA Country Jam Street Festival will light up lower Broadway in Nashville on Friday, April 10. The FREE 5th Annual NRA Country Jam, starting Hank Williams Jr. and Colt Ford, starts at 6:00 pm right outside the Music City Center.

The NRA Annual Meeting and Exhibits extravaganza is less than a month away. From April 10-12, the NRA will hold its annual gathering at the Music City Center in Nashville. This is a big event with over 550 exhibitors in a 450,000 square-foot facility.

One of the highlights this year will be the presence of the “Gun Gurus”, firearms experts Jim Supica and Phil Schreier of the NRA Museum. Jim and Phil will film an episode of NRA Gun Gurus while in Nashville. If you own an historic, collectible, or unique firearm, here’s your chance to have it evaluated by two of the foremost firearm experts in the world. You can apply today to have your firearm evaluated. If you make the cut, you (and your guns) may appear on a future episode of NRA Gun Gurus.

Interested in learning about your most prized firearm? CLICK HERE to request a session with the NRA Gun Gurus in Nashville on April 9, 2015. You’ll need to submit an image and description of your gun.

Each NRA Range Development & Operations Conference is a five-day course that covers the fundamentals of building, owning, and maintaining a shooting facility. The $450.00 conference fee gives range operators five days with America’s top range development experts who will share their knowledge and experience. Topics covered will include:

• Creating a business plan
• Dealing with zoning boards
• Environmental sound
• Insurance issues
• Meeting OSHA standards
• Range maintenance
• Range safety

“There are a number of unforeseen issues that arise when people begin the process of building a range,” said Senior Range Services Coordinator Kara Schlifke. “We can help you successfully navigate those minefields. And for those with an operation already up a running, there are always new issues and regulations to address.”

How to Register for Conferences
The next conference is coming up soon — March 26-30 in Nashville. Register online at www.nrahq.org/shootingrange/development.asp. For more information, call 877-NRA-RANGE or email Kara Schlifke at range@nrahq.org.