PHOENIX - The world-class Ben Avery Shooting Facility will be the place to be Wednesday, April 19, a day when recreational shooters can join together to symbolize the first shot fired in 1775 to mark the beginning of the American Revolution, while enjoying a fun shooting event.

It will be 242 years to the day when the Shot Heard 'Round the World was fired in the pre-dawn light in Lexington, Mass., between the colonial militia and British army, regarded as the start of the American Revolutionary War.

The inaugural event, being promoted at public shooting ranges across the nation, also will provide an opportunity to increase participation and boost the economic benefits that shooting sports provide. As recreational shooters check in and visit BASF's small bore range from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m., they will be connected to recreational shooting mentor groups and shooting industry manufacturers and retailers inside the nearby indoor air gun and archery building.

Whether or not a recreational shooter actively participates in hunting or angling, he or she contributes to the main source of funding for state wildlife conservation efforts through an excise tax placed on the purchase of shooting sports equipment and ammunition, as legislated by the Pittman-Robertson Act. Those funds also are spent on shooting sports projects, including the building of shooting ranges, and programs.

For more information about "Shot Heard 'Round the World Day," visit http://www.shotheardroundtheworldday.com.

For more information about the Ben Avery Shooting Facility, visit https://www.azgfd.com/Shooting/BASF/.

Greetings,

On behalf of the Arizona Game and Fish Department, I would like to extend an invitation to you and your business to join us April 19, 2017, for the inaugural “Shot Heard ‘Round the World Day” at the Ben Avery Shooting Facility.

With your help, this promises to be an exciting event. What better way to bring recreational shooters together on the same day, not only to symbolize the first shot fired in 1775 to mark the beginning of the American Revolution, but to increase participation and boost the economic benefits that shooting sports provide?

As recreational shooters visit BASF’s small bore range from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m., they also will be connected to mentor groups, manufacturers and retailers inside the nearby indoor air gun and archery building. Contact Kathryn Watson, Shooting Range Manager, at kwatson@azgfd.gov to register. The cost is $20.

Thank you for considering “Shot Heard ‘Round the World Day” as a showcase for your products or services. I greatly appreciate your participation and look forward to seeing you.

Sincerely,

Scott Lavin

Wildlife Recreation Branch Chief

Arizona Game and Fish Department

5000 W. Carefree Highway

Phoenix, AZ 85086

slavin@azgfd.gov

(623) 236-7188 (desk)

(480) 349-9345 (cell/text)

Did you know?

The Arizona Game and Fish Department receives NO Arizona general fund tax dollars? We hold the state's wildlife in trust for the public without a dime from Arizona taxpayers.