At the NRA convention last week I told several bloggers I was contemplating having a special Boomershoot for gun bloggers*. I have had time to think about this quite a bit more.
The following is tentative so if you have suggestions let me know before I finalize it in the next week or so.
Boomershoot 2009 is currently scheduled for Sunday April 26th with Friday and Saturday the 24th and 25th being the Precision Rifle Clinic. Nearly all of the gun bloggers who have never attended Boomershoot I have talked to expressed concern their long range rifle skills were deficient so I think participating in at least one day of the clinic is a good idea for them. Partially for this reason I have decided combining the gun blogger event with Boomershoot 2009 is a good idea.
What I think is one of the more interesting part of the event is the making of the targets prior to the event. We have repeatedly invited the mainstream media to observe and/or participate and only once had them accept. I'm guessing gun bloggers will be more inclined to take me up on this invitation. Hence I have decided to make Thursday April 23rd 2009 Boomershoot Gun Blogger Day. On this day gun bloggers will be given media credentials and a special behind the scenes tour of and participation in Boomershoot 2009. If the individuals involved want to actually mix explosives and package the targets they will need to fill out some paperwork at least a couple months in advance. This paperwork will be submitted to the ATF and if the ATF approves it these individuals will be allowed to actually make explosives and reactive targets. If individuals do not wish to submit the paperwork then they will still be allowed to observe target manufacturing and participate in all the other activities.
Other activities planned for Gun Blogger Day will include discussions of explosive chemistry, alternate materials for explosives, target detonation theory, fireball target construction, the history and future of Boomershoot, Boomershoot safety, Why Boomershoot, "entertainingly close" detonation of targets by the participants and almost any other safe and legal activity related to guns and explosives the participants can think of.
Do you want to blow something up? Toilets, laptop computers, and hard disk drives are just some of the things we have subjected to "Idaho Hardware Testing". If you have something you want subjected to Boomerite let me know and we'll figure out how to make it happen safely. The only catch is that you need to clean up (or pay for) the mess afterward.
Gun bloggers who are attending Boomershoot for the first time will also get free admission to the main event on Sunday April 26th.
* For the purposes of this special offer a gun blogger is defined as someone who has an active blog with frequent posts about gun use or politics. "Active blog" means someone who has made 100 or more posts in the previous year as of April 1, 2009. This definition potentially and intentionally includes the
anti gun blogs such as the Gun Guys and the Brady Blog. "Frequent posts about gun use or politics" will be defined at my whim on a case by case basis. Submit your blog to me for inclusion prior to April 1 and I'll get back to you with my decision within a day or so.