Explore The NRA Universe Of Websites

APPEARS IN Take Action

Grassroots Spotlight: Meet Jay M. Littlefield Award Winners Rick Coufal and Dennis Barthenheier

Monday, February 13, 2023

Grassroots Spotlight: Meet Jay M. Littlefield Award Winners Rick Coufal and Dennis Barthenheier

The annual NRA-ILA Jay M. Littlefield Award recognizes individual NRA members for their meritorious defense of the Second Amendment. Late last year, awards were presented to two individuals for their selfless commitment to upholding and supporting the Second Amendment.

Dennis Barthenheier, owner of Wisconsin Firearms Training Center in Brookfield, Wisconsin, received the award for his invaluable work with the NRA-ILA Grassroots Division over the past five years. Combining his passion for the Second Amendment, with his business, Wisconsin Firearms Training Center, he continually serves as a beacon for pro-Second Amendment activities in Wisconsin.

Dennis is always willing to generously let NRA, local volunteers, and pro-2A activists use his business and resources for so many important grassroots events focused on educating and engaging many in Wisconsin in support of our rights. He additionally lends his own personal time to the cause and has assisted NRA-ILA with other endeavors outside his business, such as NRA State Conferences and other events.

Rick Coufal has been volunteering directly with the NRA-ILA in Oregon for just a few short years, but has made a huge impact!  He has been instrumental in important grassroots outreach in Oregon as a Frontlines Activist Leader, as well as the Legislative Director for the NRA affiliated State Association. Rick went above and beyond the call by not only helping the new NRA-ILA PNW Grassroots Coordinator get acclimated to the region, but also helped to staff numerous gun shows and legislative events that contributed to his accumulation of more than 120+ volunteer hours in a single year. Most recently he was an integral part of the Oregonians for Freedom Committee, which was instrumental in fighting the atrocious Oregon gun control ballot initiative. A U.S. Army Veteran, he has always been a wealth of knowledge and commitment and one day aspires to serve the NRA in a greater capacity on the Board of Directors.

TRENDING NOW
Creating Crimes Out of Thin Air: Federal Bill Seeks to Treat Air Guns as Firearms

News  

Monday, October 5, 2026

Creating Crimes Out of Thin Air: Federal Bill Seeks to Treat Air Guns as Firearms

A new bill introduced in Congress proposes to regulate “lethal air guns” as firearms under the Gun Control Act of 1968, as amended (GCA). Yet the risk of fatalities and criminal misuse from air guns ...

The NFA’s New Era: What Has Changed, What Remains the Same, Items of Note

News  

Monday, October 12, 2026

The NFA’s New Era: What Has Changed, What Remains the Same, Items of Note

As we announced separately this week, ATF has determined that it will use its executive discretion to uniformly suspend enforcement of large portions of the National Firearms Act (NFA).

Guardsmen’s Arrest Shows D.C. Still Lacks Common Sense, Proportionality on Guns

News  

Monday, October 12, 2026

Guardsmen’s Arrest Shows D.C. Still Lacks Common Sense, Proportionality on Guns

A lot of has changed for the better in the Nation’s Capital since Donald Trump returned to the White House. But the recent arrest of a young National Guardsman for an apparently harmless breach of ...

Officials Admit It: There’s No Actual Substance Behind Canadian Gun Grab

News  

Monday, October 12, 2026

Officials Admit It: There’s No Actual Substance Behind Canadian Gun Grab

A year ago, Canada’s Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree admitted, in a bombshell recording with a gun owner, that the Liberal government’s “assault-style firearm” ban and confiscation program isn’t driven by public safety or gun ...

Jive Turkeys: Everytown Gears Up to Spoil Thanksgiving with Gobbledygook

News  

Monday, November 17, 2025

Jive Turkeys: Everytown Gears Up to Spoil Thanksgiving with Gobbledygook

Thanksgiving in America isn’t just about food, family and football. According to a survey published by casino.ca (with its Great Thanksgiving Family Feud Map), the holiday typically “comes with a slice of family chaos and a touch of ...

Questions and Answers About the Texas NFA Case

News  

Monday, August 17, 2026

Questions and Answers About the Texas NFA Case

On August 12, we reported on an important development in the ongoing litigation over the National Firearms Act (NFA) filed by multiple plaintiffs in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas. These included, ...

U.S. Department of Justice Declares Age 18-20 Handgun Sales Ban Unconstitutional

News  

Wednesday, September 23, 2026

U.S. Department of Justice Declares Age 18-20 Handgun Sales Ban Unconstitutional

On September 17, the Department of Justice’s Office of Legal Counsel (OLC) issued a memorandum opinion to answer the question “whether restricting young adults from buying firearms comports with the Second Amendment as the Supreme ...

Pervasive Surveillance and Data Storage an Emerging Concern for Gun Owner Privacy

News  

Monday, October 5, 2026

Pervasive Surveillance and Data Storage an Emerging Concern for Gun Owner Privacy

Americans have willingly, and sometimes unwillingly, surrounded themselves with technology that watches, listens, records, and remembers. Cars know how and where we drive. Phones track just about everything in our daily routines. 

Federal Court Strikes Down NFA Registration Requirements for Suppressors, Short-Barreled Rifles, and Short-Barreled Shotguns in NRA Case

Wednesday, August 5, 2026

Federal Court Strikes Down NFA Registration Requirements for Suppressors, Short-Barreled Rifles, and Short-Barreled Shotguns in NRA Case

In another major victory for the National Rifle Association and law-abiding gun owners, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas today held that the National Firearms Act’s registration and approval requirements for ...

The Fight to Protect the Firearms Industry Continues

News  

Wednesday, September 23, 2026

The Fight to Protect the Firearms Industry Continues

The political lawfare campaign to dismantle the lawful firearms industry by holding it liable for the criminal misuse of its constitutionally protected products should have never started. U.S. tort law has long held that a ...

MORE TRENDING +
LESS TRENDING -

More Like This From Around The NRA

NRA ILA

Established in 1975, the Institute for Legislative Action (ILA) is the "lobbying" arm of the National Rifle Association of America. ILA is responsible for preserving the right of all law-abiding individuals in the legislative, political, and legal arenas, to purchase, possess and use firearms for legitimate purposes as guaranteed by the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.