43 Years of Freedom NRA
Whittington Center
A brief History
by Wayne Armacost
The story of the NRA Whittington
Center begins 45 years ago, in 1968,
with the passage of the Gun Control
Act (GCA). The ’68 GCA broadly
regulated both the firearms industry
and firearm owners, focusing primarily
on prohibiting interstate firearms
transfers except among licensed
manufacturers, dealers and importers.
It was this piece of legislation that
prompted the NRA to seriously
consider purchasing property as a place
for NRA members to shoot.
Properties in California, Tennessee,
Montana and New Mexico were
considered. However, it was the tenacity
of Governor Bruce King that earned
New Mexico the NRA site selection
committee’s undivided attention. Ladd
Gordon, Director of New Mexico Game
and Fish, was appointed by Governor
King to assist the NRA in their quest to
identify potential properties around the
state.
Raton soon became the front
runner due to orientation of the famous
Red River Peak mountain range and
friendliness of the community. Most
mountain ranges run North/South,
however, this range ran East/West making
it the perfect backdrop for shooting
ranges. Shooters would never have to face
the rising sun or fight the long shadows of
the sun set. In August of 1973 a vote was
taken on the Raton property. The vote
was 56 for and 6 opposed.
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A champion for the project was
needed, someone who could take
the project from concept to reality.
George R. Whittington; oil man, NRA
member and competitive shooter was
that champion. He met with Alvin
Stockton who traded land, Annie van
Brugger who sold portions of her land
to the NRA and Kaiser Steel which
traded part of its Raton property for
industrial property owned by the NRA
in California. Thus, Whittington was
able to piece together land agreements
that resulted into the 33,300 acres
which is the Whittington Center as we
know today.
Little happened the first several
years at the newly established NRA
Outdoor Center in Raton, New
Mexico. In 1977, NRA leadership
decided to no longer fund the then
called, NRA National Range and
Outdoor Center. Rather, they created
a non-profit (501c3) public charity
and renamed the facility the NRA
Whittington Center in honor of the
man who had put so much love, toil
and time into creating what would
become the finest outdoor shooting
complex and recreation facility in
the United States and, in fact, the
world. Additionally, the NRA board
passed by-laws stating NRA general
fund money (which included NRA
membership dues) would no longer be
used to fund the Center.
Today, the NRA Whittington
Center boasts 18 world-class
shooting ranges hosting thousands
of competitive shooters from all over
the globe in everything from World
Championships to Regional, State and
local matches. Black powder, 3-Gun,
.50 Caliber, Palma, F-Class, Sporting
Clays, .22 LR, High Power, Small Bore
Rifle and Cowboy Action Silhouette
and youth and women competitive
events to name a few all call the
Center’s ranges home.
Many visitors remember the days
when the Whittington Center was
nothing more than an entrance cut
through a barbed wire fence, an old
“silver bullet” trailer, a lonely dirt road
and miles of dreams. The dreams and
the dirt roads are still here but long
gone is the simple barbed wire fence
and the silver bullet trailer that served
as a welcome center. Visitors are now
greeted with a welcoming stucco sign,
paved entrance and inviting visitor
center that is home to the Frank
Brownell Museum of the Southwest,
the Bud & Willa Eyman Research
Library along with an impressive Pro
Shop and Emporium.
Since 1977, the NRA Whittington
Center has sus