I am pleased to announce that "kathunter" (Ed) has requested to
participate in the instructor certification program. I know many of
you, who have been on this board and it's predecessor, recognize
kathunter as one of the "founding fathers" of blowgunning in the
current era, and respect his skill and ability.

His support of the sport as shown by his participation in the
program, is greatly appreciated. I hope that others will follow his
example. Ed certainly does not need any certificate to train others
in blowgunning, but has given us credibility by adding his name to
our ranks. For this, I express my gratitude to him.

I strongly encourage all of you who participate in Sport Blowwgun
Taraget shooting, in the USA, Germany, or other participating
nations, to consider becoming certified. As people discover the
sport, whether through our promotional efforts, or by chance while
web surfing, we want to encourage them to use the blowgun properly
and safely ... not to shoot at song birds, protected water fowl,
pets, or other human beings.

Mike Janich, in his Conclusion of his 1993 work, "Blowguns: The
Breath of Death states, "... I have never heard of any blowgun
related crimes being committed..." Unfortunately, I have, on the
former NSBA website, documented multiple incidents of blowgun related
crimes ... drive-by blowgun shootings on human beings (thankfully, to
date, no fatalities) including a woman shot in the leg, a
motorcyclist shot in the chest (through his leather jacket, and stuck
into his sternum, and have even had a surgeon contact me for more
information about such occurances ... a young girl shot in her cheek
in Japan by a classmate (accidentally) ... many waterfowl and
songbirds in public parks were found living with a target dart stuck
in or through them ... what if the shooter missed, and the dart
struck you, or one of your loved ones??? The members of one blowgun
message board rose together a while ago, in response to one such
report on the BlowgunsNW MSN forum to aid law enforcement officials
in bringing this individual to justice (view the archives).

Newcomers to blowguns need to know that this type of activity is
wrong, and those of us who are serious blowgunners will do all in our
power to bring offenders to justice. But, we do not want to
discourage newcomers from participating. We need to teach them what
is right, what is acceptable, pass along our heritage ... and maybe
even make a buck or two while doing it! LOL - sorry. Seriously ...
maybe have the sport sanctioned, as is one of the goals of the
International Fukiyado Association, as an Olympic event ... and watch
one of your students bring home Olympic gold.