Maybe I'm in the minority, but here's the way I always saw the National Rifle Association:

It was a picture of Charlton Heston, in a 10-gallon hat high on a white horse, brandishing a Winchester or a Smith and Wesson or a Remington or Beretta or whatever his weapon of choice actually was. He was talking about how you could pry it from his "cold, dead hands" and all that.

Whatever former military general was running the United States at the time would be standing proudly beside, a wide grin and another rifle.

It just felt so, well. . . mythical.

But John Murphy of Oakland, the co-chairman of the Central Maine Friends of the NRA committee, blows the myth right out of the water. He doesn't think the most important goal of the NRA today is to fight gun-control legislation tooth and nail, nor does he think he should be able to have 632 automatic machine guns in his living room just because the United States Constitution gives us the right to bear arms.

Nope, he thinks the most important thing our local branch of the NRA can do is to educate people about shooting sports.

"You know, I'm privileged to live in a state where we have all these opportunities to hunt and fish, and where I have a place like Capitol City Rifle and Pistol Club to shoot safely when I want," Murphy said. "So you give back a few hours a year and a couple of weekends. That's a privilege, too.

"I think any of the children's programs we have, whether it be 'Eddie the Eagle' or youth shooting programs, are the most important to us. It gets the kids interested and keeps them interested."

Most of us with any affection toward the outdoors in general want our children, our next generation, to have the same affinity. It seems almost common sense that we would want to do everything in our power to educate them, be it about hunting, fishing, hiking, birding or paddling.

Central Maine Friends of the NRA is trying to do just that.

Last Friday night at the Calumet Club in Augusta, more than 160 people gathered for a dinner and auction, all of which raised money for the local NRA committee. Murphy estimates that the event, now four years old, raises an average of $12,500 each year. All of the proceeds go straight toward education programs. Local businesses like Fly Fishing Only in Fairfield, Gagne Sports Center in Madison, Neilson's Sporting Goods in Farmingdale and dozens of others all donate items to be given out as prizes or auction items at the dinner.

Murphy said it would be impossible to raise that kind of money without the help and support of local people.

Since the beginning of 2007, the local NRA group has awarded more than $54,000 to local fish and game clubs, to the Maine Conservation School and to school districts.

This year, Maine School Administrative District No. 58 -- serving the Carrabasset Valley area -- was given $3,000 for a shotgun, ammunition, a vest and travel expenses for its shooting team.

"Cony and Gardiner both have rifle teams that we've helped," Murphy said. "One of the schools in the western Maine area started a skeet-shooting team last year with money from NRA. We gave to Scarborough Fish and Game for youth programs. We just tend to want to give to programs that are going to be youth-oriented."

But then there's the Charlton Heston myth.

"Probably the other biggest thing for us is to make people understand that we are not the political side of the NRA," Murphy said. "We have no political agenda. We won't allow anybody to politick at our events, we're not in that part of it at all.

"Hey, you should vote. Everybody should vote. I don't care how -- it's just that everybody should do it. I'd just like for people to understand that we want to continue this as viable set of sports for people and have some awareness about it. That's it."

Travis Barrett -- 621-5648

tbarrett@centralmaine.com