Discussion and possible action to authorize the submission of a grant application to the NRA Foundation estimated at $8,000 as developed, written, and submitted by the Webb County Sheriff's Office Grant Writer for firearms equipment for the Sheriff's Office certified peace officers, and authorizing the County Judge to execute all relevant documents; and any other matters incident thereto. This grant does not require any match; and, thus shall have no impact to the general fund. All required documents were sent for review through the Economic Development Department and the solicitation is compliant with the Webb County. [Requested by Martin Cuellar, Webb County Sheriff]

Issue: The Webb County Sheriff’s Office must continually equip its sworn officer force with an important array of duty gear, other critical safety equipment, and essential, but costly expendable supplies, such as ammunition, utilizing limited local funds.  Moreover, the vast majority of federal and state grants do not allow for the purchase of firearms and/or ammunition as an eligible grant expense.

Solution: Grant application to the Friends of the National Rifle Association (NRA) Foundation by the Webb County Sheriff's Office to provide firearms as a supplemental source of this needed equipment.

Result: The Webb County Sheriff’s Office's sworn officer force will be provided with additional firearms.

The NRA Foundation is a tax-exempt organization that raises contributions in support of a wide range of firearms-related public interest activities.  Grant funds benefit a variety of constituents throughout the United States, including children, youth, women, individuals with disabilities, gun collectors, law enforcement officers, hunters, and competitive shooters.

The submission of this grant application is authorized by the Webb County Commissioners’ Court on a yearly basis.