NATIONAL RIFLE ASSOCIATION OF 2025-09-13T11:08:32Z
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Sunlight glared off my rifle’s barrel as I stood at the check-in tent for the national finals, the air thick with gunpowder and desperation. My fingers trembled not from recoil anticipation, but raw panic—I’d left my physical qualification certificate in a hotel room two hours away. Visions of disqualification flashed like muzzle flashes: all those predawn trainings, calloused palms, and empty ammo boxes rendered worthless by a forgotten slip of paper. A cold sweat snaked down my spine as the of
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My stomach dropped like a lead weight when I realized the leather folder wasn't in my range bag. The national finals' registration desk loomed ahead, a polished mahogany monolith manned by stone-faced officials. Five months of dawn training sessions evaporated in that heartbeat. Sweat prickled my neck as I imagined explaining how a champion-class shooter forgot his physical credentials. The range officer's eyes narrowed when I approached empty-handed - I could already taste the metallic tang of