BGC Member Spotlight – Ray Campbell
Ray Campbell, BGC member since 1977
Ask anyone who has spent time at BGC who Ray Campbell is and you’ll probably get a whole host of interesting answers. A retired banker and lifetime shooting sports enthusiast, Ray has been working on behalf of Buccaneer Gun Club for over 40 years, and the NRA foundation for over 20 years. He has served 7 years BGC’s past President, helped to build and fix just about every range and piece of equipment on the property, helps run our IDPA and Action Pistol Matches, can accurately shoot just about any gun every manufactured, and is a huge proponent of the shooting sports in our region. With over 50 years of shooting experience, Campbell has also distinguished himself as a competitor in multiple shooting disciplines including Skeet, 3-Gun, Action Pistol and as an Expert ranked member in the International Defensive Pistol Association.
He attended his first Friends of NRA fundraising event in 1994 and has not missed a dinner since. Mr. Campbell has served as the Chairman of the local FNRA chapter for over a decade and sits on the NC state NRA Foundation Grant Committee. Since he stepped up to lead the Wilmington chapter, they have seen an exponential growth in the size of their events and in the funds they generate. When he attended his first FNRA dinner over 2 decades ago, it consisted of around 30 attendees. 10 years ago, that number had grown to over 300, and for the past 5 years, their group has sold out their venue with over 500 guests, including 20 VIP Corporate Tables. Ray believes strongly in the Friends of NRA mission of supporting the growth and development of the shooting sports, especially when it comes to youth. He is passionate about helping young shooting sports enthusiasts in all disciplines and ensures that local youth from throughout the southeastern NC region have opportunities to learn safe, responsible firearms handling. He is an NRA certified Shotgun Instructor and Range Safety Officer and has led Buccaneer Gun Club in sponsoring multiple Youth Rifle and Skeet clinics over the years, supported the Boy Scouts of America in skeet tournament fund raisers, served as a Range Safety Officer and Match Director in the International Defensive Pistol Association and as an instructor for Women on Target events.
A tireless leader by example, over his lifetime Ray has volunteered untold hours as a leader and ambassador for Buccaneer Gun Club and over 10,000 hours on behalf of the NRA Foundation and other shooting sports organizations in North Carolina. On November 13, 2016, those years of service were recognized by the NRA Foundation when Ray was named as the Eastern North Carolina Volunteer of the Year and was a finalist for National Volunteer of the Year.
