At the ring of the first bell at SHOT Show Bob Morrison (right), President and CEO of Taurus International, was pleased to announce Mark Keefe, Editor-in-Chief of American Rifleman magazine, as the 2010 Taurus Defender of Freedom Award recipient.

"The Taurus Defender of Freedom Award is given to recipients who best demonstrate their intense belief in our Second Amendment freedoms through actions and words that are straight forward, believable and whose utterances are heard and responded to by the many that receive them,” Morrison said. “No one person demonstrates this more than Mark Keefe. Proving that the written and televised media is mightier than the sword is daily mantra for Keefe and we, at Taurus, love and endear him for his fearless stance!”

Keefe began his career at the NRA as a volunteer at the National Firearms Museum in 1988, where he became a curatorial assistant in 1990. He went on to work with American Rifleman, becoming its assistant technical editor in 1991, managing editor in 1995, editor in 2000 and editor-in-chief in 2003.

“It’s an honor to receive the Taurus Defender of Freedom award, especially because of Taurus’ leadership and dedication to preserving the Second Amendment,” Keefe said. “A lot of companies talk about preserving our rights but Taurus and Bob Morrison have taken a leadership role by ensuring that those who exercise their Second Amendment rights with a Taurus firearm can protect that right with a free NRA membership."

For more than a decade Taurus International has awarded the Defender of Freedom Award to an NRA member who has staunchly defended the Second Amendment and freedom to keep and bear arms. Past recipients include Dave Butz, Chris Cox, Sandra Froman, Joe Graham, Wayne LaPierre, Ted Nugent and John Zent.