CAMP PERRY, OHIO — Allentown High School senior Danny Jonas scored big at the National Rifle Association’s National Smallbore 3-Position Rifle Championship last month, winning first in the Junior Sharpshooter Class.
Danny also finished 16th overall out of more than 275 of the top target shooters in the country — minus the Olympic team members who were in London at the summer games at the time.
The Upper Freehold resident was joined by teammate Lucas Andrews, 16, of Absecon, for the Metric Team Championship and finished as the second-place Junior team, winning the silver medal.
The three-day conventional smallbore position event July 19-21 in Ohio included shooting in prone, standing and kneeling positions. Danny represented New Jersey previously this year at the Junior Olympics and is current state champion.
The National Championships are run jointly by the National Rifle Association and the U.S. Civilian Marksmanship Program at both Camp Perry Ohio and Bristol, Indiana. The championships are held over a two-month period and include separate events for pistol, metric smallbore rifle, conventional smallbore rifle, high power rifle, and long-range rifles.
Competitors compete in four classes (Marksman, Sharpshooter, Expert, and Master) based on results from previous competitions.
Danny was joined in the championship by his father, Gordon Jonas (finished 6th in the Expert class and 72nd overall) as well as New Jersey teammates Spencer Cap (finished 3rd in the Sharpshooter class and 74th overall) and Lucas Andrews (finished 9th Marksman and 142 overall).
This was Danny’s 5th trip to the Nationals and since he is only 17, he should have several other opportunities to return in future years.
Danny, Spencer and Lucas are members of Citizens Rifle and Revolver Club in West Windsor and the state’s Association of New Jersey Rifle and Pistol Clubs’ (ANJRPC) Junior rifle team. Danny hopes to shoot competitively in college and is gunning for a shooting scholarship.
