Chamber brings the firepower

Here's a picture that would make an NRA publicist lock and load: A group of smiling, well-armed Sarasota business leaders.

The photo isn't a call to arms against anti-business forces in local government or the community. Instead, it's a promo for the Greater Sarasota Chamber of Commerce's 3rd Annual Sporting Clays Tournament. The event, to be held March 4, includes a BBQ lunch followed by a series of shooting events.

The tournament includes a safety briefing, to avoid any Dick Cheney-like moments. “It's not only for people who are shooters,” says Shannon O'Brien, special events manager with the Chamber. “It's for novices, too.”

The tournament is also loaded with killer prizes and live auction items. The auction list includes a week at a trout fishing lodge in Georgia donated by the Caragiulo family, owners of local restaurants; a trip for two to Argentina; and an offshore fishing trip for two with a shipmate from the Deadliest Catch TV show. Sarasota attorney George Mazzarantani donated the Argentina trip and the fishing excursion.

The grand prize award for the event is also a doozy: A 20-gauge over/under shotgun.

For more on the tournament, contact Shannon O'Brien at (941) 556-4055.