Taya Kyle, widow of "American Sniper" Chris Kyle, outshot NRA champion marksman Bruce Piatt at a Texas shooting competition and won $500,000 for the Chris Kyle Frog Foundation.
Kyle was helped in the contest by a special target-assisted firearms technology called TrackingPoint, which partnered with the foundation to put on the inaugural American Sniper Shootout in Mason, reported the
San Antonio Express-News.
Kyle hit 100 percent of her shots, scoring 10,140 points using the TrackPoint technology, while Piatt, the National Rifle Association's world shooting champion, hit 58.6 percent his targets, scoring 3,080 points, while using three guns commonly used by the U.S. Army.
Afterwards, Kyle spoke effusively about the new technology and how it could serve the military and first responders, according to a
news release on Wednesday.
"TrackingPoint precision-guided firearms are a stunning leap forward," said Kyle. "If our soldiers had TrackingPoint weapons, lives would be saved and the world would be a much safer place. Our first responders and military members face situations most of us cannot imagine."
"They need every advantage for precision and efficiency to protect and serve while minimizing collateral damage and risk to themselves. I am passionate about getting the TrackingPoint guns into our warrior's hands. They are willing to give their lives for us; the least we can do is give them our very best in that fight."
Chris Kyle became one of the most decorated members of the Navy SEALs in history while serving four tours of duty, according to the
Chris Kyle Frog Foundation website. His best-selling 2012 book "American Sniper" was turned into hit movie by Clint Eastwood that was nominated for six Academy Awards, noted the site.
John McHale, chief executive officer of TrackingPoint, said TrackingPoiunt is based on fighter jet lock-and-launch technology and is needed out in the field by the military.
"For the most part our military has modernized in the last 100 years," said McHale. "The Navy has gone from sailing ships to aircraft carriers, and the Air Force has gone from prop planes to supersonic fighter jets. Meanwhile the Army is still fighting with guns that are the equivalent of prop planes. It's time they upgraded to fighter jets."
KVUE-TV said some worried that the weapon's WiFi connection could be compromised by hackers, causing its targeting system to malfunction. John Lupher, the chief technical officer for TrackingPoint told the television station that the hacker would have to be in weapon user's immediate space to affect the rifle.
In 2014, Jesse Ventura, a former Navy SEAL and ex-Minnesota governor, won a $1.8 million federal lawsuit against Chris Kyle's estate for a brief passage in "American Sniper" about an alleged fight Kyle had with a person who he later identified was Ventura, according to the
Dallas Morning News.
Kyle wrote that he "decked" Ventura after the former politician said that Navy SEALs "deserved to lose a few," but Ventura denied the incident happened and that he suffered financially after he was identified. The verdict was appealed.
Taya Kyle released her own book, "American Wife: A Memoir of Love, War, Faith and Renewal" in May, said the
Washington Post. The book describes Taya Kyle's life in the media spotlight since "American Sniper" was published.
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