Sorry for the delay in getting the newsletter out; shooting, kids softball, and vacations take a toll in summer months. Let's get right to it! You can send comments or input for a future newsletter to either: P. Fitzgerald at [email protected], or B. Sliger at [email protected]
Back to the Index for this Issue.
Marie Curie once observed "One never notices what has been done; one can only see what remains to be done." While I realize it's perfectly normal to look to the future (you'll spend the rest of your life there, after all), I also think there's a lot of value in regularly stopping for a backward glance or two. This is my first year as MSSA President, and though it's been a very busy time for me, the places I've been so far on behalf of the Association give me nothing but optimism for where we're headed!
Last December, I had the pleasure of spending most of an afternoon sharing holiday snacks and sport shooting discussions ("I don't practice blood sports." "I don't eat steel turkeys.") in a home basement rec room with a dozen or so of the nicest folks you'd likely ever meet... this was the annual meeting of the Bucksnort Shooting Club, and topics included upgrading a range creek crossing, setting small-bore and high-power calendars, IRS scrutiny of gun clubs, and who made the GREAT venison summer sausage. Club Member and MSSA V.P. Harold Miederhoff had shown me around the Club's Marshall ranges (great 600 yard facility!) earlier that day, and it took me all of about 10 seconds to feel right at home at the meeting (the venison helped).
A month later, Benchrest Rifle Club President Don Ball was giving me the grand walking tour (in how much snow, Don?) of their brand-new, very-impressive range facilities north of Wright City, and a few hours later was introducing me as a speaker at their annual Club meeting in St. Charles. Another great time. February brought the MO Hunter Ed. Instructor's Conference at Lake Ozark, and the highlight in March for me was the 30th Annual Awards Banquet for 67 Gun Club (Farmington). Happy Birthday, 67! Most of the Spring I got to spend at my home ranges, Green Valley Rifle and Pistol Club in Columbia, teaching MO Hunter Education, NRA Basic Marksmanship and NRA Instructor Certification courses, plus a day at the Bianchi Cup / NRA National Action Pistol Championship matches. Great stuff!
One of my favorite "things done" came at the end of May: the MO NRA Youth Hunter Education Challenge (MO-YHEC) State Championship at United Sportsmen's Club in Jefferson City. This year MSSA was the Sponsor for the Light Hunting Rifle Challenge (similar to a small-bore 3 position match... sort of...), thanks to the last-minute personal contributions of a half-dozen generous members of the Board! (Thanks again, guys!) YHEC is eight challenging events over two days, and I think you'd be pretty hard-pressed to find a more enjoyable bunch of youth or volunteer staff to work with, with MSSA Conservation / Sport Hunting Chair Jan Morris representing NRA as the MO Program Coordinator.
This year, I was honored to be able to represent MSSA by awarding a (beautiful!) First Place plaque to John Parrent, Second Place to Jon Cook, and Third Place to Rachel Dickerson, in addition to MSSA providing (via donations by NRA Director David C. Jones) an annual MSSA Junior Membership to each. GREAT job John, Jon and Rachel, and congratulations! (As I recall, all three of these fine youth hail from Arnold Rifle and Pistol Club, by the way...)
We're still just about half way through 1997, but from what I've seen, a lot of good things are going on in Missouri sport shooting, especially where Clubs are partners with their area shooters and with MSSA, and have a clear focus on tomorrow: youth training, and youth activities. Yes, I've been looking back a bit lately... but it's all pointing forward, and looking good! And I sincerely thank you for letting me jump in the middle of it all and play a part in the direction. Onward!
Back to the Index for this Issue.
Tournament Sponsors: Get those match dates turned in to MSSA if you want them published. Match results also--we will try to publish every match results bulletin we receive.
Next MSSA Meeting: The association's next meeting of the board of directors will be Sat August 9, 10AM at the Runge Nature Center, which is located on Hwy 179 just around the corner from MDC Headquarters, in Jeff City. All MSSA members are welcome.
Newsletter: The next issue of THE SHOOTER will go out near the end of October 1997. The cutoff date for material to be sent to the editor & included is October 15, 1997.
Back to the Index for this Issue.
A new program has recently been added to MSSA with the appointment of Grace Leinberger as the director of Women's Issues. She is an active proponent of women in shooting and gun ownership. Her goals for the Women's Issues program is a successful campaign to increase female membership in MSSA, presenting a "Refuse to be a Victim" later in the fall, and sponsoring "Fun Shoots" for women of Missouri.
Leinberger's interest in shooting began with the NRA Junior Shooting program in which her son participated in the mid 80's. She joined the NRA and is a life member. She attended the NRA Class C coaches school and received her coaches certificate in the Rifle discipline. She also attended many Coaches Conferences at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, learning new techniques in shooting, mental training, and meeting coaches from around the world. She is also a member of the International Shooting Coaches Association. Due to her schedule and commitments, she has not pursued her coaching as she would have liked. She enjoys shooting her Olympic style air pistols which "can be done inside, out of the climates and with very little noise."
Leinberger feels there would be more women in shooting if there was, initially, a less competitive atmosphere. She hopes by creating "Fun Shoots" without scoring targets in the beginning, more and more women will realize shooting can be fun and progress into competitive shooting.
The Refuse to be a Victim program has grown tremendously during the last year. Many states have created special divisions to address this issue. Leinberger plans on presenting such a program this fall for the women of Missouri. This program presents alternatives to gun protection which will appeal to many women who are not pro-gun. Assuming this program will be as successful as it is in other states, she hopes to have presentations two or three times a year.
Leinberger hopes that male members of MSSA will share this issue of THE SHOOTER with their wives, sisters,and friends and point out the new Women's Issues program. Interested women may contact her in care of this publication or on the internet at: [email protected]
Back to the Index for this Issue.
Meeting called to order at 10:02AM by President Steve McGhee. Those in attendance were Paul Villmer, Harold Miederhoff, Roscoe Morris, Bob McCammon, J.K. Chester, John Leinberger, Willis Corbett, Gregg Pearre, Tim Oliver, Dave Giarratano, and NRA Board Member David Jones.
Motion by Roscoe, 2nd by Bob, to accept the minutes of the previous meeting, as amended. Motion carried.
Motion by J.K. to accept the Treasurer's report as presented, 2nd by Roscoe. Motion carried.
Harold reported on membership: 135 Life, 18 Clubs, and 355 Annual Members currently.
Motion by John, 2nd by Harold, to donate NRA sign to Pioneer Gun Club. Motion carried.
David Jones reported he was elected to a 1 year term on the NRA Board. Only 7.9% of the eligible members voted! There were two factions at the convention: Neal Knox vs Wayne LaPierre. Charleton Heston was elected to the board by the people at the convention. He then beat Neal Knox by 4 votes to become 1st Vice-President. Kayne Robinson of Des Moines beat Albert Ross (a Knox crony) for the 2nd Vice-President position. This all served to re-unite the leadership. Charleton Heston as 1st VP is very positive, he has tremendous "star power."
Willis reported on the 20th Legislative Shoot. The shoot went very well with the $30 entry fee/shooter donated to MO Special Olympics.
Roscoe reported the Conservation Federation meeting was a good one and CFM is helping work on concealed carry.
Tim, Legislative Chair, reported concealed carry is about dead this session. About half of the county sheriffs have been polled. Of this number, about 80% are in favor of concealed carry without a referendum. He still needs interest in a phone tree, to volunteer contact Tim at [email protected].
Gregg reported that NRA contributed to the Legislative Shoot. Friends of NRA banquets are going well, the Columbia banquet had 540 in attendance. The Youth Hunter Ed State Championship will be May 31-June 1 at the United Sportsmans Club in Jeff City. The NRA is pushing neighborhood shooting sports programs, any volunteers? Contact Gregg at 573-893-6361.
John Leinberger reported Osage County schools are using Eddie Eagle and possibly Maries County by next school year. The MSSA competitive shooting camp will be June 19-22, 1997 at CSMU in Warrensburg.
Bob McCammon needs more contact names for highpower matches.
Motion by Gregg, 2nd by Roscoe, that Executive Officer be required to submit to the Secy of MSSA a copy of the annual report to DCM at the same time he files it with DCM. Motion carried.
Grace Leinberger will take Womens Programs Committee Chair.
Harold presented a rough draft of a proposal to fund state teams to the national matches. He asked for feedback and will work to fine tune the proposal.
Meeting adjourned at 12:55PM.
Back to the Index for this Issue.
SACMO now has a website: http://www.geocities.com/capitolhill/4140. Also, their phone number has changed to: 314-230-2399. They remind that memberships expired on Dec 31, 1996; please renew or join today ($25). Address: SACMO, PO Box 2270, Florissant, MO 63021
Back to the Index for this Issue.
The McDonnell Douglas Rifle & Pistol Club has been holding sanctioned LRBP matches at Busch WA Range for three years now. All of the matches have been sanctioned "Approved," and thus scores are turned in for record and classification. Late last year, in a phone conversation with the NRA's Blackpowder person in D.C., he mentioned to me, "You know, there are currently no National Records established in LRBP for the 100 yard distance; if your club would sanction one of these matches as "Registered," you could set the national record at that match." We talked a bit more, and I committed to holding a Registered match.
On June 7, 1997, LRBP competitors gathered at Busch WA Range, and started off with free donuts and coffee (or soda). Hey, after all, it's for the National Record; why not splurge a bit! It was just as well to take a little time before the match began, as a lot of fog was coming off the Missouri River, and you could barely make out the target at 100 yards at 7AM. Within about 45 minutes the fog lifted sufficiently, the competitors were full of donuts, and they were called to the office for pre-match announcements. About 10 minutes later, the command, "competitors to the firing line!" was given, and the first sighting shots were fired in what was to be a beautiful morning; sunny, mid 70's, and light wind.
After the standing stage, Mike Fagras of St. Charles led with a 87-1, but Dennis Ludwig of Fenton was right behind at 86-0, and Don MacChessney (Kirkwood) had an 81-0. But the lead changed quickly; after the sitting stage, Dennis Ludwig took the lead with 177-0 total, and Paul Thurman (Fenton) and Don MacChessney were tied right behind at 174-2 each. The lead stayed with Dennis after a fine 95-2 prone, and a National Individual Record of 272-2 (Master score). Paul Thurman took 2nd place with 259-2 (Expert score), and Mike Fagras was a very close 3rd with 258-1 (Expert).
All three competitors used 1885 Win Hi-walls in 40-65 caliber. A National Record for 100 Yd LRBP-Team was established by the Bullseye Gun & Rod Club, Desoto, MO, by the team of Dennis Ludwig, Paul Thurman, John Beckham, and Bill Ingalls. The team score was 989-7.
McDonnell R&P Club is planning on holding sanctioned LRBP matches regularly, and now it appears that at least one of the matches each year will be registered; we want to take a crack at that new National Record every year! Special thanks to McDonnell Club members Irl Otte, Gil Mitchell, and Larry Greene who officiated at the match.
Back to the Index for this Issue.
March 16
The day dawned cool at the Columbia indoor range of Columbia Green Valley Rifle & Pistol Club. The down range thermometer showed 33 degrees as the 1st relay of 11 shooters prepared for the 22 cal match. David Giarratano of Jeff City fired a 873-30X to set the pace and ultimately win the 22 cal match. But he could not hang on to the Championship as David Jones, St. Louis, fired a 859-25X in the Centerfire Match to win it, and also the 1997 State Championship with a 1721-48X. Both Daves have been previous State Champions with Mr. Jones being the 1996 winner.
The Expert Class winner was Herman Dick, also from St. Louis. Herman shot a 1687-39X which included a tie of a club record currently held by David Giarratano in the Centerfire Timed Fire event of 199-9X.
Charles Dyer, Houston, MO, shot a 1590-24X to take the Sharpshooter class. Gary Martin from Columbia beat out 5 other Marksmen to win his class with a 1559-19X.
In order to form a category, 3 competitors must fit the requirements. And so a Senior Category was formed and James Kaan of Jennings won it with a 1636- 31X. Jim has also been a previous Senior winner.
In all, 15 Missouri shooters, one from Illinois, and one from Kansas fired in the Championship. Five were known to be previous State Champions. Many thanks to Paul Szopa, Jeff Stock, and Roger Brown who ran the match, and special thanks to David Jones for being present as our Official Referee.
Back to the Index for this Issue.
In regards to the Texas laws allowing you to carry a gun if you are traveling.....I was reminded of a tale of the 'late' Judge Roy Bean. The Judge was ruling on a pistol toting case and he pointed out that Texas law allows a man to carry a pistol if he is traveling. Then he reasoned: If he's moving around, he's traveling and has a right to carry a gun. If he's standing still, he ain't carrying a pistol nowhere. Case dismissed! I long for the days when it was really that simple.
Back to the Index for this Issue.
It seems that every year, in good political times and bad, the Anti's have SOME piece of legislation to champion and pursue. If they pass it, it's another feather in their cap and another incremental step toward their ultimate goal. Meanwhile, we Pro's argue amongst ourselves and shoot for the big fish, our ultimate goal, and end up accomplishing nothing. We're on our 3rd year of a supposedly "gun friendly" Capitol Hill, yet I notice that we have just as many gun control laws today as we did when the Dem's controlled both houses. At the national level, I can't name a single repeal or reduction in gun control in the last 20 years. Small, incremental steps are winning. Perhaps we should learn from that.
Back to the Index for this Issue.
On March 22, 1997, Friends of NRA passed $10 Million net dollars raised since inception with the Central Virginia Friends of NRA Committee in Lynchburg, VA putting the program over the top, raising $8,282. "We're excited about reaching this milestone in just five years," said Steve Andersen, National Manager of the program, "but even more important is the growth in the number of grants made from the money raised. This is where the true value of the program is - investing in the future of the shooting sports.
Friends of NRA also held its 1500th event on march 15th in Hagerstown, Maryland, and Friends is continuing its growth. With over 525 events scheduled for 1997, and hundreds of grants in the works, Friends of NRA continues to bring NRA to hometown America helping to perpetuate the shooting sports and secure the Second Amendment for future generations. We commend the efforts of the thousands of volunteers who are working diligently on behalf of the Second Amendment and the Friends of NRA program.
For more information on Friends of NRA, contact the Event Services Manager at (800) 672-3888, or in Missouri, Gregg Pearre at 573-893-6361.
Back to the Index for this Issue.
In an effort to cuddle up to the antigunners, AT&T Corporation donated $3 million dollars to the Benton Foundation, whose avowed purpose is to further restrict or eliminate our Constitutional Right to keep and bear arms through more Nazi style gun laws and regulations of ammunition, and elimination of assault weapons. Of course these people are also members of Handgun Control and The Coalition to Stop Handgun Violence.
This is not acceptable to law abiding gun owners such as those of us who belong to Bull's Eye. I would hope that some members would give AT&T the boot by calling them at 1-800-222-0300 and telling them that you no longer care to use them as a long distance carrier because of the donation to the antigunners.
There is a company that advertises in SHOTGUN NEWS, Marathon USA, who will donate 18% of your long distance bill to a pro-gun organization of your choice, including the NRA. Marathon is a member of several pro-gun organizations, and their President is a NRA Life Member. Marathon has a toll free number 1-800-857-5070, and they will pay the switch over fee. They also have calling cards and 800 service. Marathon can be used to carry calls in state by dialing a simple five number access code so you can get maximum use of their services. Their address is:
Back to the Index for this Issue.
Some folks in the St. Louis area are investigating how much interest there is in the area (and state) in both air pistol and air rifle competition. We're wondering what kind of competition (if any) is going on, interest level in establishing regular competitions (postals, Regionals, PTO's, State Championship). If you have interest/comments, contact Jim Davis at [email protected] or [email protected].
Back to the Index for this Issue.
The CMP is what used to be the Director of Civilian Marksmanship (DCM). They have always, and continue, to offer sales of rifle parts and reloading components to CMP affiliated Clubs and Associations (which MSSA is). Looking at a price list dated Feb 1, 1997, there are a variety of M-1 Garand parts, M14 rifle parts, targets and reloading supplies. As an example, 7.62mm LC National Match cases are $215 for 1,000, and $112 for a box of 500. Bullets: 173 gr, 30 cal National Match FMJBT are $152 for a box of 1,500. The CMP hours are 8-11AM, 12-3PM (EST), M-F. Their address and phone is:
You can call them up and have them mail you a parts list and order form. Remember to include your club (or MSSA) as well as the affiliation number when you order. Your club officers should have this; for MSSA contact Fred Smith or Harold Miederhoff.
Back to the Index for this Issue.
Someone sent me the details of this type of shooting for the last newsletter, but they missed the deadline and inclusion in the newsletter. Sorry about that. But let me explain how this works, as well as list the remaining half of the matches: There are 24 matches around the state between April 12 and November 9. A competitor must fire in at least 7 of these matches to be considered for the overall State Championship, and all competitors who fire in 7 matches will receive a medallion at a minimum. Separate divisions for men, women, seniors, and juniors. Entry fee is $5. First Place plaques and medallions will be awarded at California Shooters Club on Nov 9.
(Pagemaster's Note: Phone numbers for contacts are listed in the print edition of the Shooter, sent to all MSSA Members. MSSA policy is to exclude personal phone numbers from this website.)
Back to the Index for this Issue.
Last month, The Informant, a publication of the San Diego Police Officers Association, published the results of their gun control survey. The results:
82.1% of respondents do NOT favor an "assault weapons" ban;
82.2% do NOT support a limit on magazine capacity;
84.9% SUPPORT law-abiding citizens' right to carry a concealed firearm;
87.8% feel armed citizens are NOT a threat to peace officers;
94.2% concede gun control laws HAVE NOT REDUCED violent crime;
92.1% SUPPORT an instant background check;
87.1% believe gun ownership by private citizens INCREASES public safety;
99.2% believe in streamlining the criminal justice system (the same percent
support the death penalty);
92.1% said more gun laws will NOT decrease violent crime;
98.5% DON'T SUPPORT gun buy backs;
and 95.6% believe criminal use of a gun should result in mandatory sentences with NO plea
bargains.
This survey validates what NRA has know for years -- rank and file police officers reject placebo gun control laws and support the right of law-abiding Americans to own firearms for personal protection.
Back to the Index for this Issue.
Wait a minute!! Don't paint me a traitor just yet! But yes, you read that title right. I've decided to put in an article about the opposition.
If you are an NRA member, belong to a shooting club that puts out a newsletter, belong to SACMO or WMSA, etc...no doubt you have been reading for some years now about the need and efforts to have "grassroots" involvement. Well just exactly what does that term "Grassroots" mean? Mr. Webster defines it as,"the common people, especially those of rural or non- urban areas, thought of as best representing the basic, direct political interests of the electorate."
A more practical understanding comes from examples; the NRA (national organization) desires to have grassroots involvement to educate/train and further it's well founded beliefs about the interpretation of the 2nd Amendment. Grassroots being local gun clubs, state associations, local chapters of Friends of NRA, local NRA Councils, groups like SACMO, WMSA, MSSA's Tim Oliver Phone Tree, to name a few. Through the efforts of these groups, education, training, and shooting opportunities can be provided to the common people; at the GRASSROOT level. Additionally, grassroots organizations take information from the national level and disseminate/explain it to the common people.
"OK, just exactly what does that have to do with the title of this article?" you ask. It's only one half of the picture, that's what. I want to tell you about the other half; we need to know something about our opponents.
Let's start with Handgun Control Incorporated (HCI), the organization run by Sarah and Jim Brady. Think of HCI as the opposition to the NRA, "Yes, yes," you say, "we've heard all about them, and know we don't like them." OK, so tell me who the opposition is at the MSSA or SACMO level. Better yet, tell me who the opposition is to your local gun club? "Hmmmn...let me think about that one," you're likely to say. (Hint: go back to the article title).
Missourians Against Handgun Violence (MAHV) was mentioned to me in a recent local gun club meeting, and I had to admit ignorance about the group; a sorry state for the editor of the MSSA newsletter. How many other pro-gun folks don't know about them? I hoped to remedy that, and asked to take a look at some literature. MAHV's newsletter is called "Common Sense." I was truly flabbergasted; our opponents, not just folks with differing voting viewpoints, but people working HARD to take away our gun rights, are living and walking among us, locally (and if you're on the western part of the state, don't dismiss this as a St. Louis issue only, there's something later for you, too).
I later phoned MAHV and requested some information. They gladly sent me the info, which included their latest newsletter; I now have two of their newsletters, Fall 96 and Summer 97, and what they contain is frightening.
In the first newsletter, they announced that they had finally opened a full time office in Clayton with full time staff, after 20 years of hard work. 20 years; have I been living in a vacuum? But what is also disturbing is how they said they managed to do it; they received two substantial grants, and I want to tell you about that. The first grant was received from the United Way of Greater St. Louis. Now there are several things very disturbing about this; first of all, I don't understand why the United Way is giving money to a political concern (incidently, in my opinion it would also be wrong for the United Way to donate money to the NRA). Anyway, they are supposed to use their money for homeless families, disabled people, food banks, etc....AREN'T THEY ? Well, a little later, you'll find out some of the things MAHV does, and you be the judge of whether this is a good use of United Way money.
The second thing very disturbing about the UW grant, is that many of the companies in the St. Louis area have employee weekly payroll deductions for the UW; one example is McDonnell Douglas. I'm sure that Union Electric, Monsanto, TWA, Southwestern Bell, and many other companies have the same arrangement; employee weekly deductions for charities, the United Way of Greater St. Louis being the largest single recipient (at least in McDonnell's case, where I work). Many, many shooting enthusiast's are contributing to the United Way, and unknown to them, they are in fact contributing to an anti-gun group working hard to strip them of their gun rights.
Now for the second grant; it came from a group in St. Louis called "Civic Progress," which is a group of CEO's of approx 30 of the largest companies in the St. Louis area. Not much explanation needed here. One would think that such a group would be involved in things to promote tourism, historic restoration projects, metro link issues, etc...I'm sure this was something the group had to vote on, and I don't (at this time) know which companies were in favor, and those opposed to such a thing.
MAHV's President is the Mayor of St. Louis, Clarence Harmon. Here are bits of things he stated in the Fall 96 newsletter: "It is an honor for me to assume the presidency of MAHV....while serving as Police Chief of St. Louis, I saw the devastating impact of the proliferation of firearms on the lives of citizens...MAHV has an important role to play....requiring trigger locks...keeping the Brady Bill waiting period... maintaining the assault weapons ban... IN MISSOURI, OUR FIRST PRIORITY IS PROTECTING THE PROVISION IN OUR STATE CONSTITUTION THAT MAKES IT ILLEGAL TO CARRY A CONCEALED FIREARM...I look forward to working with all of you on behalf of MAHV to keep Missouri safe and SANE."
OK, just what are they up to. Here is my summary based on the 2 newsletters I have looked at. First, they are very much involved in influencing the outcome of politics in Missouri. In the Fall 96 letter, they show a photo of a billboard they had in Columbia against Harold Volkmer. The caption reads, "MAHV joins HCI in publicizing Congressman Volkmer's opposition to the assault weapons ban." The billboard has the person looking into the barrels of 5 Uzi's, and states, "Congressman Volkmer is Dead Wrong." The title of another article said, "MAHV Now Has Daily Presence in State Capitol; Will Battle NRA." The article mentions that through the Civic Progress grant, they were able to hire Penman and Winston Consulting Group, a government relations firm in Jefferson City, and they will now "have access to lawmakers and a strong voice in the legislature."
While much of MAHV newsletters are articles about local items, they also have Special "Releases" from Handgun Control Inc, giving info about the Anti's agenda at the national level. One item that gives me special heartburn concerns their plan to "educate" our children in the classroom, and reference was made to the grant from United Way. Their educational program is called STAR (Straight Talk About Risks), and the plan is to get it in the curriculum of schools in the St. Louis area (initially). Quoting from their article, "the curriculum is modeled after successful drug and alcohol abuse programs, and is designed to be integrated into everyday classroom lessons. The STAR curricula offers activities for youth from kindergarten through 12th grade." Well I don't know about you, but I'd MUCH rather have the Eddie Eagle program being taught in my school district.
Remembering things I've said in previous newsletters; that we gun owners frequently are a bunch of apathetic bozo's, not willing to get involved "right now" because it's not in our backyard just yet; and besides, they'll have to pry our fingers blah, blah, blah...WELL LET ME BE THE FIRST TO INFORM YOU, IT'S NOW IN YOUR BACKYARD !
What about on the western side of the state? The KC affiliate of MAHV is called "ENOUGH," which stands for Eliminate Needless Or Unnecessary Gun Hazards. Same exact agenda as MAHV, so HEY!, you folks at Pioneer Club and others, it's in your back yard now, too!
So what should we do? Here's my opinion. First and foremost, we need to keep our various pro-gun membership dues current; NRA, local gun club, grassroot political affiliate (SACMO or WMSA), and MSSA, to name a few. You should keep your memberships CURRENT in ALL of these. As for the political affiliate organizations, I am a believer that if you live west of Columbia, you BELONG in WMSA; east of Columbia, you BELONG in SACMO. Their addresses are: SACMO, PO Box 2270, Florissant, MO 63032 and WMSA, PO Box 11144, Kansas City, MO 64119. There are other pro-gun groups (I won't mention them all here), and if you're a member in them also, so much the better.
You should be attending & supporting the Friends of NRA banquets; watch the NRA publications, club newsletters, MSSA newsletters, or call Gregg Pearre at 573-893-6361 for information. You should consider getting on Tim Oliver's phone tree; contact Tim at [email protected].
Of course you should become informed of your local political situation: which Missouri Senate and Congressional district you're in, and send a postcard to your state elected officials. And be sure to send our good friend Mel Carnahan a postcard telling him what you think of his position on guns and concealed carry in the State of Missouri. According to MAHV, Mel Carnahan is great! His address is: Gov Mel Carnahan, Missouri Capital Bldg, Room 216, PO Box 720, Jefferson City, MO 65102.
And here's a really good thought, I think it would be good if those in the eastern half of the state would contact MAHV, while those in the western half of the state would contact ENOUGH. Call them on the phone, and request that they send you some info about handgun control, their newsletter, etc..They won't ask many questions; didn't ask me anything except my address. If they do ask, you can tell them that you own a shotgun and shoot claybirds once in a while! We accomplish two things when we do this, 1) we cause them to use THEIR resources, and 2) you get your own copy of their Anti-gun propaganda. You can then see for yourself how the battle is really coming down to your local area. It's really getting late, folks. Before very much longer, where will the next level be? Your child's classroom? Your doorstep? Their addresses are:
MAHV ENOUGH
438 N. Skinker Blvd PO Box 10053
St. Louis, MO 63130 Kansas City, MO 64171
314-727-1138 816-855-1721
[email protected]
One more thing before I close this topic (can you tell this subject get's my dander up, a bit?!) If there are any lawyers and/or legislative buffs out there, it might be interesting to pursue having the IRS look into how MAHV takes United Way money, money which was given in a "tax deductible manner," and then spends it for a political use (hiring consultants to access Jeff City legislators), and putting out a newsletter that obviously has political tone, items which I don't think are tax deductible.
The Anti's have been using the IRS to harass local gun clubs and make things difficult; might be nice to show them that the knife cuts BOTH ways!
Back to the Index for this Issue.
Well, it's been about a month since my trip to Seattle and the NRA Annual Meeting and Convention, and I would like to share a little bit about my trip with the club members.
First off, I would like to say, if you haven't been to a NRA Annual Meeting and Convention, you are really missing one of the best benefits of the NRA membership. The annual meeting starts at 10AM, on Saturday and runs until adjournment, usually around 2PM. The Convention floor opens at 10AM Fri and is open til 6PM Sunday. The Convention show is full of company representatives showing off some of the latest goodies in the shooting sports world. It is unlike most gun shows, here the reps encourage you to pick up and handle the guns, cock the hammers and pull the triggers. Here are just a few of the things I saw: Tristar had a prototype of a double-barreled hammered shotgun for use in Cowboy Shoots. Dillon was demonstrating their new long awaited progressive shot shell loader. A small company was producing interchangeable caliber single action revolvers, a five caliber set was about $1,150 retail. the set consisted of .22, 357 mag, 44 mag, 45 Colt, and 45 ACP, all on a single frame.There are plenty of freebies and samples from the different companies, along with special show prices on some items.
In the collectors area, there were many different types of gun collections, some by individuals and some by clubs and organizations. There was a fine collection of revolving carbines, old Henry and Winchester rifles, Thompson Contender collections and even a Glock collection, all with many rare, one-of-a-kind items on display.
But what really makes an impression on me are the people you meet. this is like the Who's Who of the gun world. You can go to the gun magazine booths and meet some of your favorite writers and get a chance to ask them about something you read in one of their articles. Some I met were Sheriff Jim Wilson, Rebecca Wyatt, Jeff Cooper, and Col. Rex Applegate. You may even meet some TV and movie stars while walking around the convention floor. I met Susan Howard from Dallas, and while trying to decide whether or not to get a slice of pizza, I literally almost knocked poor old Charleton Heston down trying to get out of the way of his police escort. At the banquet on Sat night, I met Robert "Elliot Ness" Stack, U.S. Senator Larry Craig, and former Congressman Harold Volkmer. Also, there were Olympic Gold Medal winners Kim Rhodes, Atlanta '96 in double trap, and Launi Melli, Barcelona-Women's 3 Position Rifle.
Now let's talk about celebrities of a different type. I don't know how many members of our club are voting members of the NRA, but the convention is a great place to meet members of the NRA Board of Directors. This is where you can put a face to a name on the ballot. Most are willing to talk to voting members and a few will even come up and introduce themselves, after all they're still politicians looking for a vote at the next election. The members of the NRA BOD are responsible for seeing that the NRA will be alive and well for a long time to come. Now days more than ever it is important to carefully choose the men and women who will be serving on the BOD. The current power structure would like to have a board of yes men and mushrooms. Big money is being spent to see that this happens, an example of which was the election of Charleton Heston at this meeting. We need to save the NRA from financial ruin and restore the status of this organization to a level that Congress will fear. We need to elect men and women of vision for the future and can see the big picture, not one issue candidates.
Back to the Index for this Issue.
I fired in my first DCM style Highpower rifle match in the summer of 1987 at the Arnold Rifle & Pistol Club. I had read in the American Rifleman how you could apply for an M-1 Garand through the U.S. Army. I knew there was a rifle club at work (McDonnell Douglas), but I was not a member. I phoned Recreation Department and got the name of the club contact. I didn't know anything about rifle competition, or the DCM, or M-1 Garands, although I had heard my father as well as my father-in-law talk about the Garand. I asked many questions, and learned that, while the MAC club hadn't held any matches for a few years, they had rifles that could be checked out. I joined the club, checked out a rifle, and contacted a person at Arnold. That first match was a 100 yard match. DCM ball ammo was used, and I think I fired a 206. The score didn't really matter to me, I had the time of my life!
Back then, you had to fire in 3 matches, and the price of a Garand had recently went up to $165. It took a year or so to fire in 3 matches, then another year or so to get my act together for applying for the Garand. One of the problems I remember I had was not really knowing anyone very well who was also competing, or had any experience in this sort of thing. Not that I'm a quiet or timid kind of person; I had competed in the MAC Trap league for 7 years at the time; it was just that all my shooting cronies were shotgunners, and didn't know anything about the DCM or rifle competition. It really didn't take too long to find out, however. Once you fired in a match, generally when the results bulletin arrived in the mail, it also contained the dates of future matches and who to call.
Looking back on my first 3-4 years of Highpower rifle shooting are kind of special now, especially when I talk to a new shooter, or see a new shooter on the firing line. We've all been there. You're kind of nervous, similar to pre-game butterflies, wondering how you'll do. You're nervous about your equipment (or lack thereof), especially when you look up and down the line and see what everyone else is using. Like everyone, I started with nothing, but unlike most, and certainly due to ignorance, consciously made the decision to keep it at that level for a while. I would show up to a match in tennis shoes, shorts, T-shirt (I've never been recoil sensitive), and a wad of chewing tobacco in my mouth. I would look at the shooters wearing sweat-shirts and heavy jackets (in July), and think, "what a bunch of idiots!" I didn't even bring something to use as a mat for the first year. The only thing I quickly decided I needed was a spotting scope, and I already owned one of those. My interest was simply in getting my Garand, and improving my marksmanship for hunting.
My scores went up to about 300 after a few matches and then leveled off. I started noticing on the results bulletin WHO was shooting the good scores (anything over 400) and what they were doing. Guess what, it was those idiots who wore sweat shirts in July! Not only did they have on sweat shirts and jackets, but they were using mats, and little stools with water bottles, and a host of other stuff. I started thinking about my shooting more than before, actually analyzing the conditions, how I felt after the match, and so forth. And I was honest with myself. Yes, my elbows did feel like they were floor burned after a match, and my left wrist was a bit chapped where the green cotton sling dug in during prone. Maybe there was more to the equipment than I thought. So I got a piece of carpet, started wearing jeans and boots, first a sweat shirt, then elbow pads; HEY! this felt pretty good, and my scores started to improve a bit. And I was beginning to get somewhat addicted to trying to improve my scores (or so I thought). I purchased some cheap ball ammo and started practicing a bit.
I got my DCM rifle in 1989, mid-season. Turned in the club rifle and continued entering matches with equipment as mentioned above. Did a little practicing, and scores got up to just under 400, then leveled off again; Damn! What do you have to do to break 400, I thought. Went back to watching the "idiots" getting the good scores. Hmmn. They all wear jackets of some kind. Ordered myself a green cotton marine shooters coat. Didn't make that much difference in my scores, although I thought I was cool, as I sweated on the line with the others.
Several more years went by; I added a real shooting mat, and practiced more than before, although still with cheap ball ammo. My scores never did actually break 400, but I was getting more consistent; scores seemed to always fall in the 395-400 range. I decided that my shotgunning was interfering with my rifle shooting, so I stopped shooting trap competitively. Shortly after that, I reasoned (to my wife) that with the extra savings from not shooting trap, I could have some work done on my rifle. Sent the Garand off in 1991 and had everything changed except the receiver. Heavy premium barrel, bedded, new stock, tuned, match sights; spent $600 on it. My wife thought I was crazy, and actually, I wondered a bit myself. Spending it on a fine deer rifle or shotgun would be OK, but an ugly Garand? I bit my lip and forged ahead. Got the rifle back, shot 20 practice rounds through it, and never fired a match under Sharpshooter (420) again. In fact, and I wasn't really aware of it at the time, I was kind-of leaving the "beginner stage" at that point, and moving up a level. Got my SS classification pretty quick after that, and leveled again. WELL, I was seeing a trend, (and learning a ton from talking/watching the good shooters; I no longer thought of them as idiots!) and knew I should invest some more in equipment. Bought a real shooting coat and started loading match ammunition; no more cheap ball. The match activity picked up to a point to where I was shooting in 10-12 matches a year. Scores were beginning to occasionally hit Expert (445). In fact, one year my 12 match average was 443.
Well, I guess it's like golf or anything else; the level of performance is proportional to the frequency of the activity. Lots of reasons (excuses) caused the match activity to drop; and the scores started dropping also. Becoming a club officer and sponsoring/running all sorts of matches and a newsletter had an effect. Having kids play sports on weekends had an effect. Home remodeling, busy at work, wife back in college, blah, blah, blah. Excuses for poor performance, really. It got to a point that I was going through the motions of attending the matches, somewhat out of duty, but it became difficult just to shoot class; then the scores dropped below class. My rifle competing had really sunk (or was it stunk!).
Now all this time, ALL of my match activity was on a 100 yard course of fire, excepting the occasional 200 yard match at Glendale. Many of the good shooters talked about firing in the "full course" at a place called Marshall. Had no idea where it was, but thought I would like trying the full course sometime. Maybe one day.....
Well, I can only tolerate "stinking up the place" for so long. I decided the graceful thing to do would be to "temporarily retire" from all rifle competition; Highpower and Smallbore; just hang up the rifles until I could return to a level of match activity that would return the scores to something closer to my capabilities, or at least to scores that I had once fired. It was a wrenching decision, but I reasoned I could spend more time with the kids sports for a few years.
What I've just described is very similar to what has happened to many shooters I know; especially to those with families, in the 30-45 years old category. Oh, the reasons may be slightly different, but it seems to happen to many at some point in their life. You shoot competitively for about 10 years, your scores plateau, then the fun and pizazz escapes, and it becomes more like work. This happened originally to me with competitive shotgunning; fun for about 7-8 years, then I started enjoying rifle shooting more, and the shotgunning took back seat; seemed like work to go shoot two rounds each week in the league, and all the reloading. So I dropped out. Now the same thing was happening with rifle shooting.
So for two years now, I have not fired in centerfire or rimfire rifle competition (except for one match at Marshall, which I'll get to shortly). The girls fast-pitch softball team I coach was an undefeated league champion this year; can't complain about that, and I've enjoyed it immensely; certainly more that I would shooting a bad score in rifle competition. But something was missing, I really did miss shooting competition. SO, I decided that even though I would not have any more time to practice or compete, what I should do was enter shooting competitions in areas that I had absolutely no familiarity. That way, I would not be competing with myself against some pre-established level or score. And, I could take matches leisurely; if I was free on a date that coincided with a match of some kind, I'd shoot. But there was to never be a conflict with any of my current "domestic" activities. WHAT A PLAN!
The first type of competition I fired in was a Police Pistol Competition. Absolutely a blast! I put plenty of lead down range, smelled the powder again of a full line in rapid fire, hob-nobbed with shooters, it was great. My score? Who cares, I was having a great time, JUST LIKE WHEN I FIRST STARTED WITH AN M-1 GARAND AND FIRED A 206. Next, I decided to fire in some black powder competitions, and organized some Long Range Black Powder matches. Fired with a muzzleloader and brought up the rear against the cartridge guns. Liked this so much I got a cartridge gun myself; still bringing up the rear, but loving every minute of it! The group of cartridge shooters I'm shooting with talked about a "true" long range match; 600 yards. I said that maybe I could arrange something with Bucksnort (Marshall) in a year or two, for a LRBP match there. And this finally pushed me to seriously consider going to Marshall; there was no way I could talk to the folks at Bucksnort intelligently if I hadn't even fired there. I simply HAD to get out there and fire; become familiar with the range, pits, people, etc...
This would mean, I cringed, getting the M-1 down and firing in a Highpower match. This would mean firing in a match when I had shot poorly for several years, THEN followed by not even having shot for two years. Most of the people I have known were a bit nervous when they went to Marshall for the first time. 600 YARDS. That's pretty scary when you've never done it before. Pre-game butterflies were coming back. Oh great, I'll enter as a Sharpshooter and bring up the rear of the Marksmen. Would there be anyone there that I could best? Probably not, I was very ill prepared, and had no idea what the sight settings should be for the longer distances involved. Reminded me of my escapades in 5K biathlons; I probably had no business doing it. Oh well......
Highpower shooters are a great lot of people; willing to help you with just about anything. I was fortunate to be acquainted with Phil and Sheila Daniels, two of the finest people you'd ever meet, and quite exceptional Highpower shooters, both of them. I told them of my plan to fire at Marshall in the May '97 match, and they immediately greeted me with "Great! how can we help you get ready; is there anything you need?" What followed for the next several weeks was me asking all the usual "dumb" questions of a "new shooter;" but they reminded me there ARE NO dumb questions. They got me squared away with everything; from ammo requirements (bring 200 rounds first time at Marshall. Use 50 or more rounds on Friday sight-in day, 80 rounds for match on Sat, extra ammo for alibis, and even more ammo to calm your nerves!), where to stay in town, where to eat, told me about the Sierra bullet tour on Friday afternoon, what to expect as for pit operation, bring light food and beverage for match day snacks, how relays are formed (generally four relays, four people to a point on the line. One in the pit, one shooting, one spotting/scoring, and one resting. Same people on the same point all day. Relays formed by classes). One of the things I was definitely interested in and planned to put in the newsletter was the 30 caliber elevation chart for the full course match. You have to know what your 200 yard zero is to use the chart. It is shown below:
From To To To To To To
----- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ----
300 500 600 800 900 1000 Yards
200 Yds 2.5 7.5 11.5 19.5 25 31.5 Minutes
300 5 8 17 22.5 28
500 3 12 16.5 23
600 9 13.5 20
800 4.5 11
900 5.5
My 100 yd zero was 5-6 clicks, and requires another 3 clicks for 200 yds. I used the above chart for the Friday sight-in, and was printing on paper at every distance first shot. Only minor adjustments were needed to zero in at each distance.
When you drive up to Bucksnort range at Marshall for the first time, park your vehicle and look downrange from the 600 yard line, you're in awe; I certainly was! You mean I'm going to be firing at that! ALL THE WAY DOWN THERE? Butterflies took on a new meaning, but Phil and Sheila were there, as well as many other shooters, all of them friendly. Jerry Bohnert was there, cutting up as usual. Bucksnort is a nice range.
Well, the way it works on sight-in day is this: if you show up by approx 8AM, you can get on the first "wave" of shooters at 200 yards, and work your way back to the 600 yd line. You see, the pits and targets don't move; the firing line does. Firing starts at 200 yds, when everyone is ready to move to 300 yd, the whole firing line moves back. At that point, no one can start shooting at 200 yds again until the cycle repeats. 300 yd zeros are found, and the line moves back to 600 yds. After that wave of shooters has found their zeros, new shooters who arrived later can start back at 200 yds, if they didn't fall-in at 300 or 600 already. Also, everyone does their turn in the pits. This isn't really all that bad, and is an experience in itself, hearing bullets zing overhead. The sight-in day (Friday) was really very informal; four target frames were used for sight-in, and everyone went about at a fairly leisurely pace. We finished our sight-in by around noon, chatted for about an hour, then went down to Sierra near Sedalia, about 20-30 minutes south of the range. Didn't get to take the tour, as the folks that gave the tour were at the NRA Annual Mtg in Seattle, but we got to buy some cheap bullets. They sell bullets by the pound; 168 Match BTHP's go about 42 bullets to the pound, and sold for about $4.30 per pound. Figures to be approx $9 per 100, quite a bit better than buying them over the counter anywhere else.
The following morning we got to the range at approx 7AM. You have to get your relay and point assignment, and turn in your SR-1 card, if you haven't already mailed one in. Shooters assemble on the firing line, others go to the pits, while the spotters get ready behind the line. For me, it was quite an experience and sight. It reminded me of some of the pictures I've seen of the early days of Camp Perry; where there are many people on the line, people behind each shooter at every point. I've never been to Perry, so of course I don't TRULY know anything about that, but maybe one day.....
Surprisingly, I was fairly calm when my Standing match started at 200 yds. I had got good zeros at every distance the day before, had even fired a 94 Prone Rapid string at 300 yards in practice. I thought I was ready. You get 2 sighters at each stage of the course. My first sighter was an eight, followed by a nine. Pretty good for an ill-prepared duffer. My first record shot at Marshall was a ......clean miss! I think the next shot was a five. Oh brother..it's going to be a long day! Well I survived the Standing stage, even though I fired horrible; 124-0X. Couldn't get any worse than that. But it broke the ice, and I really wasn't worried about it anymore; I knew that I wouldn't be competing with anyone, ESPECIALLY myself. The Sitting Rapid at 200 was much better for me; fired a 178-4, which was in my class. Whew! haven't done that in a while! Moved back to 300 for Prone rapid, fired a 170-0X. Not spectacular, but still in my class. Then we moved back to the big one....600 yards. Cranked in the necessary elevation, shooters on the line were saying you didn't need anything for wind (I remembered that joke about 'Advice to a kid'), but I let it rip. Didn't fire real good here, a 140-0X, followed by a 137-0X (you fire an extra 20 rounds at 600 yd prone to make an even 1000 point match). Lots of possible reasons (excuses) for this; by this time, it was hours into the match. I was not in shooting "shape," or physical shape either! Probably a lack of mental preparedness as much as anything.
So what can I say now that I've fired Highpower for a number of years, and have just experienced for the first time the full course at Marshall; much, and I wanted to share it with others. If I could advise one thing, it would be NOT to wait to fire in this kind of a match because you think you're not good enough, or not ready. I was probably more ill-prepared than anyone has been in a long time, but it was one of the best shooting experiences I have had to date; I enjoyed it that much. It ranks right up there with the thrill of that "first Highpower match," if you can remember how you felt when you did that. It ranks for me right up there with tagging that first buck, or nailing your first mallard. You get to see some of the best highpower shooters in the state, and I'd venture, in the midwest. You get to see how that rifle performs under real firing conditions, at distances it was designed to fire. And you learn much from the experience and the conversations with the other shooters. Am I going back? Definitely. This may be a short retirement.
Back to the Index for this Issue.
The MSSA-NRA Shooting Sports Competitive Rifle Camp was held at Central Missouri State University Jun 19-22, 1997. The camp provided an opportunity for participants to learn how to compete in a specific shooting sport, the rules governing the sport, the proper use and selection of equipment, and how to improve skills and techniques that will give them a competitive edge in matches, tournaments, and championships. A formal NRA sanctioned match was also included in the camp program.
There were five participants at the camp. Adults included Steve Rebhan and Dennis Zolotor. Juniors included Martin Stiaszny, Dan Rebhan, and Lucas Leinberger. Cheryl Teeters was the Camp Director and the coaching staff included Harold Miederhoff, Paul Villmer, and John Leinberger.
The camp was a real success with each of the participants being able to improve their competitive shooting skills and enhance their knowledge of the sport.
Back to the Index for this Issue.
The staff of MSSA is continuing to look for ways to improve benefits to the membership. One of these will be another improvement to the Shooter. Melissa Mata, a previous contributing author to the Shooter and an accomplished rifle shooter, has volunteered to "clean it up;" she will take the draft copy of the newsletter starting with the next issue, and re- format it to not only look more attractive, but actually reduce the page count as well, saving the association money in duplication and postage. A warm welcome is extended to her. Also, we hope to have the current July 97 Shooter re-formatted and available for review and comment at the next meeting on Aug 9. Come and take a look!
Back to the Index for this Issue.
The St. Louis Benchrest Club is again hosting a Highpower Rifle Clinic for both new and experienced shooters. The clinic will be held on Sep 6, 1997, beginning at 9AM at their range near Wright City. Shooters are advised to bring rifle, ammo, all necessary equipment, a light snack and beverage. The clinic will begin with approx 3 hours of classroom instruction, and follow with firing on the range. For more information or sign-up, contact Phil Daniels.
Back to the Index for this Issue.
At a recent club meeting of the St. Louis Benchrest Club, the Officers voted to authorize money to be spent on installing pits for the 600 yard line. Information is sketchy at this time, and studies are being done to see to what extent the NRA may assist, but it is good news, and something to watch for in the future. We'll try to keep you posted, and request the Benchrest Club to please keep the Editor informed for the future release of information on this exciting project.
Back to the Index for this Issue.
Years ago, presidential candidate John F. Kennedy distinguished himself from his opponent, Richard Nixon by saying that he, Kennedy, knew who he was and that Nixon did not know who he was....Firearms, in whatever numbers or whatever configurations, are not the problem. The problem would seem to have its roots in national attitude we have toward correcting things. Where did we develop the idea that personal grievances or social wrongs can be redressed by shooting the bad guy?
For example, we do not have the greatest number of handguns per capita. We just have the greatest number of deaths from these weapons. Israel and Switzerland are both ahead of us in number of handguns per capita. But they don't have very much of this kind of crime. Almost every home in these countries has at least one sidearm, given a person on completion of compulsory military service. they have the guns, but they just don't seem inclined to shoot each other.
The assault rifle debate takes our attention away from the underlying problem: how to effect a change in our national attitude toward settling differences by violence. This is what we should be focused on. But we seem to be fixated on a bussword like "assault."
Hunters, professional armors, and firearm historians say the term is imprecise. Some claim there is no such thing. One common term, known as the assault rifle, refers to a long arm or carbine capable of automatic fire with ordinary military ammunition or big-game ammunition.
Legislators who initiated the ban claim that semi-automatic weapons have no sporting use. But semi-automatic rifles have long history in hunting and other sports. The famous BAR, or Browning Automatic Rifle, is a semi- automatic rifle; so is the Remington Model 7400. Semi-automatic shotguns have been on the market for many years.
The banned rifles differ from non-banned ones only in small decorative details: decorations like a folding stock, a bayonet mount, of a flash suppressor. Otherwise, the banned "assault weapons" are ordinary rifles. they are not automatic military weapons.
Unlike Britons, Americans are citizens and not subjects. And there's a very great difference between the two. Americans do not worship their government as god, which is a thousand year-old tradition in Japan. Nor, like the Japanese, do we believe that government is infallible, as if government authority were an extension of family authority.
Americans are not Canadians either. We are unlike both the strict Quebecoise and the English speaking subjects of the British monarch. Americans are different and require different rules and laws.
Maybe when we Americans learn to responsibly manage our guns, and our drugs, and our automobiles, or any other of the dangerous things in life, maybe then we will know who we are.
Back to the Index for this Issue.
Check out the April '97 'Shooter.
Back to the Index of Issues.
Get the MSSA Online Application.
Return to the MSSA Home Page