Hello to all! It's not about duck hunting, STUPID! This is the last issue of THE SHOOTER before the November elections, and I've put much election material in, along with some regular stuff.
One thing worth pointing out right up front is that our 2 grassroots legislative organizations, SACMO and WMSA, are working their butts off at this time with the elections coming up. They can use your donations anytime, but especially now! You can send donations to: SACMO, PO Box 2270, Florissant, MO 63032, and WMSA, PO Box 11144, Kansas City, MO 64119.
You can send comments or input for a future newsletter to either P. Fitzgerald at [email protected] or B. Sliger at [email protected].
Heck no! and who does he think he is to ask such a thing! Well, many gun owners are just that; I've been one myself! We say, "they can take my guns when they pry my dead fingers from around them!" And we don't join the NRA, and we don't get around to voting, and we never write any letters to our elected officials, and we don't do this, and we don't do that. Well listen Jack, you're a BOZO if you think that apathetic attitude is going to keep you from losing your guns; the Clintonites are well on their way to taking them, and they won't have to pry your fingers to get them!
I saw something in WMSA's newsletter that I liked and want to mention here-- "One hour for one gun." The message is that you should be willing to work at least one hour for each & every gun you own; work as in writing letters, getting other gun owners to join NRA and get registered to vote, learn who the pro- gun candidates are, etc.. GET OFF YOUR BUTT AND DO SOMETHING POSITIVE FOR THE 2ND AMENDMENT.
The annual members meeting of MSSA will be at 1:00 PM, Oct 26, 1996 at the Missouri Dept of Conservation's Runge Nature Center in Jefferson City. Members will vote on a possible name change for MSSA, as well as the election of one-third of the board members (six). If any member is interested in serving as a board member, they should attend and let their name be submitted as a candidate. We are particularly interested in someone to follow legislative issues closely and keep the board advised.
At 6:30PM on the same day will be the 4th annual awards dinner at Viets Restaurant in Jeff City. Main purpose of dinner is for recognizing State shooting champions and other special awards. Everyone is welcome to attend. You need to make a reservation ($12 per person) thru the MSSA address in Columbia before Oct 18. For more info contact Harold at [email protected].
A 35% decrease in the number of federally licensed firearms dealers since 1993 prompted Rep. Jim Lightfoot (R-IA) to question whether the dramatic decline is a result of a concerted effort by the Clinton Administration to drive dealers out of business. This subject was covered in hearings held on April 25 before the US House Treasury Appropriations Subcommittee, which oversees BATF operations.
"The Clinton Administration used the BATF to push its firearms agenda, basically mandating them to reduce the number of firearms dealers by any legal means that were necessary that they could find," said Lightfoot, who chairs the subcommittee. Lightfoot's claim is backed up by a 1993 memo from President Clinton directing the Treasury Dept "to take whatever steps are necessary, including stepped up inspections, to ensure strict compliance with licensing rules".
I have held an FFL for 15 years. I was affected in 1993 during my license renewal by Clinton Admin directives to BATF. Basically, they used harassment, scare tactics, coercion, deceit, and outright lies to try to get me to "voluntarily surrender" my license. I stood firm and did not turn in my license. I know of others who tell similar stories of "legal" means used to reduce the number of license holders. The best thing you can do at this point is send a letter to Rep Jim Lightfoot (mentioned in story above). Jim is generally pro-gun, and needs to hear first hand how the BATF is operating, since he is the man in charge of granting their funding. Send your stories to:
Representative Jim Lightfoot
2161 Rayburn House Office Bldg
Washington, D.C. 20515-1503
Seven Missouri smallbore competitors attended the 1996 National Championships at Camp Perry, Ohio. Buddy Sombart of Amoret was the only Missourian to compete in the two day 3-Position Championships. He did well, placing in the Expert class in several events.
Harold Miederhoff (Columbia), Paul Villmer (Potosi), Len Remaly (Ballwin), Steve Schreiber (Independence), Robert Sedlacek (Fenton), and rookie James Schwarz (Ironton) attended the four day Prone Championships. Winds varying from 9 o'clock to 12 o'clock to 3 o'clock raised havoc with most everyone's scores. Paul Villmer managed to stay focused and after the first two days of iron sights managed to earn a position as an alternate to the US Dewar Team. This is a 20 person postal team match fired against Great Britain and Canada. It is an honor to make this team and offers a serious challenge shooting at the International SB targets. Paul previously made the team as a firing member in 1990.
Five of the above were squadded close together and shared many good stories, discussions of shooting in adverse conditions, and just jolly good fun. By the end of the four days of competition everyone had managed to shoot at least one match that was good enough to soothe some of the frayed nerves. Villmer managed to stay in the groove long enough to finish in 25th place overall. That's pretty solid, considering the caliber of the competitors at the National Championships. The rest of us are saying, "Next year!"
Bill Clinton has initiated a UN project funded by Japan and staffed by Canadians called the Wassenaar Arrangement. Involving 27 nations, it is intended to prohibit international trade in all firearms except muskets, rifles and carbines manufactured before 1938 and reproductions of long guns originally manufactured before 1890. Odd choice of dates. You will notice that pistols are not mentioned. I doubt that this will lead to a treaty at this time. (HOWEVER) A treaty is the supreme law of the land, and the route by which the feds get jurisdiction over matters they could not otherwise regulate. If the Senate changes even slightly (ie. Democrats regain control), this could give us major trouble. A vote in the Senate is all that is needed for a treaty.
I was probably in a minority, as I watched every hour of both the Republican and Democratic National Conventions. Kind of like the Olympics for political buffs. Anyway, I'll say up front that I have some doubts about the promises of both parties. However, one item grabbed me concerning the Democrats. Whether I am in favor of midnight basketball, gay rights, failed health reform, etc.. is not the issue. We are only concerned in THE SHOOTER with firearms issues and rights. The Democrats had as their featured speakers the founders of Handgun Control Incorp (Jim/Sarah Brady) the first night. Does it need to be made any more clear to you what the Clinton administration wants to do with your gun rights? Get out & vote--one hour for one gun!
The BRC of St. Louis, a private, not-for-profit organization, has four separate ranges at its new facility north of Wright City. The High Power rifle range has 60 covered firing points, concrete benches, and target frames at 100, 200, 300, and 600 yards. The Pistol range has a 175 foot wide covered firing line with target frames at 6, 12, 25, and 50 yards. The Multi-purpose range has 20 covered firing points with concrete benches and target frames out to 100 meters. These all have paved walkways. The shotgun range has five hand operated traps for claybirds, and there is also a separate area for a pattern board. There is a club house at the main range which is heated and air-conditioned and has an indoor bathroom and shower, plenty of room for indoor loading. The club holds Benchrest, Hunter, BR-50, rimfire silhouette, and DCM matches. Members are provided with a key to the gate and may come and go as they please during daylight hours (no shooting at night). No fully automatic weapons are allowed. For additional info and membership applications, contact the club "hotline," (314) 928- 7094 and leave a message.
Has anyone out there ever written Governor Mel Carnahan a letter, AND GOT A RESPONSE BACK?? I recently wrote him a nice letter; represented myself as the President of a Gun Club in St. Louis, as well as a Director of MSSA, and the Editor of The Shooter. I mentioned to Mel that the U.S. now has 31 states with some form of concealed carry legislation on the books, and as far as I could tell, there had not been a major outbreak of cowboy style shootings on the freeways, at least the media hasn't reported as such (although there have been several major studies done showing that crimes with victims are down in those states). What I wanted to know was did he think that the citizens of the state of Missouri were less responsible than those in 31 other states? Also, I asked him for his position on concealed carry, and what he thought about the 2nd Amendment. Well, I don't think he's going to respond, dog-gonnit! Why am I not surprised?
By the way, let me take the opportunity to share with you the candidate ratings prepared by SACMO on the Governors office. Mel Carnahan gets a grade of "D," while Margaret Kelly gets a "B+". I think Mel would love to hear from more people who care about gun freedoms. You can write him at: Missouri Capital Bldg, Room 216, P.O. Box 720, Jefferson City, MO 65102. ALSO, be sure to send him your desired message, whatever that may be, in the November elections. One hour for one gun.
Quick, tell me which state senatorial district you're in? How about state congressional district? While we all usually know who our Federal office holders are, we seldom keep track of the state level offices. These are very important on issues such as concealed carry. You can find out which state district you're in by calling your library. Also, you must be registered to vote by Oct 9 if you want to vote Nov 5. Watch for the NRA candidate ratings, & get off your butt and get ready to vote!
Editors note: In the last newsletter we had a short note concerning gun clubs organized as "Not-for-Profit" corporations. The idea was just to alert you and get you thinking. It worked, several people contacted me for more info. MSSA Pres Gregg Pearre provided this info as a more complete description of the subject.
Competitors just lost the ability to hold matches at one gun club. How did this happen? It seems the range had relatively new neighbors who did not like the sound of gunfire. They complained and tried every way they knew how to shut down the club, but the club had been around for more than 40 years and most of the neighbors had built homes there in the last decade. The club was organized as a member club for recreational purposes and was classified as "not for profit" for federal tax purposes. The city decided that as long as the gun club maintained this status, the club could continue to operate and the homeowners were out of luck.
Great ending, right? We wish it had ended there. Instead, one of the homeowners decided that the best way to revoke the club's "not-for-profit" status was to call in the IRS. The club was run like many others, with approximately 60 matches a year and an occasional sectional championship or other irregular match. What could the IRS do? It could revoke the club's tax status, allowing the homeowners to win.
Gun clubs organized for pleasure, recreation and other non profitable purposes are permitted to request exemption from federal income tax. The exemption is granted by the IRS to gun clubs which are supported by membership fees, dues, and assessments. Under IRS rules, a club can remain tax exempt even if it raises revenue from members through the use of club facilities or in connection with club activities. However, a gun club which engages in business, such as making its facilities available to the general public, is not exempt from federal income taxes. The IRS has determined that advertisements made for public use of gun club facilities is evidence that the club is engaging in business and is therefore not qualified for an exemption from federal income taxes.
Gun clubs are permitted to receive up to 35 percent of their gross receipts (which are charges, admissions, membership fees, dues, assessments, investment income, and match fees) from non-members without losing their tax exempt status. Of this 35 percent, not more than 15 percent may come from the use of the gun club facilities or services by the general public; the term "general public" means people other than members of the club or their dependents or guests. A member's spouse is treated as a member.
Here's an example. Let's say your club received a total of $10,000 for holding 50 matches last year. Of this $10,000 in receipts, $3,000 was receipts from an area championship. Only two club members paid to shoot the match. Most club members were working as RO staff. The $3,000 includes match fees, amounts received from food and beverage concessions and T-shirt sales. Most of the club members who were working the match did not pay for food and beverages or T-shirts. In addition, the club also received $1,600 in interest on its checking account at the bank. Is the club in jeopardy of losing its tax exempt status? YES, because the area championship receipts are 30 percent of the total annual receipts, more than the 15 percent allowed from non- member sources. However, the interest income exceeding the 15 percent will not cause the club a problem, since the club can have up to 20 percent of its total receipts from investments. Does the club owe tax on the revenue from the area championship? Does the club owe tax on the interest it earned? YES. What about sales tax on all the various receipts? This is different in each state, but most state's sales taxes needs to be collected and sent to your respective state taxing agency. (This will be covered in the second article of this series).
This is starting to sound like a math class, 15 percent here and 35 percent there, complete with tests. The important part, however, is that the host/guest stuff will not be assumed by the IRS and will have to be proved. (Record keeping will be covered in the third article of this series.)
Does your club put on matches that have more than eight shooters non-members, or where more than 25 percent of the shooters are non-members? If so, you may have to amend the club's bylaws to add a new membership category. This new membership category must be restricted to a limited number of shooters (such as 1,000) and should have other restrictions such as no-voting rights and limited access to only the shooting bays where the match is being shot. This membership category can be for a daily (two-day, three-day, etc.) period and must carry a standard fee (ie. $1 per day).
Remember, your club only has one chance to be on target. If you lose your tax exemption it is both costly and time consuming to get it back. The Internal Revenue Code is always hard to wade through and generally does not make sense, so if you're thoroughly confused, you aren't alone! In the next two articles in this three part series on how to maintain your club's tax exempt status, how to organize a club, and what a club treasurer should know, we will go into more detail. This series will appear either in Front Sight or In Touch.
Question: The safety lever on my SKS rifle was tight enough when I bought the gun, but has steadily become loose. What can I do about it?
Answer: Firearms dealer Kurt Johnson of Wisconsin wrote, "As a dealer in SKS rifles, I have seen a large number of the Russian type missing the safety lever springs. It seems in the arsenal rebuilding process it is acceptable to omit the safety lever spring and control the lever position with a friction fit. For a while the lever will stay where you put it, but eventually will flop from the safe to fire position." We checked with Century Arms, importer of many SKS rifles, who confirmed that many SKS's, especially those of early manufacture, came without the safety spring. Have a qualified gunsmith install an easily obtainable safety lever spring, and the problem will be solved.
This will be the last newsletter before the election, and this election may be the most important one gun owners have faced in years. The very best we can hope for is Clinton's defeat and gaining more (pro-gun) seats in Congress. The worst we can see is Clinton's re-election and the loss of the House to the anti- gunners. That thought makes me shudder! Bob Dole may not be as strongly pro-gun as many would like, but he is certainly not the anti-gunner that Clinton has shown to be. Dole did good by selecting Jack Kemp as VP. He's an NRA member, and the following comes from an NRA fax alert:
As a congressman, Jack Kemp had a 100% voting record on 2nd amendment issues that stretched back 18 years. He cast votes in favor of the 1986 Firearms Owners Protection Act and against the Brady Bill in 1988. He has spoken at two NRA Annual Meetings, and he is strongly disliked by Handgun Control, Inc (which is good!). In a recent statement, HCI called the candidate "an enormous disappointment...an avowed supporter and member of NRA." HCI also complained that Kemp "made public statements about being 'proud to be called a friend, and ally, and most important a fellow member of the NRA.'" Kemp made those statements at the members banquet of the 1987 Annual Meeting of the NRA. In 1993, Kemp made a mis-statement on a national news show regarding semi- auto firearms. In a meeting with NRA Exec VP Wayne LaPierre soon after the TV program, Kemp clarified his position on semiautos. Third and Forth party candidates, although clear on the gun issue (Libertarian is pro-gun, Perot's Reform party is not committed to guns), neither is given much chance to win, so a vote for them is a lost vote for Dole/Kemp, and will in fact help Clinton's re- election (more shudders!).
Everyone in the 8th US Congressional District in Missouri has no doubt heard of the untimely death of Congressman Bill Emerson. We lost a great pro-gun ally with Bill's passing. Bill's wife Jo Ann is running to complete the current term, as well as to fill the seat for the next session. She too will be a good ally for the pro-gun movement. Voting for her will be confusing, though, and we wanted to mention it so you would be prepared. You'll have to vote for her TWICE, once in the special election to fulfill the current term, and again as an INDEPENDENT in the general election. If you're in the 8th district, make yourself a note to be ready for this. One hour for one gun.
OK, it's time for more fun & games; FFL license renewal time with the Fed. What new tricks do they have this time? As mentioned earlier, they pulled some good ones in 1993 to force people to "voluntarily surrender" their license. It's time for me to renew again, and here's what I see has changed since my last renewal:
Price is now $90 for renewal, $200 for first time application. Fingerprints and recent photo are required. Numerous questions concerning items that should not be any of their business are included: do you intend to make a profit, are you in compliance with state and local laws, are you in compliance specifically with zoning laws, how is your business location zoned? Gone is the requirement for a floor plan of your home showing the location of firearms storage (so they would know where to go if they decided to kick down your door in the middle of the night). I guess they have had too much criticism on this one. You still have to send a copy of the application to the "Chief Law Enforcement Officer" in your locality. The application tells him who to contact if he has any reason you should be denied a license. The instructions state that an inspection/audit WILL be done before a license/renewal is issued (what, again?) Yes, it has certainly gotten crazy since Clinton took office and mandated that the number of licenses be reduced by whatever means.
But you know what, a bill called "Brady 2" is already written and waiting for the outcome of the elections. I am told (I haven't seen the bill) that the price for a FFL will go up to $3000 under Brady 2. Also included are attacks on non-dealers, plain Joe's just like you and the guys at the local gun range. If you have more than 1000 rounds of ammo at your house (a couple of bricks of .22 cal rimfire) you will be required to have an "Arsenal License," and it will cost $300. Same thing for 1000 primers. Did you say primers, as in reloading? This too will require an arsenal license--hand over $300, Jack! And let's get rid of those Sierra boat-tails, Hornady and Noslers, and the rest of the "Cop Killer" bullets. No sir, you won't be allowed to have them with a license at any price.
Congressmen Schumer and Monihan spend all their time, AND I MEAN ALL THEIR TIME, writing legislation to kill your gun rights. And our own Dick Gephardt & Bill Clay vote FOR all this trash, every time, without exception. Governor Mel Carnahan is just as bad on state level issues. And what do WE do, typically, the stubborn Missouri "show-me" people that we are? Two things. We make macho statements that they'll have to pry our fingers off our guns to take them away, and then we go to the voting polls (if we even go!) and vote for the jerks that are working so hard to take our rights away, because we've always voted for that party, or because we're union, or a myriad of other illegitimate reasons .
What a bunch of BOZO's we are! And the Clintonites love it. I can say this because I was one too. But not anymore. Times have changed. Do you know how many hours go into the preparation of the newsletter you are now reading? Or in the manufacture, preparation, and distribution of the newsletter? This is not a paid position. One hour for one gun. Think about it.
I want to mention the 2nd District, and Jim Talent. Jim has gotten a rap for voting FOR the Crime Bill in 1994, however, he has voted pro-gun on every issue since. SACMO has rated him a "C", which may be overly harsh. Jim is orders-of-magnitude better than his opponent Joan Kelly Horn, who rates an "F".
Then there's Harold Volkmer in the 9th Congressional District. Harold is rated an A+, and is one of the best friends a gun owner in this state has ever had.
Bill Clay in the 1st District rates an "F", Dick Gephardt in the 3rd District rates an "F", and Karen McCarthy in the 5th District rates an "F". To rate an "F" you just plain SUCK as far as gun owners are concerned, and a gun- owner who votes for them gets the Major Bozo Award.
Ike Skelton in the 4th District rates an A+, Patsy Ann Danner in the 6th District rates an A, and as mentioned before, Jo Ann Emerson in the 8th District gets my vote.
REMEMBER: you must register to vote by Oct 9 to vote on Nov 5. Don't be a BOZO-- study the candidates, do your homework, then go to the polls. One hour for one gun!
Check out the June '96 'Shooter.
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