VISALIA SPORTSMEN S ASSOCIATION MARCH

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1 VISALIA SPORTSMEN S ASSOCIATION MARCH PO BOX 105 VISALIA, CA Established 1893 ( Visalia Sportsmen s Association is a non-profit organization which is governed by the regulations set forth in the Internal Revenue Code of The section of the code which we fall under states that we are to be exclusively a social club, organized and operated for the pleasure and recreation of our members. The specific purposes of the club are: 1) to unite in the effort of solving local, county and statewide problems pertaining to the protection and propagation of fish and game and other natural resources in our area; 2) the conservation of our natural resources through the promotion and fostering of good public sentiment for better fish, game and forest management; 3) The encouragement of organized shooting activities among adult and junior members and the general public, so as to provide a better knowledge of safe handling and the proper use and care of firearms; and, 4) to take lawful steps to bring into effect those measures deemed to be in the interest of member sportsmen. The next GENERAL MEETING will be THURSDAY, MARCH 9, 2017, at 7:00 PM. Meetings are held on the second Thursday of the month and are open to all club members. New members are encouraged to attend the meetings to become more informed and more active in the club activities. Members are invited to bring a guest to introduce to the Visalia Sportsmen s Association. The club is located just north of downtown Visalia at 536 W. Roosevelt Avenue, one block south of Houston Ave., just east off of Sante Fe. The next BOARD MEETING will be TUESDAY, MARCH 14, 2017, at 6:00 PM. If you want to present an item for discussion at a board meeting, please contact a board member to be on the agenda. Board meetings are held on the Tuesday following the general club meeting. Please contact any of the officers or board members for any issues or concerns you may have regarding your Visalia Sportsmen s Association. Club House Phone # (answering machine): Jim Mayfield Chairman of the Board: Dennis Thornbury President: Jeremy Chavez Board Member: Russ Beechinor Vice President: Frank Tebeau Board Member: (Open) Treasurer: xxx-xxx-xxxx Bob Gaalswyk Board Member: Chris Norman Secretary (interim): Ernie Kumpe Board Member: Dirk Steelman Exec. VP (FFL operations): Sean Vedenoff Board Member: Eddie Thomas, Jr. Board Member: Bob Maxwell Board Member: Loren Metzler Board Member: Ed Thomas Sergeant at Arms VSA Wild Game Feed - Saturday, April 15, 2017 We NEED Game, Fish & Fowl Donations! At the FEBUARY 2017, general club meeting: The new members and guests, including long-time members that are first time club meeting attendees are asked to introduce themselves. Sometimes there are only one or two, occasionally there will be six or more. It s nice to meet the new men and women and juniors of the club. Welcome! We re glad you came! If you haven t made it to a club meeting or one of the family dinners, don t be shy, set aside some time on your calendar and head over to the club. Doors open at 5:00pm. Enjoy a free hotdog and some chili and a cold refreshment as well. Dennis gave the treasurer s report. The club checking account is $86,286.01, and the fundraiser account balance is $131, With range construction costs still evolving, it is vital that our funds are budgeted wisely and that the upcoming VSA 100 Gun Dinner (May 6 th ) provides great value to the attendees as well as bringing in the needed funds to push ahead with construction on one of the finest gun ranges in the area! (As a side note, Dennis mentioned to me that interviews are being held for someone to fill the open treasurer s position.)

2 Dennis provided an update on the range improvements. He said that old/closed sanitary landfills throughout the state are randomly inspected, and one of the inspectors was in the vicinity of the range property shortly after dirt work commenced. Several soil samples were collected for testing. continued on page 2 THE RANGE IS CLOSED FOR CONSTRUCTION!! (As of December 1 st ) THERE WILL BE NO SHOOTING AT ANY TIME DURING THIS CLOSURE. For the most current info on the range construction please go the club website: PHONE FOR THE CLUB: FOR THE RANGE: PAGE 2 MARCH 2017 APRIL 2017 Thinking optimistically, Russ wants to post the APRIL range/rso calendar. DO NOT go out to the range without hearing from Russ or checking the website calendar. Please contact the shooting program coordinators (below) for their programs to see if alternative venues and times are available. Once our range improvements are done, we will need four RSOs on duty each public shoot day. Call Russ for more info about the RSO training and service. 1 Sat Public Shoot J DeGiorgio/???/???/??? 2 Sun Public Shoot Dearborn/Cote/Calloway 5 Wed Public Shoot Morrow/Knutson/Darby 8 Sat Public Shoot Sindlinger/Holmes/???/??? 9 Sun High Power Match/Junior Rifle/4-H 12 Wed Public Shoot Hull/Hogan/???/??? 15 Sat Public Shoot DeGiorgio/???/???/??? 16 Sun Public Shoot Miller/Chavez/S DeNicola/Tromberg 19 Wed Public Shoot Marsh/???/???/??? 22 Sat Tulare County 4-H Match 23 Sun Black Powder/Junior Rifle/High Power/4-H 26 Wed Public Shoot no RSOs scheduled 29 Sat CBRSA 30 Sun CBRSA Please contact the following for more info on the programs that are offered at the range: Black Powder Mike Benyo ; High Power/Jr. Rifle Club Steve Quinn , steveq@carifle.com. CBRSA (Benchrest) Dennis Thornbury The range is closed to all other shooters on match shoot days. Observers are always welcome. More from the FEBUARY club meeting: Dennis said that soil tests showed some heavy metals mostly copper and lead. The city is to call in a materials specialist and the city is cooperative with what is out there as an old former waste disposal, according to Dennis. Dennis said the findings may impact our desire to extend the range to 300 yards and that some work needs to be done to raise the berm at the area of the old pistol lanes. Weather related delays have been experienced as well. There were some questions from members: 1) Can we cap the exposed items? The answer was that there has been no decision at this time due to the city engineering testing procedures. 2) Has there been any progress at all? Yes, improvements to the access ramps, electrical upgrades, and septic system upgrades are proceeding. There has not been a cease and desist order placed during the soil testing procedure. 3) Is there a plan to mine the metals that are there? Dennis answered that there is only one company in California that offers that type of service; one option may be to move the dirt to the berm(s) to reduce exposure to users. Russ indicated that the club may need to develop and implement a mining plan for the removal of metals in the future. Dennis also stated that the costs of the materials handling/control is a cost to the city. Additional costs to us are not monumental. Jim Mayfield gave his monthly membership report. There were no new memberships in January, with nearly $4,000 received in renewal memberships. He is exploring options with the board to extend the membership term to offset the inconvenience of the range construction. VSA FAMILY DINNER SATURDAY, MARCH 11TH Sean said you better get your tickets while they are still available and that you better plan on coming HUNGRY for this ITALIAN crowd pleaser also featuring baked fish. Deliziosa! Fantastico! Grande momento per tutti! For tickets, please call Esther at , or Jim Mayfield at Single diners are always welcome. Come join your (new) friends. Visa/MC, cash, checks. See you there!! SPORTGO too!!

3 SAFETY Does your car or truck have automatic headlights? You know, the ones that come on when you start your car? Well, depending on the setting, your taillights may NOT be coming on which makes your auto practically invisible from behind when driving at night. Please check your settings, check with your older and younger family drivers to make sure they are safe on the roads. PAGE 3 MARCH 2017 PAGE 3 VSA 100+ Gun Dinner, Saturday, MAY 6, Tulare County Fairgrounds Royce confirmed that TABLE PACKAGES and individual tickets (at $45 per person) are now available. There are two types of table packages available: 1) Springfield Armory XD 9 Tables = $1,500 for 8 people per table with one XD 9 pistol to the table buyer (plus raffle tickets); 2) Kimber Ultra Carry II Upgrade Table = $2,000 for 8 people per table with one Kimber pistol to the table buyer (plus raffle tickets). Only 5 Upgrade Tables are available!!!!!!!!!!! Info & Tickets: Royce (559) , Jim (559) Contact Royce at , if you can assist at any time before, during, or after the event. Can you or your business donate an interesting or unique item to our VSA 100+ Gun Dinner to help raise funds for the range improvements? Condo rental or timeshare? Quality artwork? Jewelry? Firearms? Ammo? Coolers? Painting services? Tree Removal? Just about anything can be used to raise funds. Give Royce a call. WANTED: Ruger Mini 30 rifle, wood or synthetic stock, stainless or blued. It s a big decision to sell a member of the family, but if you re ready to send one to a new home, please call Roy at Can you or your business help our range improvements? Please call Royce Nalls at VSA WILD GAME FEED SATURDAY, APRIL 15 TH The Wild Game Feed is coming up and we need of all kinds of wild game, fish and fowl. Call Jim at for meat donations of any kind. We can t do it without your help! The wild game feed is FREE to club members. Drawing tickets are available to help offset the costs associated with holding the dinner. For $10, you may win one of the three (3) guns given away that night. 1) Ruger American rifle in your choice of caliber, 2) Hatfield 12 gauge semi-auto, or 3) Hatfield 20 gauge semi-auto shotgun. No limits to the number of tickets you can buy! But, seriously, we need your game donations, otherwise, we are looking on the roadsides. CCW Permit Classes: Daniel Mansergh conducts the CCW permit class once a month, at the VSA club house. Classes are held the first Monday of the month from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. and are free to club members. There is no need to call ahead, just show up with your California ID and proof of current VSA membership. He will NOT accept membership applications or renewals at the CCW class. Non-members are welcome to attend for $30.00 per person. You can receive Arizona or Florida CCW permit instruction for an additional $30 per person and an extra hour of class. He is approved for Tulare, Kings, and Fresno Counties (Kings and Fresno County residents must qualify with their carry weapons. Range time will be scheduled at the class. No need to call first.) For more info, Daniel can be reached at ; danielmansergh@gmail.com. Shooting Training CCW Classes and more: Jeff Sanders of Legacy Defense offers CCW permit classes generally on the third Wednesday of each month for Tulare and Kings County, and Utah (which adds the following states not covered by CA permits: NV,WA, WY, ND, LA, WV, GA, DE, (subject to change)). Jeff will hold the class at your location home or business for as few as four attendees! Ask Jeff how to get the most from your Glock, have you experienced a trigger done by Jeff? You owe it to yourself to try one. Check with Legacy Defense. Jeff Sanders: HELP WANTED: Guns and Roosters Hunting Preserve is hiring! This just in from Dave Hamilton: My bird planters for our dog competitions are graduating this year and going away to college, or joining the military. I

4 will be looking for 2 3 people to train for next season. I pay them $100 per day, plus they get lunch. One thing to note is there is a lot of walking or running to get the fields planted quickly for the next run. Enjoy the outdoors and want a chance to see and learn from some of the TOP dog handlers in the country? For more information, call Dave at: Visit the website: PAGE 4 MARCH 2017 PAGE 4 Hey, you! Did you know that you could be one of the next RSOs to start on the job training? That means you can start enjoying the benefits of being an RSO; enjoying the satisfaction of helping others; enjoying knowing that you learned something new on your range service day. We need men and women that work well with others and apply rules carefully and respectfully. Call Russ at Here are some basic firearm safety rules as presented by the NRA Education and Training Division Smart & Safe publication, 2002: IT S YOUR RESPONSIBILITY - If you are going to handle a gun, it s up to you to know how to do it safely. When you pick up a gun, you are the person who is directly responsible for handling it properly, and your first concern must always be safety. Unsafe gun handlers, just like drunken drivers, are a danger not only to themselves, but also to others. No one should put up with a drunken driver and no one should put up with a person who mishandles a gun. LEARN THE BASICS To be a safe gun handler, you must learn (and apply) the three fundamental rules of safe gun handling. 1. ALWAYS keep the gun pointed in a safe direction. 2. ALWAYS keep you finger off the trigger until ready to shoot. 3. ALWAYS keep the gun unloaded until ready to use. Three simple rules memorize them then apply them. These rules should always be applied simultaneously. Don t apply them separately each rule should always be applied at the same time that you are also applying the other two rules. RULE #1: Always keep the gun pointed in a safe direction. What s a safe direction? It s the direction in which the gun, if fired, would not cause any injury or damage. The key to this rule is to control where the muzzle (or front end of the barrel) is pointed at all times. Common sense dictates the safest direction, depending on different circumstances. RULE #2: Always keep your finger off the trigger until you are ready to shoot. When holding a gun, rest your finger along the side of the gun. Until you are ready to fire, do not touch the trigger. When you pick up or hold a gun, it s very natural to place your index finger on the trigger: Don t do it! Instead, while keeping the gun pointed in a safe direction, place your index finger on the trigger guard, or along the side of the gun. Keep your finger off the trigger until you are actually ready to fire. Also be sure to keep your other fingers away from the trigger while handling the gun. RULE #3: Always keep the gun unloaded until ready to use. This rule is easy to obey don t load any ammunition into your gun until you are ready to use it. What about the gun that you stored in a safe place last week and picked up today? Was it empty when you stored it? Is it still empty? Are you sure?

5 Or what about a gun that another person hands you? Is that gun empty or loaded? If you are told that the gun is empty, do you take the other person s word for it? Is the gun really empty? Are you sure? What should you do whenever you pick up or handle a gun? First, remember Rule #1 and Rule #2. Next, make sure the gun is empty. To make sure the gun is empty, you need to know some of the parts used in the gun, understand how the gun operates and know the kind of action used in the gun. (end) PAGE 5 MARCH 2016 PAGE 5 Club Website: For more info about the club, programs, activities, newsletters (current and past), visit the website, or call Jim Mayfield at Jim is our master club coordinator as well as the best source for any tickets for club events or drawings. For any of your newsletter concerns, wanted or for sale items, please feel free to contact me, Chris Norman, editor, at: visaliasportsmen@hotmail.com, or by phone/text:

6 This space is now available. $100 per year for the 12 monthly newsletters. Support the club. Great exposure for your business to loyal customers. First come first served. Contact Chris Norman editor.