The first
quarter of 2006 has been a busy time as usual at the Southside
Sportsman Club. With winter here and nothing else to do, many
have once again taken advantage of shooting in comfort on
the indoor range. There are many things taking place and continued
opportunities for training and competition.
Leagues
Once
again we have completed our Annual Company Leagues.
This year we had about 60 individuals participate representing
four different companies: Ralston Foods, Hart-Doyle-Inouye
Federal Center, and the Western Michigan University Flight
School. Most of these companies sponsored all or part of
the participant’s league fees in the same manner that
they would sponsor a golf league. If your company did not
participate, please contact Joel Fulton at 269-968-4229
or by e-mail at Southsidesportsmanclub@comcast.net
to find out how you can get your company involved in this
morale building activity.
This year once again, the Traveling
Company Trophy will set on the trophy shelf
of Western Michigan University Flight School
for the next year. This is the second year in a row
for Western and we are looking for a contender to challenge
the capable flight instructors of Western. The rules for
determining the company champion will change slightly for
next year. Instead of calculating the average company handicap
score using all of the company’s participants, it
will be determined by calculating the average handicap score
of the company’s top six shooters. So, the more shooters
a company recruits to participate, the better your chance
of finding your best shooters!
Our Centerfire League
is starting on March 28th and will run for the next ten
weeks. The cost is $100 and covers your range time, targets,
and trophies for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place in both Men’s
and Women’s divisions. Any centerfire pistol may be
used as long as it uses iron sights and is factory stock.
It is not too late to get involved so contact us now and
sign up!!
CCW Classes
As
has been the trend, many folks have once again taken the
Michigan training required to obtain their Concealed Pistol
License. Not only is it winter and there is nothing else
to do, but many have put their tax return money to good
use by investing in their personal security. As law-abiding
citizens continue to arm themselves, our society continues
to become a safer place to live, work, and play.
We are continuing our practice of conducting
our CCW classes every other Saturday (please see our Calendar
of events). In addition, we have added four special Saturday
classes for military members and their immediate family
members. These dates are April 1st, April 15th, May 13th,
and May 27th. The price for these classes has been discounted
from our normal price of $140 to $100 in appreciation of
the dedication and service provided by our military members
currently serving our country.
CCW Renewal Classes
While a formal class is not required in order
to get your Michigan CPL renewed, many people chose to take
advantage of the convenience that our CCW Renewal Class
offered in order to meet the renewal training requirements
under Michigan law (by law one simply has to certify that
they have done three hours of review of the written material
and one hour of live-fire range time with a minimum of 30
shots fired). In the two years that we conducted these courses,
over 350 people went through our class, many of then stating
that the training they received in our renewal course was
better than their original training because they took their
original class somewhere other than at our facility. We
appreciate these compliments and we are constantly striving
to make our training the best that it can be.
The last of these classes were conducted on
March 18th as for the next two years no one should have
to renew their CPL license due to the change from Michigan
issuing licenses valid for three years to licenses now valid
for five years effective July 1, 2003. Those still wishing
to renew their license may meet the self-study training
requirement by ordering the book The Right To Carry:
An Awesome Responsibility by sending your name, address,
telephone number, and the county you live in to Freedom
Creek Publishing Company, 539 Capital Avenue SW, Battle
Creek, MI 49015. The price of the book is $19.95 plus tax
plus $5.00 shipping and handling for a total of $26.15.
If you write on your request that you are ordering the book
because you heard about it from this newsletter, you may
waive the shipping and handling charges and send a check
for just $21.15 and we thank you in advance for your order!!
Political
The
most exciting thing to happen occurred on March 22, 2006.
As many of you are aware, Joel Fulton has been very active
in working with the Michigan Attorney General’s office
on gaining reciprocity and recognition of Michigan’s
CPL license by states throughout the nation. So, when Attorney
General Mike Cox just happened to be in the neighborhood,
he stopped by to meet the staff and to say “Thanks”
for all of our efforts. It was a great honor and I (Joel)
would like to say thank-you to Mr. Cox for allowing me to
work on a volunteer/activist basis and help him help all
of us. We now have 31 other states that recognize our Michigan
CPL and we are currently in negotiation with Maine, Minnesota,
and West Virginia. With Kansas recently passing their shall-issue
CCW law, we should be able to gain recognition from them
effective January 1, 2007. Pictured from left to right are
Jared and Joel Fulton (co-owners of Southside Sportsman
Club), AG Mike Cox, Jerome Clark (NRA Training Counselor
and staff member of Southside Sportsman Club), and Mike
Fields (NRA Range Safety Officer and staff member of Southside
Sportsman Club).
The most important pieces of legislation that
demand our immediate attention are the “Stand
Your Ground” or “Castle
Doctrine” bills that are currently before
our state legislatures. In the Michigan House of Representatives
the bill numbers are HB 5142 and HB 5143 and were introduced
by Representative Tom Casperson and Representative Rick
Jones. Rep. Tom Casperson is a member of the Board of Directors
for the Michigan Coalition of Responsible Gun Owners ( www.mcrgo.org
) and Rep. Rick Jones is a member of the Great Lakes Shooting
Sports Association ( www.glssa.org
). In the Senate, the bill number is SB 1046 and was introduced
by Senator Alan Cropsey, also a member of the Board of Directors
of the MCRGO. Senator Cropsey was also instrumental in the
passage of our initial shall-issue CCW law here in Michigan
and is currently the Chairman of the powerful Senate Judiciary
Committee. The ranking democrat of the judiciary committee,
where this legislation is currently being considered before
being sent to the Senate floor for debate, is Battle Creek’s
very own Mark Schauer. I was able to speak personally with
Senator Schauer in regard to this legislation and I was
unable to pin him to a definite position though he was open
to input. Please send a barrage of correspondence to Senator
Schauer so he will understand the common sense of this legislation.
To find information on your representatives or senators,
visit http://www.legislature.mi.gov/(i2o0xf45vg1fwkzw4xn5bi3o)/mileg.aspx?page=SponsorSearch
. Written letters are best, followed by the impact
of phone calls, with e-mail being an acceptable alternative
to the first two.
Last but not least, Michigan Attorney General
Mike Cox was able to successfully get HB 4978 introduced
into legislation and it was signed by the governor resulting
in Public Act 242 of 2005. This codified into law what was
already being done in administrative practice with regard
to criminal background checks when issuing purchase permits
for handguns and concealed pistol licenses in the State
of Michigan. It is now law that the background check must
include Federal NICS check as well as a check of immigration
records. This allows Michigan to keep their purchase permit
as an alternative to the NICS check that must be performed
by all FFL dealers. In addition, AG Cox sent a formal request
to the BATFE asking them to recognize Michigan’s CPL
as an alternative to the NICS check as well. Many people
with a Michigan CPL were still being delayed for a firearm
purchase because they have a common name like John Smith
or they have higher level military security clearances.
We are pleased to announce that as of March 24, 2006, Attorney
General Mike Cox’s request has been granted. All CPL
licenses issued after November 22, 2005 (except for Temporary
Licenses), are now an alternative to the NICS check. This
is a benefit that will be enjoyed over time and some of
you will have to wait until the next time your license is
renewed (I can’t wait until February 2009!).
This is the news and we look forward to seeing you soon!
Southside Sportsman Club
539 Capital Avenue SW
Battle Creek, MI 49015
