METACON NEWS Metacon Gun Club, Inc. Simsbury, CT Vol 16 Issue 9 September 2015

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September…already? I don’t know about you, but my summer has gone by very quickly. By the time you read this it will be September and with the falling leaves come chilly temperatures and the eventuality of winter is upon us. I don’t want to get too far ahead of myself, because there are some exciting things going on at the club. Another successful CT SWAT Challenge is in the books and as far as I can tell, everything went along very nicely. Thanks to all of our members that volunteered time for that great, annual event. We look forward to many more years as the host range for the event. Although we give up much of our facility for the better part of a week, the exposure to the public, to Law Enforcement and to the media is well worth it. Right after the CT SWAT Challenge, we had a large work party that took down the decade old “temporary safety wall” and removed all of the target tubes from the ground. Early this morning trucks from our contractor were there beginning the re-grading process. It’s going to take at least a couple of months, so please hang in there and be patient. The new permanent safety wall is going up nicely, more out of the way, stronger and better looking than the old wall. Many volunteer hours have gone into everything so far and I’m looking forward to the “new” outdoor range soon. Another enhancement to the OR will be several feet of “reclaimed” asphalt just in front of the concrete floor extending to the “blue sky barrier.” This will make picking up brass much easier than it is now from mud, weeds and ruts. I’m happy to announce that the Board has appointed Kevin Jackson as our Building and Grounds Director. Kevin is at Metacon often and stepped up to volunteer for a very challenging job. You can already see some of Kevin’s mark on the grounds as he had the beds in the front of the building weeded and mulched his first week. They look great and Kevin has some thoughts and vision for the grounds that you will hear more about in the near future. If you attended the August membership meeting on the 18th, you know that the

President’s Corner by Robert Margolis

membership voted to expel a member for some very serious rule violations. The violations had to do with safety at the Women on Target event. The person voted out of the club was a good friend to many of us and a very dedicated volunteer to the club. This was not an easy thing for the membership to do nor was it easy for the Board to refer this case to the membership for expulsion. The fact of the matter is that the Board and the membership did the only responsible thing in the name of safety. We have 750 members at Metacon and each one of us must take responsibility for the safety of all the others, members and invited guests included. This was truly like telling a brother that he was no longer welcome as a member. It hurt me personally to have to do this, but it was absolutely the right thing to do. At Metacon, safety comes before everything else and this is a shining example of that. Out of every bad situation there’s good to be found and our Education and Safety committee with be working on some protocols and procedures and training regiments that should make our club even safer than it already is. Lastly for this month, we’ll be going back to sending our billing statements by mail next year. While email is a great idea and saves the club tons of money, there are too many that use email as an excuse not to pay their bill on time. It’s become WAY too much work for our membership secretary and that will end with the next billing cycle. Members are going to be notified in the newsletter, by email reminder and with one statement in regular mail that their payment is due. If it’s not paid within the time specified, they’ll be dropped from the membership with no tolerance for excuses. For the most part, our members are good about this now, but it’s the few that make the majority suffer and that’s what we’re facing. Your town doesn’t care if you say you didn’t get their tax bill, you still owe your taxes on time and the IRS doesn’t send reminder notices and hear complaints that you don’t have access to email. Neither will Metacon in 2016. See you at the range – Bob

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We've had a great start to the Safety Wall project, and work has begun on the Outdoor Range (OR) re-grading and new parking area. We've had four work parties as this is written, and will have at least one more about the middle of September On Sunday, 8/16/15, twelve members with two sons applied 40 sheets of plywood and the 2x6 bands at top, middle and bottom on four sections of the new safety wall (SW), plus screwing, lagging, and thru-bolting on about a third of it. The finished wall comprises eight sections, so four more to go! On Sunday, 8/24/15, nineteen members and two sons removed the temporary safety wall and all of the target-holder tubes (about 250), and then moved over to install more fasteners on the new SW sections. Twenty-four of an eventual 48 posts were also cut to height. Work parties were also held on Saturday and Sunday, August 29 and 30. At the former, eight members were able to duplicate the feat of the first work party, installing 40 sheets of plywood and all of the 2x6 banding, plus screwing the plywood completely and installing some lags and bolts (WOW). Then eleven showed up on Sunday to complete installation of lag bolts and all but about 30 of

(Con nued on page 4)

The Work Begins!

by Mike Palmer

Directory The Metacon Gun Club, Inc 

PO Box 691, Simsbury, CT 06070 www.MetaconGunClub.com

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Re‐CRO Needed Per club rules, members must take a refresher “Certified Range Officer” safety course (Re-CRO) every five years. Failure to do so will result in deactivation of your membership after 3 months. Only the written portion of the CRO class is required (no shooting portion). You may attend any CRO class, check the enclosed calendar for scheduled classes. The following members are due for Re-CRO:

Bryan Adams Melody Atkins Bruce Avritch John Bachand Timothy Baierwick Jim Barba James Barre  Jr Donald Belliveau Richard Benner Barry Bergen William Bi erli Donn Blankenship Robert Blouin Hillard Bowe Ken Bra on Colin Bri on Sco  Bruen Arthur Carlson Vincent Castagno Richard Cavo Sean Clancy Neil Cohen Timothy Confessore Jon Contrastano Michael Co rell Joel Cramer Leo Cyr Richard DeGrandis Jr Michael Donato Philip Dunn Jr David Ehnot Stephen Estes Ronald Faibusch David Fernandez Christopher Fleming 

Nick Forese Thomas Gaul Joseph Gerstner Richard Gleason Evelyn Golden Kenneth Gostyla Louis Grimaldi Thomas Grimaldi Ed Grimes Roman Grysiak Milton Gustafson John Hannan James Heffler Kris na Hilborn Tim Hopkins Greg Howard Mark Hunt David Isabelle Edward Jason Peter Juda Andre Jukic Marlene Jung Richard Kaczypenski Ralph Keen III Joseph King Jr Edward Kowalski Mary Kowalski Maurice Kuck Gregory Lawrence Edward Leitkowski Jr Eric Le zia Bill Lindberg Norman Lindroth Jr Robert Lobley William Lockwood 

Beverly Longo Thomas Macdonald William Magnan James Mallon Joseph Mashkovich Vladimir Mashkovich Vincent Mazzie Kevin McCabe Robert McCool Joseph McIsaac Theodore Mckelvey Andrew Melnyk David Mendelson Robert Metelsky Kenneth Mike Bruce Mortensen Phil Mugford Chris Nolan Brian Pandiscia Stephen Parmelee Gary Paul Robert Perrone Bob Peterson Carl Reichert 

Metacon Gun Club NEWS Richard Garay, Editor

richardgaray@sbcglobal.net

James Rendeiro III Charles Richards Edwin Rios Sergey Rodionov Mike Rozanski Richard Scheidel Ernest Schneider Jr Robert Shaw Robert Sherry James Sly Walter Smith Art Speranza Daniel Steinmetz Charles Stohlberg David Sutkai s Peter Tedone Michael Telow Richard Tenore Gregg Tuite Thomas Vanty Jason Wallace Sandra Wheeler Chris Williams Eugene Wong 

 Next CRO Class: September 13, 2015 Sunday 9:00 AM 

Approved Wait List There are currently 245 applicants on the Wait List. The following applicants from the previous meeting were approved for placement on the Wait List:    Keith Dumont, Newington    Jeremy Kawser, Avon 

New Membership Applicants 

Please review the following applicants’ names and submit any comments to the Board of Governors:    Brian Bishop, Burlington    Ryan Barry, West Har ord    Jeffrey Valerie, Glastonbury    

 Monthly Mee ng September 15, 2015 Tuesday 7:30 PM 

OFFICERS President Bob Margolis 860-778-1212 margolis.bob@me.com Vice President Gary Lenk 860-521-2440 gary.lenk@comcast.net Recording Secretary Craig Trujillo 860-422-3600 craig.s.trujillo@gmail.com Membership Secretary Peter Donahue 860-985-9547 PO Box 691 Simsbury, CT 06070 membership@metacongunclub.com Treasurer Mike Palmer 860-658-0061 treasurer@metacongunclub.com Asst. Treasurer Jason Newman 860-978-2467 jdnewman27@att.net

DIRECTORS Bldng & Grnds Kevin Jackson 860-543-3435 Class III Mike D’Angelo djmiked@msn.com Handgun Program Jeff Moores jefmoores@gmail.com Junior Program Andrew Davenport davenports4@sbcglobal.net Rifle Program Vladimir Mashkovich odessabld@sbcglobal.net

GOVERNORS AT LARGE Roy McAdoo 860-651-0375 mcadoo@juno.com Jim Couture 860-595-5152 couture9404@yahoo.com Bruce Thompson 860-662-0526 bruce@demaximis.com Past President Dennis Golden 860-651-4911 dennis@im-safe.com

TEAM CAPTAINS Archery Bob Roberge 860-550-1737 Bullseye Pistol Dan Schaper 860-651-9160 Combat Pistol John Freda 301-318-6697 Falling Plate Glenn Weldon 860-508-5978 gweldon59@gmail.com Small Bore Rifle Andrew Davenport 860-670-5864

 Metacon Mission 

  

“To  educate,  promote  and advocate  for  the  shoo ng heritage  and  ensure  the health and  longevity of the club.” 

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Key: CC    =   Classroom Closed IRO   =   Indoor Range Open IRC    =   Indoor Range Closed  ORO  =  Outdoor Range Open ORC  =   Outdoor Range Closed ARO  =   Archery Range Open ARC  =   Archery Range Closed 

Work Beginning on Safety Wall

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the thru-bolts (I ordered short), plus cutting off tops of posts to height. So, the wall is 95% complete as you read this! My company has been retained by the club to manage the OR re-grading and the SW projects, so all accolades belong to the volunteers who have come out to make these work parties resounding successes. They are:

We will need one more work party to top off the walls with a 2x12 cap, and that will be it. That should happen on Sunday September 13, 2015, and will probably last only an hour or so. Watch our web site for up-to-date information. I will also send out an e-blast once that date is confirmed. Please check the web site for latest information on work parties. Once the OR re-grading is complete, we’ll have to install target-frame tubes (or some other system-see related article by Gary Lenk). Again, THANK YOU to those volunteers who have made it all happen.

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(Con nued from page 1)

Outdoor Range Construction Pictures

Fred Arnold Bill Bi erly Art Dangle Peter Donahue Jay Gauthie 

Outdoor Range Target Systems — Time for a New Look

by Gary Lenk

With the outdoor range torn up and closed for a while, this is a golden opportunity to take a fresh look at the system we use for holding our paper/cardboard targets. The old in-ground tubes have been taken out and will have to be reinstalled if we continue to use them, a massive project. The old system has a lot of virtues- it's simple and cheap to use and it covers the whole range. It does, however have some serious flaws, like the need to augur out the tubes on a regular basis and the way snow shuts down the whole system in the winter. Since the tubes are gone and need reinstallation sometime in September or October, now is the time for a serious discussion on replacing them with a different method of holding paper targets. We have almost 800 members in the club and 250 more on the waiting list that collectively have thousands and thousands of hours of shooting experience involving lots of

different ranges and range systems so I hope to tap into that knowledge and come up with a system that can replace the target tubes with something that will be even better. The new system should be relatively cheap and easy to maintain, using simple tools and replacement materials available from local suppliers. Let's face it- they ARE going to get shot up. It should be easy to use and offer versatility. It should hopefully be usable in snow and wind. It can't generate dangerous ricochets or bullet splash. If you have ideas on the subject, let me know. Email would probably be best: gary.lenk@comcast.net. We only have about a month before something has to be installed, so don't wait if you have a good idea. If you can supply plans, drawings, or pictures that would be great, but simple descriptions will work. Let's see what we can come up with.

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Fred Arnold Bill Bi erly Joe Bordieri Sco  Burrell Gene Cheri Larry Cook Jim Couture Art Daimler 

Carl Heinzelman Ed Lawson Julian Mashkovich Vlad Mashkovich Phil Mumford 

Peter Donahue John Harmon Carl Heinzelman Ted Hzu Cooper Jackson Kevin Jackson Marvin Johnson Gary Lenk 

Glenn Anderson Bill Bi erli Richard Broders Art Daigle Dan Hsu Ted Hsu Ralph Mar n Richard Zlotnick 

8/16/2015 

8/23/2015 

8/29/2015  8/30/2015 Bill Bi erli Rick Bourassa Jim Couture Art Daigle Peter Donahue Kevin Jackson Mike Juda 

David Newman Jason Newman Sco  Regina Marty Waterman 

Kevin McCabe David Newman Jason Newman Dillon Rowell Pete Spring Bruce Thompson Bob Wagner Jeff Wild 

Charles Lanfair Gary Lenk Bob Wagner Jeff Wild 

The Membership Meeting was held on Tuesday August 18, 2015 at Metacon Gun Club. The meeting was called to order by club President, Bob Margolis at 7:30PM. Present: Bob Margolis, Gary Lenk, Jason Newman, Peter Donahue, Kevin Jackson, Bruce Thompson, Roy McAdoo, Jim Couture, Mike D’Angelo, Andrew Davenport, Vlad Mashkovich, Dennis Golden Absent: Craig Trujillo, Mike Palmer, Jeff Moores Bob opened the meeting welcoming those in attendance and new applicants. The July member meeting minutes were not available due to the Recording Secretary being on vacation. Those minutes will be read and approved at the September meeting. Bob then called upon the new applicants in attendance to introduce themselves and say a few words. New applicants were: Ryan Barry – West Hartford Jeffrey Valerie – Glastonbury Brian Bishop – Burlington Bob welcomed them and mentioned that there is a waiting list that is lengthy. Basic discussions of membership took place and various instances that new applicants could be involved in club activities while on the wait list. All applicants will also get the newsletter and were encouraged to follow our social media. Discussed the on-line calendar at www.metacongunclub.com.

Membership Report: Membership Secretary Peter Donahue reported total membership of 745 – 699 regular, 27 spousal, 5 junior, 5 life, 6 law enforcement, and 3 discretionary. Additionally, 245 are on the wait list, 118 on Re-CRO list (see page 2). The next CRO class is scheduled for Sunday, September 13, 2015 at 9AM. CRO Classes following will be: Friday October 9, 2015 – 7:00PM Saturday November 7, 2015 – 9:00AM Sunday December 13, 2015 – 9:00AM Peter made a motion that the following people be moved to the waitlist: Keith Dumont – Newington, CT Jeremy Kawser – Avon, CT Motion was seconded and unanimously approved. Peter made a motion for the Board of Governors to move the following individuals from probationary to full membership: Chantelle Ankerman Arthur Daigle Paul Tortland Treasurer Report Assistant Treasurer Jason Newman reported on behalf of Treasurer Mike Palmer as

follows: total liquid assets of $475,750.28 in various deposit accounts and CD accounts. All bills are paid and we expect large bills for insurance (approximately $17,000) and the safety wall (approximately $40,000 including subs and materials). The Outdoor Range re-grading and parking area project will start Monday 8/24 where we anticipate expenditures of approximately $50,000 next month and perhaps more if all goes well with work and weather. Additionally, there was a very successful work party on 8/16 with 12 members and 2 sons. 40 sheets of plywood were applied to the posts and bands of 2x6 applied to 4 sections. Much fastening still to be done. There will be another work party on Sunday 8/23 from 11am to 2pm or so to remove the old safety wall and pull target stand tubes. Mike will send an e-blast to the membership looking for volunteers. Hearing: The Events at Women on Target Bob asked that the new applicants and non-members leave the meeting in order to discuss certain violations of club rules at the end of the Women on Target event by member Tim Brandt. Bob explained that an investigation was previously held and a report presented to the Board of Governors. The Board of Governors previously had a lengthy discussion with Tim involved. Bob asked Gary to explain the three disciplinary options we have according to the by-laws. A referral was made to the membership for expulsion from the club. Bob asked if there were any Board of Governors that wanted to add anything. None had anything further to say. Tim explained his recollection of the day. Questions were taken from the membership in attendance. Bob explained how the vote would work. Bob called for a vote for expulsion of Tim Brandt from the club and the count was verified as follows: 27 in favor, 2 opposed, 3 abstentions. With the vote cast, Tim Brandt was expelled from the club. Bob notified Tim of the decision. Building and Grounds Report: Director Kevin Jackson reported projects completed: range signs installed, replaced storage room lockset, fixed broken soap dispenser (Ladies Room), replaced light bulbs (Hallway), weeded and mulched clubhouse entry. Met with Mowing and Cleaning Contractors to establish current duties and explain expected standards (trim, cleaning of indoor range, cleanliness). Projected Projects: water spigot, toilets, updated signage & labeling, tractor repair, Metacon sign, and dumpster location.

Director / Governor Reports: Juniors Director Andrew Davenport reported that we had a good turnout for our last

outdoor practice of the year last week. The outdoor season is almost over. The pumpkin match at Bell City is coming up. Lily Davenport was invited to attend an advanced 3P clinic hosted by the Stratford Police Activities League. It was an excellent week long clinic which took place in Stratford and was coached by the Coast Guard rifle coach. Last month two of our juniors competed at the Conventional Smallbore Prone Championship in Bristol, Indiana. Kayley Pasko shot great in her first trip to the national championship and was 1st sub-junior. Lily Davenport shot well but didn’t achieve her goal of beating her brother Elias. She was on the Connecticut State team that took first place for iron sights in the team matches. June Shew reported for Friends of Metacon (FOM). The last FOM on July 25, 2015 had 29 outside participants (collected $290) This program continues to be enormously popular and a monthly reminder for volunteers will be in the Newsletter. Presently we have a number system. All entries or groups of two or three entries (max) receive a number when they sign in. If our entry is large, we limit the shooting time in each port so all the entries get a chance to shoot without having to wait for a long period of time. As ports, instructors or coaches become available we recycle earlier numbered entries. So far this system has worked reasonably well. The next FOM is August 22, 2015. FOM is held the 4th Saturday of every month from 6PM to 10PM. The cost is $10 for non-members. Ammunition is available and is reimbursed. There is no fee for members. We offer the following for safety: Each participant shows a photo ID and signs

a waiver of liability. Ear and eye protection provided at no cost. A qualified instructor or coach will review

basic range rules and accompany and mentor a participant while shooting on the range.

Protected gun table which is managed by a member of FOM who oversees a collection of handguns of various calibers.

The firearms are loaned by the instructors and coaches present at the shoot.

The firearms are available for use at no charge by both non-members and members.

The instructor or coach will explain each firearm, how it functions and determine whether a participant is experienced enough to shoot a particular gun.

This is a great way for an applicant to become acquainted with the club and some of its members. Factory ammo is allowed to be brought in but no reloads. Class III Director Mike D’Angelo gave a description of Class III events and reported

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Meeting Notes by Craig Trujillo

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http://www.metacongunclub.com�

Metacon Gun Club, Inc. PO Box 691 Simsbury, CT 06070

FIRST CLASS MAIL

Eye on Politics by John Buckley

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Ramping Up

The Connecticut Anti-Second Amendment (2A) people are meeting on October 3, 2015 with national leaders of like organizations in New Haven to re-double their efforts to enact more control. The next thing is Municipal elections throughout the state on Tuesday, November 3rd. Not too long after the holidays are behind the Connecticut State Legislature will be in session ready to try and come after us with more gun control in many forms. Therefore, we should be ramping up our efforts to thwart the “anti’s”. We all need to get in the game in some capacity for pro 2A candidates at all levels. Donating money helps but all campaigns need volunteers. There are jobs for every skill and comfort level. Just showing support for someone who is willing to stand up for us is huge! The municipal leaders often aspire to higher positions where they can really help us. Daily discussions with family, friends and co-workers about pro 2A issues can be done pretty much 24/7. Forget all of the statistics, it is as simple as saying people have the right not to be a victim of threat or crime. Let’s all hit it hard after Labor Day!

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that the match on August 16, 2015 had 17 participants. Matches are generally the 3rd Sunday of the month with the exception of the June match which is the 4th Sunday of the month. Rifle director Vlad Mashkovich reported that there was a 3 gun match last month with 20 participants having great fun. All matches for the next two months have been suspended until the work is done on the outdoor range. Handgun Director Jeff Moores was absent and Andrew Davenport read the following Bullseye report on behalf of Jeff: As of Aug 4th, there were 14 shooters signed up for Summer Bullseye There is no match on Aug 18th, as it conflicts with SWAT, and after SWAT the outdoor range is closed for construction. The final match was Tuesday, Aug 11th. Winter Bullseye will begin in September. However, the start date hasn't been confirmed yet. Please drop me an email if you would like to be notified, and aren't currently on Mark Jurras' list, or contact Mark directly at mjurras@yahoo.com. Thanks to all who participated and helped.

(Con nued from page 5) Archery Director Bob Roberge was absent and no report given. Bob Margolis requested that content for the newsletter be sent to Rick Garay. Gary reminded everyone that the steel at the 100 yard markers have been removed given the work being done on the range. Bob Margolis mentioned that at last month’s meeting, Bob Sunday came in to give his resignation due to health issues and three days after, he passed away. Bob asked for suggestions on how to honor Bob Sunday. Unfinished Business: Bob introduced Kevin Jackson as the new Building & Grounds Director. New Business: There was a request for comfort height toilets with elongated bowl. Referred to Buildings & Grounds Calendar request for 2015/2016 Winter Bullseye. Bob mentioned that it would be referred to the Board for approval. Bob Margolis asked for a motion to adjourn at 8:45PM. Motion made and passed. Jason D. Newman, on behalf of Craig Trujillo

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Meeting

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