Newsletter Archives for the V.G.C.A.
V.G.C.A NEWS NOVEMBER-DECEMBER '00
This Month's Topics:
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Dues. This Newsletter starts off with something new this time. Annual dues are due to be paid at the due date in January. If you want to pay your $20 00 at the meeting in December or send your check to Ed Costello before the due date comes due, feel free to do that as soon as possible because your dues does more for the VGCA when it is deposited early than dues does when deposited later.
October Meeting and Program. Anybody who missed this meeting missed a most memorable event. The auditorium seats slightly less than 200. Every seat was filled, and there were more people standing than ever before. I stopped counting at 225, and there were more than that. In addition, about 50 people were turned away by the NRA Security Guard because he took it upon himself to determine that we were overfilled according to the fire laws. We have been assured that it will not happen again. This was the last joint NRA Museum-VGCA meeting of the year and, in my opinion, it stands alone.
Why do I say what I said? It started with The Pledge of Allegiance. More than 200 loud voices in unison “pledging allegiance to the flag of the United States of America” gave me goose bumps and choked me up. I know that I am not alone in those feelings. Other attendees said the same.
Jim Land, who is Secretary to the NRA, presented the program. He was born in Nebraska, set seven National Shooting records, attended a one-room schoolhouse, and graduated from a high school with 54 students. A career Marine Corps officer, Jun was in charge of the USMC Marksmanship Program and started the Scout-Sniper School in Hawaii He gracefully accepted Honorary Life Membership in the VGCA.
Jim displayed a number of military sniper rifles and pieces of equipment and traced the history of sniping in the U S military services His display included a Springfield 1903 with a Warner-Swasey scope, a USMC 1903A1 with a Unertil scope used in WWII, a 1903A4, a M1C, a MID, and modern-day military sniper rifles. Production of the newest military sniper model, the M40A3 with a 10-power Unertil scope, goes into production in February 200l. It will have a bipod, adjustable cheekpiece, and be capable of one-half minutes of angle at 100 yards. That equates to 5 inches at 1,000 yards! Wow!!
Revised Bylaws and Articles. A short business meeting was held after the program, and the ballots were counted. Ninety-two ballots were either mailed in or brought to the meeting. The vote was 88 to 4 in favor of adoption.
Show and Tell. Because of the late hour, this portion of the meeting was informal after the meeting, although some people saw the stuff before the meeting. Bill Edwards had a sniper rifle that was assembled sometime between 1860 and 1865. Based on its features, it was probably a Remington. Moe Phillips had a couple of antique rifles, and Young Addison and Vernon Cochrane had modern military rifles.
The Next Meeting. The program will be presented by Phil Schrcier. The subject is the Rifles of Teddy Roosevelt, so bring your big-bore rifles for Show and Tell
New Members. Five new members were welcomed to our
Association. They are Harry Andree, Dominic Casciano, Elmer Fulkerson,
Russell Grasso, and Charles Pellerin.
Sick Call. Phil Orem recently spent some time in the hospital He is home now and, hopefully doing well. Ed Wages appears to be back in good health. He was active again at the last meeting and is back at work.
Secretary’s Subtleties. Of the four votes against the revised Bylaws and Articles of Incorporation, only two members expressed their reasons. One did not approve of the Executive Committee having the power to disband the VGCA. The other did not like Gun Dealers having priority over members for tables at our gun shows. Neither reason is correct. If the VGCA ever ceases to be, the EXCOM will have to dispose of the assets according to established rules, not somebody’s whim. Dealers do not have a priority for tables. The fact that they were listed first in the categories list does not mean they have precedence over anybody else. In fact, if any table renter doesn’t renew his tables in accordance with the Show Rules, the renter, regardless of who he is, loses his priority for tables at the next VGCA sponsored gun show—and that’s another fact.
Many members are not happy with our gun shows because we have “too many dealers with modern guns. Our shows were supposed to be like the Baltimore show and should still be that way.” Well folks, let me bring you up to date. Right now, the only difference between our show and the Baltimore show is modern pistols and revolvers. Modern military rifles are common at the Baltimore show, and the last show there had some modern hunting rifles. Some dealers who rent space in Baltimore have only 20th Century military arms—and that’s another fact.
President’s Corner. First of all, I want to thank everyone who made the last meeting such a big success. At the same time, please, all who were turned away, accept my apology for what happened. I’ve been told it won’t happen again. I want to also extend my thanks to all who voted in the adoption of the Revised Bylaws and Articles of Incorporation. You showed that you care, and I hope that in all future elections, more of you will care. All elections for Officers and Board members will now, in accordance with the Bylaws, be by mail-in ballot. This will give the many of you who are unable to attend meetings a say in what the Association does and does not do. For those who might argue that if you don’t show up, you don’t know what’s going on, I counter that the Newsletters keep the membership current. What’s really missed are the programs, and I’m sure everyone will agree that they, both the joint programs and ours, have been nothing short of magnificent during the Year 2000.
I am looking forward to 2001 with even more anticipation for even a better year for the VGCA. We have accomplished a great deal in 2000, some of it long overdue. I want everyone to know that none of it could have been done without the support I get from the Officers, members of the Board, advisors, and, last but not least, you.