March-April 2019

ASRPA shooters win big at Nationals

No CA condor coercion on Kaibab

Look who’s selling optics – it’s us!

Growing from the grassroots: AzCDL

BULLET TRAP MAGAZINE March-April 2019

EXECUTIVE BOARD President – Craig Joyner [email protected] Vice President – Noble C. Hathaway [email protected] Secretary - Marci Welton – [email protected] Treasurer - Ed Roberts – [email protected]

LEGISLATIVE Gary Christensen [email protected] 480-225-9454 -Mexico issues - Landis Aden [email protected]

STATE ASSOCIATION SERVICES Northern Area Director - Ron Talbott [email protected] The Arizona State Rifle and Western Area Director - Gerald Brooker [email protected] Pistol Association is the official Central Area Director (Maricopa County) - OPEN state organization of the Southern Area Director (Tucson) - OPEN Women’s Division Director - Carol Ruh – [email protected] (602) 571-3886 National Rifle Association. Membership Secretary – Jeanie Hershey [email protected] ASRPA is also affiliated with Firearms and Equipment Records Manager - Ed Roberts [email protected] Education and Training - Noble C. Hathaway [email protected] the Civilian Marksmanship Marketing - Craig Joyner [email protected] Program, and we support Bullet Trap Editor in Chief – Art Merrill [email protected] many state and national Webmaster – Noble C. Hathaway [email protected] programs and organizations. SHOTGUN ASRPA has been promulgating Shotgun - Larry Welton [email protected] and supporting safe and RIFLE responsible firearm ownership Air Gun – OPEN. Black Powder Cartridge - James Dorrell [email protected]. for more than 100 years. We Cast Bullet - Daniel Walliser [email protected]. High Power Rifle - Allan Rosenthal linearfinewoodworking.com. offer diverse competitions, Junior Highpower Team – Quang Nguyen [email protected]. firearms training and personal Junior Marksmanship - Brett Schomaker – [email protected]. Lever Rifle Silhouette - Jeanie Hershey [email protected] protection programs, and Vintage and Specialty Matches - Tony Montanarella – [email protected]. engage in legislative efforts to Practical/Action Rifle – OPEN. defend our Second Rifle Silhouette - Joy Cox – [email protected]. Smallbore Rifle - Mick Walker – [email protected]. Amendment civil rights. We .22 Black Powder Cartridge - James Dorrell [email protected] believe every responsible PISTOL Arizonan should be a member Bullseye Pistol - Phillip Meyers [email protected]. of ASRPA and we urge you to Practical Pistol – James Walliser [email protected]. join and volunteer as an Pistol Silhouette Pistol – Zachary Groves [email protected]. instructor, coach or range NRA AND CMP CONTACTS safety officer. CMP Liaison - Michael Jurczak [email protected] NRA/ILA Field Rep. - Keeley Hopkins [email protected] Email is most highly recommended to NRA Campaign Field Rep. - Robert Messenger [email protected] assure a rapid response. Post all hard copy membership correspondence, including membership verification, membership cards, reporting the death of a member, etc. to: ASRPA Membership PO Box 74424 Phoenix, AZ 85087

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"It is not only what we do, but also what we do not do, for which we are accountable." In this issue ― Moliere

Accountables:

Editor-in-Chief Art Merrill

Graphics and Production Manager Eugene Berman

Media and Public Relations Cheryl Todd

Contributors Noble C. Hathaway, Charles Heller, Jeanie Editor’s brief 2 Hershey, Steve Killingsworth, Quang You know something – give it up! Nguyen, your name here in the next issue! Disciplinary action 3 ASRPA pistoleers, by Steve Killingsworth All handloading and other technical data Scorpions excel at Nationals, by Quang Nguyen are those of the authors and have not High places, by Jeanie Hershey been tested or verified by ASRPA. Because of the many variables in your reloading equipment and technique, in your firearm Legislation 9 and in your local environment you may AZGFD’s unusual unleaded alliance for condors experience other results, including some AzCDL: Arizona’s grassroots activism works which may be unsafe. ASRPA, Bullet Trap and its editorial staff disclaim all liability for any damage, injury or other Education & Training Division 13 consequences resulting from utilizing New Vintage director & selling glass technical data reported here. Always practice safe firearm handling and adhere to accepted safe procedures when Gun Club 82 14 handloading, including cross-referencing Shooting range as go-to destination? Have a cigar. and double checking load data.

Bullet Trap © is a publication of the Submission guidelines 15 Arizona State Rifle and Pistol Association How to do it for the benefit of its members. All rights reserved. Write to First Leather by Art Merrill 16 [email protected] for Happy 504th to the “unadvised shooting” permission to reprint material.

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Share what you know in the new Bullet Trap e-zine!

Here in this second issue of Bullet Trap with my Though Bullet Trap is upgraded from a newsletter to hand on the tiller, my own writing appears again in the a magazine format, we’re not stopping here. Our next goal is various departments as example and encouragement for to upgrade further to a flipbook. Several factors prompt the you, though it bruises my considerable humility to be so decision for improvement. prevalent in these e-pages. Your own contribution is essential to ensure Bullet Trap is a well-rounded Number one is the need to keep up with the times representation of ASRPA. while doing so for as little outlay of capital as possible. Bullet Trap went to an electronic format because there are Participate! Write an article that broadly covers no costs associated with printing, transportation and the history, firearms, targets and courses of fire of your delivery. We’ve evolved from a newsletter to a magazine favorite discipline. Articles of particular interest are those because the electronic platform is more viable than ever; that describe the features and history of firearms and because the size of our Association and our many activities cartridges used in your discipline or of your particular warrants it; and because a professional publication brings interest. Got an easier/better way of doing things? A quick greater credibility to ASRPA and to our mission. A flipbook fix? Write a how-to. Found something cool & new or old & will greatly enhance the latter, especially. forgotten? Write a review. Know how to cast bullets, shoot a flintlock, find parts for old guns? What’s the most In transforming the Bullet Trap from a newsletter to unusual cartridge in your collection? You know stuff – let an e-zine we’ve encountered some technical issues that others benefit from your knowledge and experience. have prevented publication from September, 2018 until now. This was no fault of the members who took the time to Pen an opinion-editorial on the changes or submit photos and write discipline reports and other articles direction of your shooting sports discipline. Do you like the for BT, so to honor their efforts we’re publishing their work changes? Where are they leading? What about ASRPA – here, though it be a bit dated. We may experience another how are we doing? Should we be doing something more or speed bump or two as we continue the transformation to different or better? How do you feel about the state of make Bullet Trap your user friendly go-to for information on hunting, shooting sports and firearms legislation in your Association and the shooting sports in Arizona, but Arizona? we’ll endeavor to ensure bimonthly publication is timely from this point onward. For our First Leather closing article, share an anecdote about your experiences shooting or hunting, or Many sincere thanks to Shonie De La Rosa who share some fascinating firearms related history you’ve volunteered uncounted hours of personal creativity and IT discovered. Do you know a youngster who’d like to write expertise to benefit Bullet Trap and ASRPA in the recent or photograph on a shooting sports subject? Here’s a great past. Every member like Shonie who volunteers their time opportunity for a young person’s journalism or creative and talent to ASRPA helps make our organization more writing to see publication. viable and effective.

Whatever your specific interests in our sport, they Welcome aboard to Shonie’s relief, Eugene Berman, are certainly of interest to many other members. Again, a dedicated ASRPA member who assumes the duties of I’ve sprinkled my own examples throughout another issue Bullet Trap Digital Wizard to help make your new flipbook e- of Bullet Trap to encourage you. Bullet Trap is our vehicle zine an enjoyable, informative and easy-to-use additional for members to communicate with each other; in doing so, benefit to your ASRPA membership. these pages will come to illustrate who we are as an organization of individuals. Art Merrill Editor in Chief Submission guidelines appear within; please follow them and email your story and photos to: [email protected].

BULLET TRAP MAGAZINE March-April 2019 PG 3 ______Disciplinary actions Reports and match results from among ASRPA’s various shooting sports disciplines.

ASRPA Pistol Team returns Oglethorpe National Trophy to Arizona by CDR Steve Killingsworth, USN (Ret)

It’s widely known that our great state of Arizona is home to many of the best shooters in the nation, and in the world. And once again, as it has several times in the past, the Arizona State Rifle and Pistol Association Pistol Team proved its shooting prowess at the 2018 National Pistol Championship Matches in July at historic Camp Perry, Ohio, on the sunny, warm, breezy south shore of Lake Erie.

Named for Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry who built, armed, and sailed from those shores a small but powerful squadron of warships to engage and defeat a British enemy in the hard-fought and decisive Battle of Lake Erie in 1813, Camp Perry has been home to the National Matches since 1907.

Five days of NRA Camp Perry’s National Pistol Championship Matches comprise a total of seven days of competition. The NRA conducts five days of individual and team matches in .22, Centerfire, and .45 caliber, followed by two days of tough Service Pistol Excellence-in-Competition (EIC), President’s Hundred, National Trophy Individual (NTI), .22 Distinguished Rimfire EIC, and National Trophy Team (NTT) Matches conducted by the Civilian Marksmanship Program (CMP). The sport, formerly known as Conventional Outdoor Pistol and now called Precision Pistol, will always be known to the competitors as Bullseye. All firing is one-handed and includes slow fire at an eight-inch bull at 50 yards, plus timed and rapid fire on turning targets under fast, demanding time constraints at 25 yards. This is a challenging game that will hone your fundamental shooting skills to a higher degree for virtually any other rifle or pistol sport.

The ASRPA Pistol Team went to Perry with classifications from Marksman to Master; competitors are David Bagesse, Tim Copley and NRA Action Pistol/ Bianchi Cup (Production Division) National Champion Kyle Schmidt, all from Gilbert; Eugene Berman and myself (a past California International Centerfire State ASRPA’s Pistol Team is (L-R) Tim Copley, David Bagesse, Steve Killingsworth, Kyle Schmidt, and Eugene Berman. Photo courtesy Steve Killingsworth

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Pistol cont’d time President’s Hundred shooter. Kyle also earned 18 leg points toward his Distinguished Pistol badge, and Champion), both of Fountain Hills; and multiple action was the high shooter with a Springfield XD. I earned my shooting sport National and World Champion Rob seventh President’s Hundred Medal, placing 40th of 100 Leatham of Mesa. with my Rock River Arms 1911 .45, and the Elihu Root Medal for Captain and Coach of Highest Scoring Civilian We assembled a formidable team, which I Team. captained and coached, to compete in the tough State Association Sharpshooter Class for the five days of the The Camp Perry experience left an impression NRA matches. Through teamwork and strong focus on on all the ASRPA Team members, from initially shooting fundamentals, we took Second Place crumbling to match nerves only to come back strong the Sharpshooter Class State Association Team in both next day, to improving one’s hold and concentration and Centerfire and .45 Caliber Matches. Excellent scores fired thus one’s scores throughout the week. We shot by David Bagesse with his Hammerli Exesse Sport, Tim alongside legendary champions, shared in the extremely Copley with his Ruger MK III, Rob Leatham and Kyle helpful nature of fellow Bullseye shooters, and Schmidt with their Springfield XD(M) Service Pistols, and appreciated the colorful history of Perry’s time-honored Eugene Berman with his S&W Model 52 .38 Master, all championship grounds. Most of all, we enjoyed the boosted the team to very respectable team scores in . 22, camaraderie of shooting with several hundred of our Centerfire, and .45. best friends in this famous place we know so well and will journey to again. Two tough days of CMP Those five days of NRA matches provided good Steve and his teammates all train and compete regularly training – and a few humbling lessons - for the two days on the world class bullseye range at Phoenix Rod and of the challenging and prestigious CMP matches that Gun Club. followed, where we were able to tap the skills of three heavy-hitting Arizona champions (who had now ASRPA Team Member Individual Awards

completed shooting for their sponsor teams) for the John Zurek: toughest-of-the-tough, the CMP National Trophy Team - 2018 NRA National Champion, .22 Caliber Match, score 884-42x Match (NTT). Those shooters, all High Masters, are five- - Selected for 2018 Mayleigh Cup Team time National Champion Steve Reiter of Tucson, multiple- - Citizens’ Military Pistol Trophy for High Civilian Competitor, National Trophy Individual Match (NTI), score 288-11x time Arizona State Champion and Second Place National - Elihu Root Gold Medal for Third Highest Scoring Civilian Competitor Champion John Zurek of Alpine, and multiple-time in National Trophy Team Match (NTT) Arizona, California, and State Champion Tony Silva - Earned his approximately 18th President’s Hundred Medal at of Snowflake. Action pistol champion Kyle Schmidt fired 24th/100 as the new shooter. The bold and colorful Arizona state Steve Reiter: flag stood tall on the range as the team fired well and - Earned his approximately 35th President’s Hundred Medal at posted a score of 1078-23x out of 1200 for Highest Scoring 61st/100 Civilian Team, earning the coveted Oglethorpe Trophy for Arizona for the fourth time in the Trophy’s 57-year Tony Silva: - Earned his 14th President’s Hundred Medal at 48th/100 history. Kyle Schmidt: Individual accomplishments of the ASRPA Team - President’s Hundred High-Scoring Civilian Competition with the members are many (see sidebar). Several shot very good Springfied XD scores in the Service Pistol EIC and the National Trophy - President’s Hundred High-Scoring non-distinguished Civilian Competitor Individual (NTI) Matches, as well as in the .22 - Earned 18 Leg Points toward his Distinguished Pistolshot Badge Distinguished Rimfire EIC. Quite notably, Kyle Schmidt - Earned his first President’s Hundred Medal at 78th/100 earned his first President’s Hundred Medal, shooting 78th out of 100 competitors with his Springfield XD(M) and Steve Killingsworth: - Elihu Root Gold Medal for Coach of Highest Scoring Civilian Team, becoming the highest-scoring non-distinguished, first- National Trophy Team Match (NTT) - Earned his 7th President’s Hundred Medal at 40th/100

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Scorpions win big at Nationals By Quang Nguyen

Shall we get immediately into the business of winning? The Arizona Scorpions Junior High Power Team brought home hardware, specifically 19 of pieces around the necks of our young Juniors, including many national awards.

National Trophy Rifle & National CMP Games Matches President's 100 Match High Juniors Team Captain Kade Jackovich came in Sixth Place, earning his second President’s 100 pin. Aside from being a great shooter, Kade is a sound leader and mentor to our younger, less experienced shooters. He is the anchor of this great Arizona team and we are extremely proud of him. Shortly, the US Army will confirm Kade as a new member of the Army Marksmanship Unit.

National Trophy Individual Match Young Kade Jackovich finished 30th out of 1,007 shooters, taking home the Golden Eagle Trophy for finishing First out of 190 junior competitors. Kade dominated at the national scene with the score of 492-15X.

National Trophy Rifle and National CMP Games Matches Overall High Junior Kade Jackovich shot the highest aggregate score of 1,269-40X – just four points short of the national record - to win the Mountain Man Trophy. Again, Kade fired against 190 other Junior competitors from around the nation to earn the top slot.

National Trophy Junior Team Match aka the Freedom’s Fire For the first time in the history of the Arizona Scorpions, all three teams entered and medaled, and one At Large team also medaled. • Team AZ - Rio Salado with Coach Randy Jackovich and Team Captain Kade Jackovich took Second Place out of 66 teams. Shooters Kade and Donnie Smith fired a score of 961- 23X. • Team AZ - Ben Avery with Coach Myles Gorin and Team Captain Madison Rovelli finished 11th. Shooters Madison Rovelli and Jacob Blackman fired a 943-30X.

The 2018 Arizona Scorpions, (L-R) Noah Fryberger, Madison Rovelli, Kade Jackovich, Jacob Blackman, Donnie Smith, McKenna Beckham, and Albert Rivera. Photo by Randy Jackovich

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Scorpions cont’d

• Team AZ - Arizona State Rifle & Pistol Association with Coach Mark Muraoka and Team Captain McKenna Beckham finished 12th. Shooters McKenna Beckham and Albert Rivera came in just behind Team AZ Ben Avery with the score of 942-22X. • At Large team AZ - MD (Maryland) with Coach Jaden Swartwood and Team Captain Jacob Zdon earned Second Place in this category. Shooters were Noah Fryberger and Jacob Zdon.

National Trophy Rifle Team Match The Scorpions pulled off an amazing Fifth Place win with a young team that brought three first timers to the Nationals stage. “It doesn’t really matter who we bring to the Nationals,” said Head Coach Randy Jockovich, “we know we can compete with the best and we’ll find our way to the top five.”

National Infantry Trophy Team Match aka Rattle Battle The Scorpions entered the 2018 season with 15 national Rattle Battle titles, more than any other junior team in the nation. The current Scorpions six man team, comprised of three veteran shooters and three rookies, finished Fifth in the Junior Division. “It was an uphill challenge,” “said Coach Myles Gorin. “With one rifle having gone down at the start, we weren’t able to square some targets, putting us in a tough spot. We have our ups and downs, but this young team is resilient and every one of us, including the coaches, is bringing home medals for Arizona.” There you have it, 19 medals with awards and prizes for the Scorpions. Seven Juniors came to the 2018 National Trophy Rifle & National CMP Games Matches with their dedicated parents and selfless coaches to achieve at the highest level of competition. We could not be as successful as we have been this year without the support of so many organizations and individuals in all 50 states, including The NRA Foundation, Friends of the NRA, Arizona State Rifle & Pistol Association, Rio Salado Sportsman’s Club, Phoenix Rod & Gun Club, Ben Avery Shooting Facility, and everyone attending Juniors fundraisers who bought a raffle ticket or a meal from us, or simply put a dollar in our donation box. THANK YOU!

I also want to give a shout-out to Christopher Wu and Hi-Lux Optics for their generosity. Chris, the Marketing Director at Hi-Lux Optics, donated six Hi-Lux XTC14X34 rifle scopes to the Scorpions at the February George ’s Birthday Match, ASRPA’s annual fundraiser for the Juniors. Using the Hi-Lux XTCs, several of our Juniors achieved personal high scores, as well as bringing home all that hardware. Great product, Chris!

Quang is Director of the Arizona Junior High Power Program. He reports from Prescott Valley.

Hi-Lux Precision Optics donated a half- dozen of the company’s new XTC1-4X34 rifle scopes to the Arizona Scorpions Juniors Team. The scope is the first one built from the ground up specifically for High Power competition that includes a parallax adjustment as well as other features competitors need. New rules in 2016 and 2018 now permit optics on Service Rifles. Photo courtesy Art Merrill BULLET TRAP MAGAZINE March-April 2019 PG 7 ______Disciplinary actions

Arizonans in high places at .22BPCR Nationals By Jeanie Hershey

A record number of shooters competed in the 2018 .22 BPCR (Black Powder Cartridge Rifle) National Championships held at the NRA Whittington Center in Raton, NM July 28-29. This was the first time the championships featured two matches of 60 rounds, rather than 40 rounds, fired on resettable steel targets.

There are two separate championships, one fired with scopes and the other with iron sights, and with targets set at 50, 100, 150 and 200 meters. The assistance of a good spotter is very beneficial, since the shooter cannot see his hits (or misses) at 200 meters, and any little breeze will send the .22 rimfire bullet of the target by feet, not just inches.

Brian Chilson won the Scope Championship with a score of 111 targets. Arizona shooters placed very high with Fred Paxia of Peoria shooting a 98 to win Second Master; Ron Calderon of Tucson placed Sixth Master with a 94; and Joaquin Bustamante of Tucson was Sixth AAA with an 89.

Jack Oder took the Iron Sight Championship with a 101. Chip Mate of Elgin won Second Place overall with a 95, Ron Calderone’s 88 earned him First Master, and Joaquin Bustamante placed 7th AAA with an 80.

John Mullins of Apache Junction won the 3-gun Chip Mate (R) receives his Second Place award and congrats from National Match for the fourth consecutive year at American Single Shot Rifle Association President John Gage (L). the 2018 National Lever Action Rifle Silhouette Photo by Jeanie Hershey. Championships held at the Whittington Center

July 24-27. John won the rifle caliber title, fired on the first two days of the match, beating 164 competitors. I took the High Woman award, while Jacob Shaw of Gilbert won the Sub-Junior class and Chris Spurlock placed 3rd AAA in the aggregate. The Arizona COB team of Mullins, Dan Cates and Eric Sundstrom placed 2nd master. Chris Spurlock, Tim Finley, and I won the AAA team competition, beating 11 other AAA teams.

The Pistol Cartridge Championships on the third day drew 170 shooters. Match Winner was Antonio Lopez of El Paso, TX. Mullins came in 3rd OPEN. Yours truly again earned High Woman, and Jacob again took High Sub-Junior. The Arizona COB team came in 2nd Master.

Cont’d on page 12

BULLET TRAP MAGAZINE March-April 2019 PG 8 ______Disciplinary action ASRPA’s Arizona Defense Match – simple, fun! By Noble C. Hathaway

The ASRPA’s very own Arizona Defense Match (ADM) is the most fun you will have with your rifle...period! The match simulates advancing in unison on a target in the Arizona wilderness with a team of riflemen and women. The course of fire consists of a total of 60 shots fired from the 300, 200, and 100 yard line with two 10-shot strings fired at each distance in the prone position. The match requires some preparation at home, so each participant gets a digital ADM Manual that explains rules, safety, times, stages, etc. All you need are the basics:

1. A backpack to carry all your loaded ammo, water, or other accessories; it must be big and firm enough to utilize as a prone rifle rest. Alternatively, you may carry a shooting mat with your pack. 2. A rifle with a sling that permits you to carry or transport the rifle from stage to stage with muzzle UP. Any optics you want will do.

3. A minimum of six magazines preloaded with 10 rounds each.

Simple? Absolutely. Fun? You bet. But the Arizona Defense Match is also about preparedness, about knowing your AR-15 and becoming familiar with utilizing it in the event of emergency to defend yourself, your loved ones and your community. But nobody said training can’t be fun, too.

The great thing about the Arizona Defense Match is that, even though the course of fire is simple, everyone will find some aspect challenging and another easy, no matter what your level of experience in competition or with the AR-15 modern sporting rifle. We schedule several matches each year, so watch the Bullet Trap – and your email box – for announcements on forthcoming events. All competitors must pre-register and must show up on time the morning of the match for mandatory briefs on safety and match operating procedures. We conduct the ADMs at the Ben Avery Shooting Facility and typically conclude them before noon, so they don’t take up your entire day off.

If you’ve been looking for a game that emphasizes fun, camaraderie and Joe Citizen marksmanship rather than dogmatic dedication and a large outlay of cash for gear and ammo, the Arizona Defense Match is for you. And for the wood & steel curmudgeon, an ADM for the M1 Garand is a possibility in 2019. Stay tuned!

The next ADM is Saturday, March 9, at the Ben Avery Shooting Facility High Power range in Phoenix. Be there at 7am. Cost is $26 for ARSPA members and $32 for guests; you can pre-register here.

Contact Match Coordinator Noble C. Hathaway at Smiles form ADM shooters prove training can be fun. [email protected]. Photo courtesy Noble C. Hathaway BULLET TRAP MAGAZINE March-April 2019 PG 9 ______Legislation AZGFD joins non-profits for lead-free ammo By Art Merrill

AZGFD attributes half of all California condor deaths in Arizona to lead poisoning. AZGFD photo by George Andrejko

In an unusual alliance, Arizona Game & Fish Department has joined the North American Non-Lead Partnership to expand its efforts in promoting hunters’ voluntary use of lead-free ammunition. The state wildlife management agencies of Utah and Oregon have also joined the Partnership formed in 2017 by three organizations not involved in recreational hunting or state-level wildlife management - the Oregon Zoo, The Peregrine Fund and the Institute for Wildlife Studies.

“The Arizona Game and Fish Department is committed to conserving and protecting Arizona’s diverse wildlife, which is why we are lending our support to the North American Non-Lead Partnership,” AZGFD Assistant Director for Wildlife Management Jim deVos said in a 2018 press release. “Our department has placed non-lead ammunition into the hands of our hunters and worked to inform the public to consider switching to non-lead ammunition to better protect our wildlife and human health.”

DeVos was referring to a past AZGFD practice of giving away certificates for a free box of non-lead rifle ammunition to hunters successful in big game draws on the . The basis for the push to non-lead ammo is the lead poisoning suffered by endangered California condors when they ingest bullet lead in the deer and elk gut piles left behind by hunters. The scavengers are also present in Utah and California; the latter state first forced an outright ban on lead hunting ammo in condor country, and has continued to expand the ban in phases so that by 2019 it will be illegal to hunt any bird or mammal anywhere in California with lead ammunition.

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Lead-free cont’d The Institute for Wildlife Studies is a California-based 501(c)3 non-profit organization In contrast, AZGFD opted to promote a focused on science-based field research, mostly in voluntary ban by presenting the wildlife biologists’ California; an online search turned up no references to findings to hunters and requesting they either use non- the Institute engaged in lawsuits aimed at restricting lead ammunition or remove gut piles for disposal hunting. elsewhere. AZGFD California Condor Coordinator Allen Zufelt said that, since 2008, more than 88 percent of The Peregrine Fund, a non-profit located in hunters responding to surveys participate in Arizona’s Boise, , engages in raptor breeding programs and lead reduction program. education, which helped recover peregrine populations sufficiently for the bird to be removed “This number is a combination of hunters from the Endangered Species List in 1999. Information shooting non-lead ammunition (69%), hunters removing from their website says the organization’s method is their gut piles from the field and disposing (17%), and to promote cooperation, which builds “skills, hunters who shot the animal in the head or neck (1.3%),” expertise, understanding and pride among local Zufelt said in an email exchange with Bullet Trap. people who live among threatened birds of prey.”

Estimating 50 pounds per gut pile, Zufelt said Support for the Oregon Zoo in Portland comes hunters using lead ammunition have removed 29 tons of from contributions, zoo admissions and volunteers, lead contaminated viscera that might have been and from the Oregon Zoo Foundation. The zoo consumed by scavengers, while hunters using non-lead features a condor exhibit. The Foundation’s 2013- ammunition created 114 tons of clean food for 2014 annual budget report, the most recent available scavengers like the condors. online, lists nearly $1.9 million spent in support of “the zoo’s condor recovery efforts, 2000-2014.” “That is the beauty of this partnership and our program,” Zufelt said. “An individual who shoots a lead The Arizona branch of the National Wild bullet can still participate in this lead reduction by Turkey Federation (NWTF) has also joined the bringing out the entire animal, including the gut pile, Partnership, donating $1,000 in 2018. “Given the very where the lead fragmentation has occurred. small amounts of lead that can result in the death of condors, we felt it was a good choice and hope other “The Partnership champions and utilizes the conservation groups such as the Arizona State Rifle North American Model of Wildlife Management and and Pistol Association will also consider the merits of puts individuals and agencies into a position of this effort,” NWTF District Biologist Scott Lerich said in conserving wildlife through our own choices which we an email. make,” Zufelt said. “Utilizing our hunting rights and heritage while simultaneously doing conservation is a Though not members of the Partnership, the win-win.” Arizona Antelope Foundation, Arizona Deer Association, Arizona Desert Bighorn Sheep Society and The basic principles of the North American Arizona Elk Society also promote the voluntary use of Model of Wildlife Conservation are that wildlife is for the non-lead bullets when hunting in condor country. non-commercial use of citizens, and that wildlife populations should be managed so that they are sustained indefinitely at optimum levels. Asked if Cooperation by Arizona Arizona hunters’ 88 percent participation rate is enough hunters works about as to meet that goal for the California condor, Zufelt said well as California’s coercive approach to biologists don’t yet know how much lead hunters can protecting endangered put into the environment and still reduce condor condors. mortality rates. He said about half the condors found dead in Arizona died of lead poisoning. AZGFD photo by George Andrejko

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AzCDL: Grassroots civil rights activism that works By Charles Heller

Arizona has a reputation as the state most supportive of the civil right to keep and bear arms. Since territorial days, open carry has always been legal and, for the most part, unremarkable to the public. But there is a deeper story to tell. About 1968, infringements on that right began with Arizona’s first concealed weapon (CCW) statute. No longer could one carry discretely upon his person or in his car. More infringements followed, led by the city of Tucson’s increased flaunting of state preemption laws on the regulation of firearms. (“Hey, we’re a charter city – we can do as we please…”) We got that fixed in 2017.

Over the years, various groups tried to combat the creeping erosion of our civil rights, but some Arizona Supreme and Appellate Court decisions went against us; you can read them at https://www.azcdl.org/html/educational.html. Individual activists went up against the system and lost, leaving bad precedents named after them.

Fortunes began to change in1994 when certain legislators recognized the stated purpose of government in Article 2, Section 2 of the US Constitution - “All political power is inherent in the people, and governments derive their just powers from the consent of the governed, and are established to protect and maintain individual rights” – and we began to claw our way back. That CCW permit acted as a stepping-stone to what Arizona Civil Defense League (AzCDL) would eventually accomplish in 2010 with Constitutional Carry.

AzCDL formed in 2005 when four activists felt the need for a unified voice to defend Arizona’s right to keep and bear arms, spelled out in Article 2, Section 26 of the Arizona Constitution: “The right of the individual citizen to bear arms in defense of himself or the State shall not be impaired…” The four of us each threw in $300 and we ordered banners, business cards, and bumper stickers announcing the new self-defense civil rights lobby. We worked the tables at gun shows, with the Tucson contingent driving to Phoenix many times to volunteer. Our President and VP became full time volunteer lobbyists, and that first year we racked up several changes to laws that started to beat back infringements.

In 2006 we got the state legislature to enhance the Castle Doctrine. We also influenced adoption of the “Presumption of Regularity” of the victim of a violent crime when they used force in self-defense, which means if you must use force to thwart certain enumerated crimes, the law presumes you to have acted reasonably. That law is ARS 13-419, and its adoption prompted the Second Amendment Foundation to recognize AzCDL as the most effective grass roots organization in the nation. We earned that recognition a second time in 2010 for our work in the legislature that resulted in Constitutional Carry.

Arizona Civil Defense League puts members directly into contact with state legislators with just a few clicks of the computer

mouse. The watchdog organization monitors pending legislative bills that impact Second Amendment civil rights, then alerts members via email when action is needed. The email includes a link to an AzCDL-prepared letter to legislators supporting or opposing the legislation. Members can submit the prepared letter as-is or add their own comments. AzCDL will also include a link for members to Request To Speak (RTS) on a bill under discussion; the RTS becomes an official record of public comment, while the individual does not have to be present to speak to the assembly in person. AzCDL makes it extremely simple for Arizonans to weigh in with legislators on protecting our civil rights. -Editor. BULLET TRAP MAGAZINE March-April 2019 PG 12 ______

AzCDL cont’d High places cont’d from pg. 7

Today our civil rights at the state level still We fired Smallbore Rifle the fourth day, with 171 face severe threats. Last year we defeated a potential shooters; Mark Sternglanz of Ft. Worth, TX was Match violation of our 4th Amendment rights in the form of Winner. Mullins placed 2nd Master, Jacob won Hi Sub- “STOP Orders,” a legal mechanism that would Junior again, plus 3rd A. Arizona COB placed 2nd OPEN confiscate the guns of people, without due process, in the team event, and Spurlock, Finley and myself whom law enforcement deems might be violent. We placed 3rd AAA in a field of 14 AAA teams. also still face a threat from the phony “background check” scam, an attempt to ban private sales of lawful For the first time ever an “Outstanding Sportsmanship property and to register all guns. in Silhouette” award was presented “for playing fair, following the rules of the game, respecting the The struggle to retain and regain our Constitutional judgment of referees and officials, treating opponents rights is ongoing. It’s a great mistake to think that we with respect, and setting the standard for good can win one epic victory and then retire to our TV sets sportsmanship amongst the competition community.” to watch our favorite entertainment channel. Recipient of this award is 12 year old Jacob Shaw. Defending our rights is a never ending saga, and one in which you can participate by joining us at For the rifle caliber, young Jacob shoots a Henry 30-30, https://www.azcdl.org. for Pistol Cartridge Rifle he shoots a Henry .22Mag, and for Smallbore he shoots a Henry .22LR. Charles is the Communications Coordinator at AzCDL; he writes from Tucson. You can hear his Liberty Watch Jeanie writes from Phoenix. Radio broadcasts at www.kvoi.com/live-stream/ and KVOI 1030 AM.

John Mullins earned plenty of Silhouette awards Jacob Shaw brought home four of his own awards, three in the Sub-Junior last year, including his fourth consecutive class and the first “Outstanding Sportsmanship in Silhouette” award ever national title. Photo courtesy Jeanie Hershey. presented. Photo courtesy Jeanie Hershey. BULLET TRAP MAGAZINE March-April 2019 PG 13 ______Education & Training

ASRPA E&T Division deals in optics, finds Vintage director By Noble C. Hathaway

Your ASRPA Education and Training Division is We are also very pleased to announce we now a full-fledged dealer for Leatherwood/Hi-Lux have found an individual we believe will bring ASRPA Optics, and purchasing these products through ASRPA increased participation in vintage military rifle helps support our many training programs. matches similar to CMP’s Vintage Military Rifle, Vintage Military Sniper Rifle and M1 Garand games, If you’re interested in CMP-style games like the as well as some outside-the-box events all across Vintage Military Sniper Matches, or if you want a scope Arizona. ASRPA member David Geyer has accepted for your black powder cartridge rifle, Leatherwood/Hi the position of Vintage and Specialty Match Division Lux Optics has a good line of period correct Director. reproductions for the WWII M1903A4 and M1941 Springfield sniper rifles, M1C and M1D Garand snipers, David has assembled a good staff which is and Sharps rifles. working on setting up some dates and matches for 2019. Watch Bullet Trap for information on those I started using Hi-Lux products many years ago, upcoming events. and after having an original Leatherwood ART scope in the ‘70’s I was sold on its concept and simplicity. These David Geyer began his shooting career as a scopes were some of the first modern sniper scopes junior with the Hellgate Civilian Shooters in Missoula, used in the military and their technology is still just as at the age of eight. He later became Rifle relevant today as ever. I also started using Hi-Lux Red Merit Badge instructor with the Boy Scouts of Dots over 10 years ago in my training company and they America, and then a certified NRA coach with the are still going strong today. Junior rifle program in Bismarck, .

A fairly new product from Hi-Lux is the XTC1- David is an avid supporter of the Civilian 4x34 scope developed with the CMP for use in High Marksmanship Program. Participating in the Western Power “Across the Course” (XTC) competition. It is State Games, Games and Anniston amazing, and I will be supplying a separate article on the Alabama games, he has won numerous matches scope next issue. [An image of the XTC1-4x34 appears within the categories of M1 Garand, M1 Carbine, on Page 6. – Ed.] Modern Military, Vintage Sniper, and Smallbore Telescopic, as well as Three Gun and Four Gun All profits from the sales of these scopes go to aggregates. At Camp Perry he achieved the the ASRPA Education and Training Division which President’s Hundred, Second and Third place in the supports basic safety and marksmanship courses, as well Vintage Sniper matches (semi-auto category), and as supporting Law Enforcement and other organizations shot a perfect score of 300-14x in the Oliver Hazard in need of training – everything from NRA’s Eddie Eagle Perry match. He also served as Team Captain for the to NRA and CMP advanced instruction. We also offer Camp Perry Rattle Battle. and teach our ASRPA proprietary courses which these profits will also help fund. A lifelong shooter and If you need expert advice or actual installation accomplished competitor, of the optic you purchase through ASRPA Education & David Geyer is ASRPA’s Training Division, we know several very experienced and Vintage and Specialty Match knowledgeable gunsmiths. Contact me at Division Director. He lives in [email protected] or (623) 687-4251 for Phoenix, unsurprisingly, more info on pricing and availability. near Ben Avery Shooting Facility.

BULLET TRAP MAGAZINE March-April 2019 PG 14 ______

More than just an indoor range – a travel package destination! Gun Club 82 opens soon in the Valley Courtesy Gun Club 82

A technologically advanced, full service indoor shooting range with every amenity you can think of - and some you may not have – Gun Club 82’s 30,000 square foot facility is still under construction. When finished, Gun Club 82 will feature 24 shooting lanes, a massive firearms retail showroom, a gunsmithing and customization shop, full scale restaurant, exclusive VIP lounge, cigar shop, and more.

Most importantly, each shooting lane on the range will be decked out with proprietary technology that includes methods of working on your shooting skills without paying a costly instructor fee each visit. Of course, Gun Club 82 will have firearms instructors and traditional classes and, naturally, knowledgeable range safety officers will monitor the range. Although the range will be open to the public, various levels of membership are available. With advanced technology being the focus of Buy a new gun, put a few rounds downrange, enjoy lunch and a cigar and leave your its range operations, Gun Club firearm for some custom work, all at Gun Club 82 in Gilbert. Courtesy photo 82 is also primed for law enforcement and other government agency use.

Management is already planning events with some of the most well-known names and companies in the firearms and shooting sports industry. With a facility of this size and capability, every level of shooter and firearms enthusiast can find something exciting to experience. An additional benefit of the restaurant and entertainment spaces are that they invite non-shooting guests to step into the Gun Club 82 facility.

Located snugly between Top Golf and Main Event at 1695 S. Santan Village Parkway in Gilbert, Gun Club 82 is a great addition to what’s quickly becoming a new destination area within the Valley. Nearby hotels and the Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport will facilitate in attracting out-of-town shooters for a fun filled weekend getaway, and Gun Club 82 is already working on package deals within the Gilbert community to be offered on travel websites as “all inclusive” deals.

Gun Club 82 expects to open sometime in 2019. Like the facility, the Gun Club 82 website is still under construction; check in later this year at www.gunclub82.com for more information. BULLET TRAP MAGAZINE March-April 2019 PG 15 ______Down to Bullet Trap business…

Advertise in Bullet Trap Reach a thousand members, who knows how many interested non-members lurking online for a free Bullet Trap, and proudly show your support of our civil rights when you advertise here. We’ll run an image of your business card or similar size ad for only $10 per issue, or a 1/4 page ad for $25, and provide you equivalently more space at similar bargain rates. Email (bottom of page) your wants and your ad image as a medium resolution JPEG. Snail mail your check (yeah, we’re working on that) to: Bullet Trap Advertising, PO Box 74424, Phoenix, AZ 85087.

Resistance is futile Submit! Submit! Submit your feature article, op-ed or letter to the editor! Send as a Word document attached to an email (below). Single-space your text and separate paragraphs with a stroke of the ENTER key; do not indent paragraphs. Make JPEG images medium size files with a 250dpi resolution if at all possible. Payment is a big, “Thank you!” and a fist bump. Please limit feature article submissions to 1400 words and four photos. Any shooting sports related subject is game – competition, hunting, technical, history, product review, how-to. Your opinion-editorial (op-ed) is very welcome. Please opine not more than 600 words and keep in mind that our focus is Arizona, not national level politics. Letters to the Editor longer than 300 words may be edited to fit. Submissions for First Leather, our back page closer, should be 600-1000 words and one JPEG image. Again, shooting sports related, and entertaining. Take your shot at creative writing! For all submissions, include a bio up to 20 words and the place where you live, such as, Art Merrill writes from Prescott because he can’t go shooting due to fire restrictions.

Announcements ASRPA members may announce not-for-profit shooting sports related activities at no charge, up to 1/4 page space provided. Same submission guidelines as above. You may also combine imagery and text on a JPEG and attach to an email.

Send all materials and correspondence to [email protected]. DEADLINE IS THE 15TH DAY OF THE MONTH PRECEDING PUBLICATION

Bullet Trap publishes all material subject to our discretionary review and editing for appropriateness and appearance. BULLET TRAP MAGAZINE March-April 2019 PG 16 ______First Leather

When was the first unintentional discharge? 2019 marks the 504th year of firearms safety rules. Maybe. By Art Merrill

Scorekeeping at an M1 Garand match, I closely watched the shooter, who was only somewhat familiar with his rifle. On the command, “With one round, LOAD!” he shoved a cartridge all the way into the chamber and before I could stop him, let the bolt fly forward full force.

BANG!

The unintentional discharge A wheel lock handgun, from English Pistols and Revolvers, by J.N. George, 1938. The did no harm because he had the earliest known “unadvised shooting” goes back nearly to the beginning of our sport. muzzle properly pointed downrange, but of course it momentarily stopped the match. The Range Safety Officer came over and declared the rifle unsafe.

“No, it slam-fired because he didn’t load properly,” I said. “I saw it.”

The RSO insisted, and with 40 competitors in position and waiting to shoot it was no time to argue, so I handed the shooter my own Garand and quickly explained how to properly single-load the M1.

Maybe it’s happened to you, the unintentional discharge. Hopefully it resulted in nothing more than some embarrassment and a rededication to focusing fully on safety. Too often, however, unintentional discharges lead to injury or tragedy, and we hear about them from time to time. Recently a customer fired an unintentional shot from his handgun inside my friend’s gun shop; fortunately he had pointed his handgun away to the left, resulting only in a bullet lodged in a door and a roomful of heart-stopping consternation. And a new sign: “No Shooting In The Store.”

Without injuries, the sting of embarrassment eventually fades, but for one man, the man credited with being the first person known to commit a tragic “accidental shooting,” the shame outlives him, history having recorded his name. Who was he? How did it happen? What kind of firearm?

Wine, women and…wheel locks? In recently reading The Buccaneers of America (John Esquemeling, c. 1685) I found a brief reference to an English pirate shot in the leg “by the negligence of one of our own men, occasioned by a pistol which went off unadvisedly;” he died a few days later. The pistol may have been a flintlock type, though wheel locks were still around at the time. But the earliest recorded “unadvised” shooting occurred more than a century earlier, and it is the BULLET TRAP MAGAZINE March-April 2019 PG 17 ______

Unintentional cont’d of his error. Doubtless you have your own anecdotes wheel lock we can credit with eliciting the first known, of unintentional discharges to share. “Oops” from a gun handler 500 years ago. In a 1998 Scientific American magazine article, Purdue What all these incidents have in common is University history professor Vernard Foley wrote that unsafe gun handling. We know that Herr Rem is the oldest known recorded such incident occurred in incorrect in reporting that Pfister’s pistol discharged the German town of Constance in the year 1515. In itself; guns do not load and shoot of their own that article Foley refers to an original account written volition - they are deliberately loaded and then made at that time by Wilhelm Rem. to discharge, whether intentionally or “unadvisedly.” And that is why, whether we are competing on the According to Rem, a man named Laux Pfister firing line, training on the range, hunting in the field unintentionally discharged a newfangled wheel lock or unloading our carry gun at home, the first rule of pistol, and it is probable, but not mentioned, that safe firearms handling learned 500 years ago in a alcohol may have been a factor. Pfister had hired a small room at an inn remains, “Always keep the lady of the evening at an inn, and “when she was with muzzle pointed in a safe direction.” him in a little room, he took up a loaded gun in his hand, the lock of which functioned in such a way that Art writes from Prescott, where he’s been a when the firing mechanism was pressed, it ignited journalist for more than 20 years. itself and so discharged the piece,” Rem wrote.

The ball – typically .50 to .75 caliber in those Historian, soldier days – struck the unfortunate woman in the chin. She survived but the injury apparently disfigured her John N. George, whose illustration of a matchlock which, a judge agreed, negatively affected her pistol appears with this article, published English professional income. In an outcome not unlike what Pistols & Revolvers, An Historical Outline of the we might see today, the judge not only held Pfister Development and Design of English Hand Firearms liable for the woman’s medical bills, he also ordered from the Seventeenth Century to the Present Day in Pfister to pay her a fixed income the rest of her life. 1938. The book also saw publication here in the US, and George earned success among collectors as a Old or new, still deadly respected firearms historian. The book is still a The percussion lock, though now nearing its firearms historical landmark, though out of print. 200th birthday, was involved in a tragic unintentional discharge in Prescott about 20 years ago. A man While a careful documenter of English handguns with handling the muzzleloader in (if memory serves) an an excellent eye for detail, George was, however, a antique store unintentionally fired it. The .45 caliber product of his culture, and he opposed the idea of ball first passed through a water cooler before striking citizens owning handguns he called “pocket pistols.” the man’s friend in the side; the friend later died at In closing his book, George called them, “the weapon the hospital. How the muzzleloader came to be of the petty criminal” and “the plaything of the loaded and capped, I never learned. spurious pistol enthusiast, or firearms fool.” He felt the pocket pistol should “pass into oblivion without Then there was the guy who put his bird dog regret” because it had “outlived its usefulness in the in the back seat of his car with a loaded shotgun. majority of civilized communities.” When they got to their hunting ground the man opened the car rear door and the excited dog stepped George was among the first of his country’s on the shotgun’s trigger, shooting the hunter. At my volunteers at the opening of WWII, enlisting as a local gun club range some years back a man shot private in the British Army. He was seriously wounded himself through the hand with his semiauto pistol at Dunkirk; after recovering, George went to Africa while adjusting the rail-mounted laser sight. I had a with the Queen’s Own West Kent Regiment as a Lance family member who also unintentionally shot himself Corporal, where he was killed in action in 1942. NRA’s through the hand while unloading a semiauto .22 American Rifleman ran his obituary in August, 1943. rifle; he left the bullet hole in the ceiling as a reminder