FLSC NEW ALPHA Outline

Fenton, Michigan                                                                                                                   April 2024 

 IN THIS ISSUE

·       From the President
·       Calling All Members!
·       April Activities
·       Steel Challenge vs. Cowboy Action Shooting
·       Sporting Clays
·       PPC Match and Banquet
·       3D Archery
·       Range Rule Highlight
·       Training Room Renovation
·       Legal Notes
·       Self-Defense Class

 

FROM THE PRESIDENT

Hello FLCS and welcome to April. There is much to cover in this month’s newsletter. 

Sadly, we start with a loss to the club. My predecessor Daniel DiRienzo Jr. passed away on March 24th. Daniel was very involved in the club for many, many years. He served multiple terms as club president and was our lead firearms instructor on two occasions. Daniel was well known for his commitment to teaching firearms safety and training as well as his joy of participating in the shooting sports. When I took over from Daniel as president, I knew I had some big shoes to fill but he had always been there as an ear I could bend when I needed it. I’ll miss his jokes and his insight greatly. You can find information about services at the following link. https://www.sharpfuneralhomes.com/obituaries/daniel-dirienzo-jr 

Last month was the annual Fenton Lakes Sportsman’s Club PPC match and I am happy to say it was once again a success. We have details below but thanks once again to all the volunteers that make this event run so well every year and of course many thanks to all the shooters who came out! 

Speaking of volunteers, did you see the email about us looking for you to help out? We are looking to build up a roster of individuals that would be interested in becoming more involved in the operations of Fenton Lakes Sportsman’s Club. This is focused on the area of the Officers and Board of Directors but also in many areas of management around the club. Currently we have a need for an outdoor range manager, and we are looking for help with the club website. If you want to become more involved reach to me at ClubPresident@fentonlakes.com. 

The FLSC Education Classes are back starting this month! It’s been a bit we know, and we thank you for your patience. New Gun Owner, Personal Protection in the Home (CPL) and Range Safety Officer training are all on the schedule this month with another Self Defense Class coming the first part of next month. Details are below as well on the club website. 

On top of all that, Cowboy Action, the Steel Challenge, and the Junior Small Bore Rifle CMP programs all kick off this month. 

One more note before I let you move on to the great information in the rest of this month’s newsletter to pass along. Please make sure you are signing yourself and your guests when using the ranges. Make sure you have your guests fill out the indemnification forms and all guest fees are paid.

As alwyays. Enjoy your club and be safe. 

Regards,
Keith Morris
President – Fenton Lakes Sportsman’s Club
President@fentonlakes.com

 

CALLING ALL MEMBERS!

We are pleased to announce that Bill Tocco has answered our call for the Volunteer Coordinator position!  You can contact him via email to be involved with club projects at  Volunteer@fentonlakes.com. As we explained previously, Bill will be the contact person for all volunteer efforts.

Regarding the training room painting party, we’d like to thank everyone that came out to help. As the saying goes, many hands make light work!

The 3D Archery course Spring spruce-up is scheduled for the fourteenth of this month, so see the article below for details, and plan for a fun day of outdoor work!

On a slightly different note, we are looking for volunteers for the FLSC Board of Directors. The Directors do the planning and decision-making for the Club, and while we currently have a full Board, we need volunteers to provide the Club with the benefit of a wide range of talents, backgrounds, knowledge, and training. 

We have an opening for a managers position as the Outdoor Range Manager. Duties include keep ranges stocked, cleaned and maintained. For more information or to sign up contact Andy Shute at Clubvp_Operations@fentonlakes.com

So come to the next business meeting, see how we do things, and volunteer your time to help run our Club! 

So please contact Paul Hales at Clubvp_Finance@fentonlakes.com, or Keith Morris at ClubPresident@fentonlakes.com to volunteer, and we’ll see you at the Club!

 
 

 

UPCOMING ACTIVITIES

Project Appleseed Pistol Clinic 
The first weekend in April will see the two day Project Appleseed clinic. This training event is for anyone wishing to learn, or brush up on, the basics of handgun shooting. This is a great opportunity to get input from the FSLC staff on, and improve your handgun skills. The clinic will be on Saturday April 6, and Sunday, April 7, from 7:00AM-5:30PM.  For more information, and registration, visit the Project Appleseed’s page. 

FSLC Business Meeting
Our monthly business meeting will be held April 9 at 7:00PM, on the first floor of the Clubhouse. All Club members and the public at large are welcome to see how things get done, and have some input. 
Junior Small Bore Rifle CMP Program
The Program continues this month, on April 11 and April 25 at 6:00PM-8:00PM, in the indoor range. 
See the Civilian Marksmanship Program’s page for more details.

Cowboy Action Shoot Match 
If you’ve never participated, or been a spectator at one of our Cowboy Action shoot matches, here’s your chance! See Jim Twesten’s article below for more information. Setup is on Saturday, April 13 from 1:30PM-5:00PM on the 25- and 50-yard outdoor range, which is closed for the weekend to those not participating in the Match. We would love to see you there for setup! 
The Match itself is on Sunday, April 14, from 8:30AM-1:30PM, on the 25- and 50-yard outdoor range. 
See also our Cowboy Action Shooting page for more information. So git out yer western duds, gear up, and c’mon out for a heap o’ shootin’ fun!

 New Gun Owners Class 

This is a handgun basics class for anyone thinking of buying a firearm, or who has a firearm, and have no previous experience using it. It covers how a pistol works, maintenance, safety when handling as well as live fire training on our indoor range.

The class is on Saturday, April 13, from 1:00PM-5:00PM. 

See our New Gun Owners Class page for more information, and registration. 

NRA-Personal Protection in the Home Class

Completion of this class will give you the certification you need to successfully apply for a Michigan Concealed Pistol License. The Class uses NRA materials. 
The class begins at 8:00AM on April 20, and ends at 6:00PM that evening. 
For more information, and registration, see our training page. 

Range Safety Officer Certification Training 
April 27th is our next Range Safety Officer Training. The class begins at 8:00AM and ends at 4:00PM. 
For more information, and registration, see our training page. 

Jr. Rifle League/PPC League Banquet 
This year’s Junior Rifle League/Police Pistol Combat League Banquet will be on April 27. The banquet starts at 5:00PM, dinner is at 5:45PM, and concludes at 7:00PM, in the first floor clubhouse hall.

 

Steel Challenge vs. Action Cowboy Shooting

by Jim Twesten

This article is the first in a series of three articles comparing the similarities and differences between Steel Challenge and Cowboy Action Shooting.
I’m attempting to compare and contrast the similarities and differences between the two shooting sports.  I’m trying not to be biased in favor of one over the other.  For ease of identifying which of the two sports I am referring to, I will use “Steel” to mean Steel Challenge and “Cowboy” to mean Cowboy Action Shooting.

Safety is always our first priority

First and foremost, safety, both sports have rigorous safety standards. Both sports began in the late 1980’s Both have governing bodies that set and determine the rules of their game.  Both use firearms and participants shoot their own firearm(s) at steel targets.  Both use a timing device to determine the winner. 

Both have specific courses of fire that are explained to the participants prior to engaging the targets. 

Hearing and eye protection are mandatory for all participants.  Steel requires this protection for guests as well.  Cowboy highly encourages it for guests and if an observer is seen not wearing this it will be suggested that they move some distance from the firing line.  

 

Steel:  The only time a shooter may handle a firearm is at a designated Safe Area or instructed to do so by the Range Officer [RO] in preparation for shooting a Course of Fire. 

 

At the Safe Area, you may take your gun out of the gun bag, put it in your holster, or work on it. When not holstered, the muzzle must be pointing in a safe direction. 

 

All firearms are to remain unloaded at all times – no magazines, moonclips, etc. in the gun until instructed by the RO to “Make Ready” in preparation for shooting a course of fire. 

 

You may load magazines or moonclips anywhere on the range except near the Safe Area. Under no circumstances are ammunition or ammo carriers (empty or full) to be handled at the Safe Area. No reload drills in the Safe Area 

 

Cowboy:  The only time a shooter may handle a firearm is at the designated loading table and be under the supervision of the loading table officer. 

 

Shooters may remove their firearms from the guncart and carry them to the loading table to await their turn to load the weapons.  Once the firearms are loaded the shooter must remain at the loading table or if necessary to leave, the firearms are to be left at the loading table.  Leaving the loading table with loaded firearms could result in a match disqualification. 

Setup 

 

We need your help.  All our matches are put together with the cooperation of the competitors. 

 

Steel  Matches are typically setup the morning of the match so please try to arrive early to help setup.  If possible also please stay after the match to help with teardown. 

 

Cowboy  Matches are typically setup the afternoon prior to the next day’s match.  Any help in setting up the stages is gratefully appreciated.  If possible, please stay after the match to help with teardown. 

Scoring 

Steel A shooter's score is based on the total time it takes to engage and hit 5 steel plates. There are 5 strings of fire for a total of 25 rounds per stage if there are no misses. There are four primary plates and one stop plate set up in different arrays.  

 

The stop plate must only be shot at the end of the string. The shooter may take as many shots as required to score hits on the plates. With no misses, a match with 8 stages will require 200 rounds - we recommend bring 250-300 depending on your skill level.  A typical match at Fenton is only 5 stages. 

 

The maximum time allowed for a string of fire is 30 seconds; most are shot in 10 seconds or less. Penalties are expressed as time added to the shooter’s performance on that string. A miss on a primary target (an unmarked plate) will incur a 3 second penalty added to the time for that string. Missing the stop plate will result in a 30 second string time. 

 

Shooters will shoot five strings of fire, and the best four will count toward the match performance – ie., the slowest string is thrown out. At the end of the match all scores are added to obtain the shooter’s total match time. 

 

Cowboy A shooters score is based on the total time it takes to engage and hit all the targets on a stage.  A typical stage will consist of 10 revolver shots, 10 rifle shots and 4 shotgun shots.  Unless specifically announced during the stage description, reloading the revolver(s) or rifle is not allowed. Misses with the shotgun may be made up. There is no maximum amount of time allowed for any string of fire.   Penalties are added to the shooter’s time as warranted.  A miss on a revolver or rifle target adds 5 seconds to the shooter’s time.  Shooting the targets in an order that differs from that which was described is called a procedural and adds 15 seconds to the shooter’s time.  Only one procedural can be called for any stage.  Other penalties may be assessed depending on the infraction.  Misses and procedurals are the most commonly called penalties.  At the end of the match all scores are added to obtain the shooter’s total match time.

For more information about Cowboy Action Shooting contact Jim Twesten at ClubCowboyActionMgr@fentonlakes.com 

 

For more information about Steel Challenge contact Frank Oullette at ClubPPCmgr@fentonlakes.com

 

Jim Twesten is the Fenton Lakes Sportsman’s Club’s Membership and Cowboy Action Manager.

 

 

      

  

SPORTING CLAYS

Preparations for the Sporting Clays program for Spring continue apace, with improvements being made to the course, replenishment of our stock of clays, and a league beginning in May! So keep in mind that the Sporting Clays course is open to the general public, and Red Key Card holders every weekend, weather permitting.
Also, there will be a Sporting Clays league forming this Spring! See the flyer below for more details. See the Sporting Clays webpage, or contact the Sporting Clays manager, Andy Shute at ClaysMgr@fentonlakes.com, or (248)345-4944 for more information.

 

 

Another Successful Police Pistol Combat Match and Banquet for the books!

 

The 2024 PPC Match is in the books and it was another successful match for Fenton Lakes Sportsman's Club. Over the 4 days of the match FLSC hosted over 150 shooters from all over the state of Michigan and even a few that made the trip across the border from Canada. We took the feedback from last year's match where there was overwhelming support to move away from cash prizes and back to guns. So we did exactly that and handed out 25 guns in prizes at the Sunday night banquet. It was a fantastic four days catching up with all the PPC regulars that come and shoot the match each year and exciting to see and talk with a good number of first time PPC shooters.

  

As always you cannot run an event like this without a small army of volunteers. Many thanks to everyone that helped on the range, with the scoring, checking shooters in, keeping the kitchen up and running and the many million other little items that needed doing. And of course thank you to all the shooters that participated in this year's match. We look forward to seeing you all for the 2025 match.  

  

 

LET’S GET READY FOR BOWHUNTING!

Spring is officially here, despite Michigan Winter rearing it’s frosty head one last time, and that means it is 3D Archery time at our Club! Matt Russell has stepped up to be our 3D Archery course manager, and he’s been making a plan for refurbishing the course, to get it ready for spring.

Matt has planned a day to get the course in shape for Spring on Sunday, April 14, from 8:00AM-5:00PM. Matt is planning on clearing brush, refurbishing some of the existing stands, and possibly erecting new stands! So any and all members are encouraged to come out, get some fresh air, get the course in shape, and just have fun at the Club!Please bring any outdoor work gear and tools (especially tree pruning poles) that you may have. Parts of the 3D course are still a bit wet, so dress accordingly.

Please see our 3-D Archery web page for information on the course, and contact Matt at ClubArcheryMgr@fentonlakes.com, or call at (248)842-9942  for more information on the volunteer day.

 

 

TRAINING ROOM RENOVATION

 

The training room renovation is complete, and we would like to thank everyone that made it possible.So come on out to the Club, and check out the new training room!


LEGAL NOTES

           

By Paul C. Taylor

 Our Club’s reason for being is the support of the outdoor sports of hunting and fishing; and given that an integral feature of that is the ownership and use of firearms, and we are distinctly an American sportsman’s club, it follows that the right to keep and bear arms and to self-defense via the use of those arms are vital to that purpose. This author would also add that given the above, it is imperative that our Club does not become merely an adjunct to the government’s efforts to infringe upon those rights, as is the case in other countries. 

So in support of our Club’s efforts, this column offers information, news and commentary relevant to the state of the law in Michigan, as it relates to the right to keep and bear arms. While it would be inappropriate, and even sanctionable, for this author to offer advice as to any particular course of action without the appropriate attorney and client relationship, as the old saying goes, shared knowledge is king. Thus, please consider the foregoing. 

General Commentary 

In addition to the general commentary of the previous month, please consider that while legislation such as Michigan’s Extreme Risk Protection Order is clearly contrary to the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling in Bruen, such “Red Flag” laws in states such as Illinois and California have not been struck down as being an unconstitutional violation of our Second Amendment rights. This reality is a gauge of the appeals courts of those State’s hostility to the Second Amendment rights of its citizens. The inevitable conclusion is that elections matter. Finally, it is dangerous to adopt a view that one will not be affected by these laws. This attitude engenders apathy to what is an apparent effort to steadily infringe upon our rights as citizens. As a Michigan State Policeman once boasted, the Motor Vehicle Code is so extensive that they could justify pulling over any person travelling on the road, at any time. If we believe in liberty, a state of affairs where the only thing keeping a citizen from criminal prosecution is the whim of a law enforcement officer, or county prosecutor should be undesirable in the extreme. 

Michigan Secure Storage Law (Public Act 17 0f 2023) commentary 

The limitation of the law to a private place that has, or might have a minor child in it is a limitation without any real meaning. Given that a number of Michigan county prosecutors and judges are hostile to our Second Amendment rights, the application of this law is limited only by a county prosecutor’s imagination, and a judge’s biases. 
The requirement that firearms be locked in some sort of cabinet or unloaded and disabled with some sort of lock, in order to avoid criminal liability in case a child obtains the firearm, considerably inhibits the firearm owner’s right to defend his household with a firearm. It also appears that hidden gun containers that use something other than a “lock”, such as a magnet, would not suffice.
The issue of the right to self defense in the context of such laws that require a firearm be locked up were discussed, and found relevant to a finding  such  laws were unconstitutional by the U.S. Supreme Court in the Heller decision. In addition, this law would also appear to run afoul of the Court’s Bruen decision. 
The requirement that if a firearm is left in a vehicle, it must be locked in a box and the auto must be locked has the effect that no other person could remain in the vehicle, as the vehicle would be, for all practical purposes, unlocked. 
Given that the criminal penalties for a violation of this law are severe, this law is as a matter of principle different from laws that provide for relatively minor sanctions, such as a civil fine, or a small amount of time in jail, and so present a serious infringement of Michigander’s Second Amendment rights.
These penalties also do not preclude criminal prosecution under other theories, such as voluntary manslaughter, as exemplified by the prosecution of the parents of Ethan Crumbley of Oxford, Michigan. 

The provision that the law does not apply in certain circumstances is fraught with problems such as a lack of a definition of what constitutes “ranching and farming; what constitutes “supervision”, in the context of the minor child’s employment, ranching and farming; and the a lack of mention of whether the law applies in cases where the minor is on the premises legally, such as the minor’s home, where a firearm is “safely” stored per the law, but the minor nevertheless gains possession of the firearm without permission. 
Furthermore, in the situations where this law might apply, the defense against criminal charges for the owner of the firearm would likely depend on facts that could only be proved by the minor child’s testimony: but that very same testimony would tend to incriminate the minor, so the minor would be well advised to refuse to testify in the firearm owner’s defense pursuant to their Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination.

The point is that the protections this law appears to offer to firearm owners who “safely” secure their firearms is largely illusory. 

Michigan “Universal Background Check” law facts
This law was is actually an amendment to a number of existing laws in Michigan’s criminal code. The amendments essentially replace the use of the word “pistol” with the word “firearm”, making the various prohibitions against the sale, transfer, ownership, possession, or carry apply to all firearms, not to just pistols, as before the amendment. The ramification of this is that any transfer of ownership of any firearm must be via a background check, via a person or entity that holds a Federal Firearms License. The only difference is that in the case of a transfer of a long gun, such as a rifle or shotgun, there is no requirement that the person who purchases or receives the long gun provide local law enforcement with a record of the transfer. Also, even temporary possession of long guns is subject to the same restrictions as that of pistols.

There will be more discussion and information in future newsletters, so in the meantime, keep your head on a swivel, don’t talk to the police without an attorney, and have fun at our Club!

 

Paul C. Taylor is a member in good standing of the State Bar of Michigan.

SELF-DEFENSE TRAINING

We are pleased to announce that Detective Tom Cole will be conducting another level 1 self-defense class at the Club, on May 4, from 9:00AM-Noon. Space is limited, so register early! For more information, and to sign up for the class, please see our Self-defense page. 
A link to a video of the class is here. So sign up, show up, and be prepared!

FLSC STORE

 

Open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, the FLSC Store is the place to for all your FLSC gear. It’s a great way to support the club and share it with others. Find it on our website or go to: https://my-store-c0b81b.creator-spring.com/

 

      

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