A New Day with OLD Questions
It seems like the whole world is rebooting or resetting. There seems to be a lot of questions about how to do things and when can things be done? The first big question seems to be when is the range open? I hope you know that the PSC Range has never been closed during the COVAD-19 crisis and has always been available to members. In consideration for our members, all matches, events, and classes were cancelled for a time, but beginning June 1st, these events have been re-opened depending on each event schedule. Of course at each event, everyone should take responsibility to exercise personal protection for themselves and be considerate of their neighbors.
Another frequent question is about PSC’s affiliation with the Civilian Marksmanship Program (CMP). Yes, PSC is an affiliated CMP club. We have been an affiliated club for many, many, many years. If you are not familiar with the CMP, it was started in the early 1900’s by Congress to promote regular rifle practice and promote competition as a means to contribute to the national defense. After WWII, the program increasingly focused on fostering youth development through marksmanship. Today, CMP sponsors a variety of rifle and pistol competitions for both youth and adults including airgun competitions. The biggest question is how do PSC members participate in the purchase of U.S. government surplus rifles like the M1 Garand? The answer is to go directly to the CMP website (thecmp.org) and read the instructions. No need for PSC intermediaries. PSC is an affiliated club, and you as a current PSC member can deal directly with CMP. A copy of our 2020 Certificate of Affiliation is shown below.
Submit Member Letters for Publication.
It was briefly mentioned in the article discussing the new Club website that Members now have the ability to submit member letters for publication on the website. Let’s go into a little more detail about this new feature.
Everyone has seen “letters to the editor” sections of newspapers, whether in the print version or the Internet version. This is very similar to the goal for the Club’s new “Member Letters” Section of the website. However, unlike newspapers, member letters need to be focused on the Club and Club activities. It is not an editorial section to discuss political or social issues. It is also not a complaint department. It must also be remembered that the Club’s website, like the Club’s operation in general, is intended to be family-friendly. Letters should not contain anything that would be inappropriate for the youngest of our junior shooters who will read those letters.
A form has been created that will make it easy for you to submit a letter for publication. Obviously, every submission will be read to make sure it does not violate either the spirit or the letter of Club rules and that it comports with our family-oriented Club. Unlike some newspapers, we will not edit anyone’s writings, other than for typos and clerical errors. If a proposed article is not appropriate for publication on the Club’s website, it simply will not be published.
Photographs will have to meet certain requirements such as the file size and presentation size, and efforts are being made to do this automatically. If that is not possible at the present time, then photographs will have to be appropriately sized by Members submitting articles for publication. There are several free software programs available for both PC and Mac computers.
The new “Member Letters” section of the website is a great opportunity for Members to share their thoughts and experiences. Current technology means that everyone has a camera and a video recorder in their pocket (your cell phone). So take a quick video and a few still shots and send us an article about your trip to the Club.
Although PSC is a private club, nonmembers are welcome to attend almost all matches, education and training courses, programs, and special events. It is rare that anything is presented as a members-only event, although they do occur. Sometimes an event is open to Member and their guests.
Every month there are numerous matches and programs that are open to nonmembers, and everyone is invited to periodically checked the club calendar to see was going on. For example, the PSC Women’s Program meets on the second Saturday of each month (8:45AM – noon) and it is open to members and nonmembers alike. The PSC Juniors Program meets on the second Saturday of each month (1:00PM - ??) and is available to all youth between the ages of 12 and 18, regardless whether their parents for Club members. The Youth Action Pistol League (YAPL) meets at various times throughout the month, including the second and fourth Tuesdays of each month. As with the Juniors Program, all kids are welcome whether or not their parents are members of the Club.
All of the matches at PSC require the payment of an entry fee to help defray the cost of putting on the match. In most cases, junior shooters can participate free of charge. The fees for adult participants is slightly higher for nonmembers than for club members, but the difference is insignificant.
Various training courses are offered at the club and the two are open to members and nonmembers. As with matches, the fee for these events is slightly higher for nonmembers than for club members. The number and type of training events offered throughout the year varies based upon the weather, holiday season, and other factors.
It should be noted that participation in any club events as a nonmember does not entitle that participant to remain at the Club and/or shoot on any Club ranges after the match or other event is over. As soon as the special events are completed, the ranges involved must be open to the general membership.
Welcoming nonmembers to numerous Club events is one more reason why PSC Shooting Club, Inc. is a valuable asset not only to its Members, but to the entire community.