VISALIA SPORTSMEN’S ASSOCIATION FEBRUARY

PO BOX 105 VISALIA, CA 93279 2018 Established 1893 (www.vsma.us) Visalia Sportsmen’s Association is a non-profit organization which is governed by the regulations set forth in the Internal Revenue Code of

1986. The section of the code which we fall under states that we are to be exclusively a social club, organized and operated for the pleasure

and recreation of our members. The specific purposes of the club are: 1) to unite in the effort of solving local, county and statewide

problems pertaining to the protection and propagation of fish and game and other natural resources in our area; 2) the conservation of our

natural resources through the promotion and fostering of good public sentiment for better fish, game and forest management; 3) The

encouragement of organized shooting activities among adult and junior members and the general public, so as to provide a better

knowledge of safe handling and the proper use and care of firearms; and, 4) to take lawful steps to bring into effect those measures deemed

to be in the interest of member sportsmen.

The next GENERAL MEETING will be THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 2018, at 7:00 PM. Meetings are

held on the second Thursday of the month and are open to all club members. New members are encouraged to

attend the meetings to become more informed and more active in the club activities. Members are invited to bring

a guest to introduce to the Visalia Sportsmen’s Association. The club is located just north of downtown Visalia at

536 W. Roosevelt Avenue, one block south of Houston Ave., just east off of Sante Fe.

The next BOARD MEETING will be TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2018, at 6:00 PM. If you want to

present an item for discussion at a board meeting, please contact a board member to be on the agenda. Board

meetings are held on the Tuesday following the general club meeting.

Please contact any of the officers or board members for any issues or concerns you may have regarding your

Visalia Sportsmen’s Association.

Club House Phone # (answering machine): 559-635-7175 Jim Mayfield – Chairman of the Board: 559-802-7967

Dennis Thornbury – President: 559-732-4401 Jeremy Chavez – Board Member (e): 559-302-8718

Russ Beechinor – Vice President: 559-280-4061 Frank Tebeau – Board Member (e): 559-731-0090

Treasurer: xxx-xxx-xxxx Bob Gaalswyk – Board Member (e17): 559-625-5855

Chris Norman – Secretary: 661-805-0164 Ernie Kumpe – Board Member (a17): 559-802-8446

Dirk Steelman – Exec. VP (FFL operations): 559-732-7726 Sean Vedenoff – Board Member (e17): 559-786-6184

Royce Nalls – Board Member (a17): 559-730-8485 Bob Maxwell – Board Member (a): 559-733-5501

Loren Metzler – Board Member (a): 559-280-8287 Ed Thomas – Sergeant at Arms

At the JANUARY meeting:

Our range is open on Wednesdays!! RSOs are on duty from 8 am to 3 pm and are ready to answer any

questions you might have. While construction continues at the range, we ask that pistol shooters remain seated at

the benches and use the blocks and sandbags to rest your grip of the handgun(s) on. Please make sure your targets

are high enough up on the target frame so that bullets do not impact the hard surface of the range. This applies to

both handguns as well as rifles. Please do not rest the end of the handgun barrel directly on to the sandbags. It’s

a sure way to blow holes in the bags, which then leads to a whole (pun intended) bunch of other problems.

Volunteers around the club house are a valuable team that keeps everything in tip top shape for our club

members. Yes, there’s a need for more volunteers all the time! Join the few and over-worked men and women

from time to time this year and you will be entered into a drawing to win a handgun. Just ask Ed T who won a

Heritage Arms .22lr/.22wmr revolver at the January meeting. Next year, it could be you! Call Jim Mayfield at

559-802-7967 for some of the jobs that need attention at the club. Thanks.

February Family Dinner tickets are now available. What’s on the menu? RIB EYE STEAKS!!! Saturday,

February 10th, for good food, good fun, and very good cold drinks. Don’t worry about cooking these yourself,

this year will be full service at the BBQ. Doors open at 5:00pm, dinner around 7:00pm. Come on over!

The VSA 100+ Gun Dinner is gearing up for the big event. The volunteer committee will meet for the first

time on January 30th at the club. Folks are needed to set up the event tables, work the games, the beverage

stations, work as auction runners, and more. WHEN: Saturday, May 5th. Cinco de Mayo!! WHERE: Tulare

County Fairgrounds.

PAGE 2 FEBRUARY 2018 PAGE 2 PHONE FOR THE CLUB: 559-635-7172 FOR THE RANGE: 559-651-1415

FEBRUARY 2018 MARCH 2018

3 Sat Public Shoot B Fulmer/B Fulmer/Tom Bell/

John DeGiorgio

4 Sun Public Shoot Russ Broyles/Scott Willis/R Nalls

7 Wed Public Shoot John DeGiorgio/L Chism/B Marsh

10 Sat Public Shoot Ben Zentner/Mike Renzi/???/???

11 Sun Hi Power/Junior Rifle/4-H

14 Wed Public Shoot Jim Johnson/Keith Perkins/???/???

17 Sat CBRSA Benchrest weekend at the

18 Sun CBRSA Dale Wimp Rifle range.

21 Wed Public Shoot Lee Miller/Mike Renzi/???/???

24 Sat Public Shoot J Dearborn/L Cote/G Brummer

25 Sun Black Powder/Junior Rifle/4H

28 Wed Public Shoot ???/???/???/???

3 Sat RANGE CLEAN UP DAY

4 Sun Public Shoot J DeGiorgio/???/???

7 Wed Public Shoot Jim Mayfield/Glen Gerard/

John Hull/Mick Hogan

10 Sat Public Shoot J Sindlinger/Tom Holmes/????

11 Sun Hi Power/Junior Rifle/4-H

14 Wed Public Shoot Mayfield/Gerard/Hull/Hogan

17 Sat Public Shoot Brian Fulmer/Bill Fulmer/Tom Bell

18 Sun Public Shoot ???/???/???/???

21 Wed Public Shoot Lee Miller/Bob Marsh/Leroy Chism

24 Sat Public Shoot J DeGiorgio/???/???/???

25 Sun Black Powder/Junior Rifle/4-H

28 Wed Public Shoot ???/???/???/???

31 Sat Public Shoot ???/???/???/???

Please contact the following for more info on the programs that are offered at the range: Black Powder – Mike Benyo 559-731-4666;

High Power/Jr. Rifle Club – Steve Quinn 559-686-1945, steveq@carifle.com. CBRSA (Benchrest) – Dennis Thornbury 559-732-4401.

More from the JANUARY meeting:

Some news that was leaked at the meeting about the VSA 100+ Gun Dinner revealed that the basic table

package guns will be a Springfield Armory XD-45 pistol. Enhanced table packages will have Kimbers!! This is

not fake news! It comes from verified sources…. Call Royce Nalls for more info: 559-730-8485.

Dennis Thornbury has announced the two appointed board members: Congratulations to Bob Gaalswyk and

Sean Vedenoff for their commitment to two year terms

CCW CLASS: Wade Roberts has taken the reins on the CCW class at the club. Classes will be the first

MONDAY of each month, except for the occasional holiday, from 5:00pm to 9:00pm. Wade can be reached by

phone at (559) 303-2848, (call or text). Wade will cover the recent changes to the CCW permit process. He

stated that when checking the CCW permit process online for new or renewal permits, “Go to the sheriffs main

webpage and click on “CCW Info, do not “Google search” for Tulare CCW””. The CCW class for members is

FREE!!!! Non-members will greatly benefit from the low price of $40.00 per person.

Wade says, YES, a portion of his CCW class will cover how to navigate the website. For those without on-

line access, Wade will assist you with that as well. You will still need to go to the sheriff’s department for

fingerprinting and photo.

Frank Tebeau gave an update on legislative events in California. Did you know that the CRPA had filed a

lawsuit against the ban on high capacity (normal, really) magazines. A federal judge has ruled in favor of the

CRPA and has issued an injunction to stop the ban on magazines!! Another motion for injunction was filed the

beginning of the month in regards to the assault weapons ban. It’s now in the courts.

Russ said the RSO classes will tentatively be held in February, the dates for the class are subject to change due

to the shortage of instructional materials. The RSO class is only four hours. New RSOs will need to serve three

(3) on-the-job training days to learn the nuances of the duties of an RSO. RSOs are asked to choose one of the

two dates that will be announced. More details when they are available.

John Lose will be starting the High Adventure group meetings at the club. A few openings are still available

for women, men and young adults to learn and experience some great outdoor techniques and field exercises.

Please contact John at 559-974-0998, or email him at: jlose2eagle@yahoo.com for more info.

FAMILY DINNERS - Join us for our mouthwatering February RIB EYE Steak dinner on Saturday, February

10th. Tickets for dinner are limited and must be reserved and paid for by calling Jim Mayfield, 559-802-7967, we

accept cash, checks and credit cards. Adult dinner tickets are $18.00, kids 12 and under are $12.00. At each

dinner we have an opportunity to win a shotgun, a .22 rifle, or a key pad pistol safe (tickets are only $5).

PAGE 3 FEBRUARY 2018 PAGE 3

CCW CLASS: Wade Roberts has taken the reins on the CCW class at the club. Classes will be the first

Monday of each month. As a benefit of your club membership, the CCW class is at no charge. Non-members

can attend the class for a $40.00 fee. Wade can be reached by phone at (559) 303-2848, (call or text). He will

cover the recent and upcoming changes to the CCW permit process.

Shooting Training – CCW Classes and more: Col. Jeff Cooper stated that there are three things you must have

to be a competent “martial citizen”: Mindset, Gun Handling, and Marksmanship.

Jeff Sanders of Legacy Defense offers these three things. 1) Mindset: You will acquire this from his CCW permit

classes that are generally held on the third Wednesday of each month for Tulare and Kings County, and Utah

(which adds the following states not covered by CA permits: NV,WA, WY, ND, LA, WV, GA, DE, (subject to

change)). Jeff will hold the class at your location – home or business, or the VSA clubhouse – for as few as four

attendees! 2) Gun Handling: This can be accomplished IN YOUR HOME using laser equipment and inert

firearms, or at the range, or by combining both training regimens. 3) Marksmanship: This too can be

accomplished IN YOUR HOME using laser equipment and inert firearms, or at the range with live ammo, or by

combining both training regimens. Bring all three measures together in YOUR environment - home or business -

with a customized training session that will prepare you to win a violent confrontation.

Check with Legacy Defense. Jeff Sanders: 559-901-8360. www.facebook.com/legacydefense

At the January Board Meeting: Esther reviewed the processes and cost of USPS mailing of the newsletter.

For 2017, it cost approximately $1,800.00 to mail 1,320 newsletters. That’s printing, postage, envelope, labels for

the year for a monthly average of 110 mailings.

Esther has generously donated and installed a new water cooler dispenser at the range. No more lifting the

heavy water bottles, just open the lower cabinet door and place the water line, close the door. Thank you, Esther!

Chris reviewed the email process of entering names and email addresses into one of the two email accounts.

For every 100 email addresses provided on new and renewal forms, nearly 10 percent are illegible or incorrect in

that they “bounce back” as undelivered. Chris has looked into some of the mailing services such as Constant

Contact or MailChimp, and due to cost or format issues has found them to be too unwieldly.

Russ has been working on expanding the club website capabilities to streamline the process of sending info to

our club members. It’s an arduous task.

Ernie provided an update on the range construction. The pistol lane roof structure has been placed, roofing

material to be finished soon. Berm work for the pistol lanes will begin, shortly after you will be able to set targets

and start shooting from the pistol lanes. Handrails are nearly done; new water filters for the well water system

need to be installed allowing for clean water to be run for the irrigation system around the berms. We are required

to have ground cover and trees on the berm to “soften” the impact of our range. Signage and painting of

designated handicap parking is on the “to do” list. There is still a fair amount of clean fill that must be spread

over the back berms as well as the area from the 200- to 300- yard line.

Some of the observations at the SHOT SHOW in Las Vegas: On the knife edge, tanto style blades have

previously reached their prime. Almost all of the major manufacturers have greatly reduced the number of

models with tanto blades. And, an increase in knife steel quality for mid to high end knives is now the norm.

In the soft goods department, the features that are now packed into back packs, range bags, gun cases, and

clothing is exceptional value for the consumer. Maxpedition is one company that has revamped their product line

and they have released a line of goods that are more “civilian.” Perfect for the domestic traveler or international

tourist that don’t want to have that military style look and feel.

Silencers are HUGE these days – and not their physical size! Dozens of makers were exhibiting their creations

to make shooting more comfortable for the user as well as lessening the noise impact to the environment. Many

states now allow silencers to be used while hunting! Don’t hold your breath for California to get on board.

Ammo may not be mail- or internet- ordered into California direct to your home, but ammo is now made by

many more companies than just the big three. It doesn’t matter what you shoot, someone is making it, making a

lot of it, and making it at exceptional quality! Now is the perfect time to get to personally know your FFL dealer.

Show him or her what you want and where to get it so they can order it directly for you!

PAGE 4 FEBRUARY 2018 PAGE 4

Club Website: http://vsma.us. For more info about the club, programs, activities, newsletters (current and past),

visit the website, or call Jim Mayfield at 559-802-7967. Jim is our master club coordinator as well as the best

source for any tickets for club events or drawings.

For any of your newsletter concerns, “wanted” or “for sale” items, please feel free to contact me, Chris Norman,

editor, at: visaliasportsmen@hotmail.com, or by phone/text: 661-805-0164.

PAGE 5 FEBRUARY 2018 PAGE 5

PRICE INCREASE FOR MEMBERS TO TAKE

EFFECT JANUARY 1ST

.

A single ADULT membership will increase by $20, to

$80.00. A SPOUSE membership will increase by

$5.00, to $30.00. A FAMILY membership will

increase by $25.00, to $125.

No changes for: JUNIORS - $10 for each junior 17

years and under. LIFE (per single adult), still $500.00.

FAMILY LIFE membership, still $750.00, for the

primary adult & spouse, with juniors up to the 18th

birthday.

Hey, you! Did you know that you could be one of the next RSOs to start on the job training? That

means you can start enjoying the benefits of being an RSO; enjoying the satisfaction of helping others;

enjoying knowing that you learned something new on your range service day. We need men and women

that work well with others and apply rules carefully and respectfully. Call Russ at 559-280-4061.

More from the SHOT SHOW:

Several companies have introduced parts to help AR/MSR rifles meet California compliance to avoid the

assault weapon registration. The parts that are now being made are said to make your “firearm into a “fixed

magazine” firearm that cannot release the magazine unless you pull the takedown pin, and separate the upper and

lower receivers, thus “disassembling” the firearm action”. For more info go to: www.patriot-pin.com

Night vision and thermal imaging optics have advanced in manufacturing methods to make them hundreds of

dollars less than they used to be. Partly due to the demand for product from former military returning from the

field that used them extensively and are now finding domestic consumer uses for the devices.

The state of Arkansas is a good example of where thermal and night vision devices may come in handy. For

more info about their feral hog problem, go to: https://www.uaex.edu/publications/pdf/FSA-9106.pdf

From the website: “In Arkansas, feral hogs are classified as “a public nuisance” (A.C.A. § 2­38­501 through

A.C.A. § 2­38­504). State legislation allows property owners to control feral hogs on their property. Private

landowners may control feral hogs themselves, or allow others, with their permission, to use any method to

control feral hogs. The Arkansas Livestock and Poultry Commission is responsible for establishing and enforcing

regulations for feral hogs. Since feral hogs are not considered wildlife, the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission

does not regulate the harvest of feral hogs, but allows anyone to take1 feral hogs while legally hunting other

wildlife. 1”The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission’s Code Book of Regulations defines “take” as “to shoot,

kill, injure, trap, net, snare, spear, catch, capture or to reduce to possession.” Disclaimer: Because state and

federal laws are subject to change, contact the area manager if hunting on public land, or refer to a local wildlife

officer, an Arkansas hunting guidebook or an Arkansas Game and Fish Commission office (800.364.4263).