The weather forecast for Port Townsend last weekend was looking grim - a constant rain with lots of wind to drive it. The outlook for Liberty was looking similarly grim...
Until we had 7 dedicated patriots arrive at the Jefferson County Sportsmen's Association. These men and women brought so much enthusiasm that the weather knew it stood no chance of darkening their spirits, and the rain wisely chose to fall elsewhere. Conditions were perfect for minting new Riflemen.
On Saturday our shooters learned the history of April 19, 1775, and the sacrifices that ordinary Americans just like them were willing to make to protect the liberty of their posterity - us! They were reminded of their own responsibility to pass on the liberties they enjoy to posterity, and I think this dedicated group took that message to heart. Oh, yeah, we also taught them to shoot :)
TheMenace taught our shooters jedi-level marksmanship methods, and all of our instructors this weekend worked hard to give attendees the tools to be self-sufficient shooters who can diagnose their own errors, call their shots, and make whatever adjustments they need to get their rounds onto their intended targets. Shooters were incredibly attentive, and it showed in their targets!
On Sunday, our shooters got several chances to prove to us that they could apply what we had taught them. We saw strong improvement from every shooter on the line, and I was very pleased to award patches to 2 new Riflemen. Both Nick and Dan showed that they know what they are about, with scores of 219 and 220 (respectively). Well done!
Several of our other shooters are knocking on the door of Rifleman. Ezra scored a 206, and Amy cleared the Hits Count target twice! You are both close to earning your patch - keep your skills sharp with lots of dry fire and we'll see you again soon.
Of special note on this Father's day weekend, we had a father and son who worked together to improve themselves and each other. Jeremy, thank you for challenging yourself to re-qualify with a bolt-action. Caleb, thank you for being so attentive all weekend and for applying what we taught you. Congratulations on qualifying as a Marksman, and I hope to see you qualify Rifleman some day soon!
Shooters, all of you impressed us with your persistence this weekend. Keep up your dry-fire practice and you will continue to improve. Thank you for joining us, and I hope to see you all again - there are still spots open at our July event!
To TheMenace, ultragtr, BirdDog, and Manofwords, thanks for being such a great team this weekend. Thanks for your time and effort working to inspire Americans to cherish their liberty (and teaching them to shoot).
A special thank you to the Jefferson County Sportsmen's Association for hosting us this weekend. Without ranges like yours, we don't get the opportunity to reach new shooters with the message of liberty. We all enjoyed our time out there, and especially enjoyed seeing so much wildlife.
And what post would be complete without pictures?
The Flag Line:
(https://i.imgur.com/DhLa4do.jpg)
Ultragtr covers the 6 Steps of Firing the Shot
(https://i.imgur.com/UfLZAZn.jpg)
TheMenace teaching the jedi wisdom of IMC
(https://i.imgur.com/7ZW9eYv.jpg)
CaptainRebop delivers the Third Strike
(https://i.imgur.com/hIShYbp.jpg)
Caleb is awarded his William Diamond Patch
(https://i.imgur.com/w7vhHU5.jpg)
Dan earns his Rifleman patch at his first event!
(https://i.imgur.com/fKZLkOY.jpg)
Jeremy and Caleb on Father's Day - Caleb has just earned the right to call himself a marksman!
(https://i.imgur.com/Z1B6Ghu.jpg)
It was my honor to join a fine group of shooters for a weekend of marksmanship and Liberty. Congratulations to all on your achievements. A special tip of my hat to Eric. CaptainRebop convincingly completed his requirements to earn his Green Hat. Welcome our newest Shootboss!