Stevenson, WA Aug 4-5 2012

[Earl]

I dropped by to see how they were doing, looked good, then I fled the Sun and heat.

[Ironbar]

I'd like to get down some thoughts I have about the event today. I had to leave early from the event- right after lunch in fact, as I wasn't feeling too well. Hardly slept at all last night, and I was starting to get a headache in spite of being well hydrated. So, I had a nap when I got home, and I'd now like to lay out my pros and cons.

Things I liked:

1) The instructors/volunteers. I could tell right away that the people volunteering for the Appleseed event were both passionate and professional about what they were doing. The volunteers were both knowledgeable and courteous, and I enjoyed the first half of the day under their tutelage.

2) The instruction. It was well planned, and delivered in a manner that was easy to understand.

3) The history lesson. I really enjoyed hearing about the people, places, and events that led to the Revolutionary War.

4) The porta-potty. THANK you for having them there!

Things I disliked:

1) The weather, although you can't blame Appleseed for 100° heat and wind so strong it was blowing the pop-up tents over!

2) The range. Had any of the volunteers actually been to this place? Now I know why Skamania County is shutting it down: The Blue lake Range looks like a friggen' LANDFILL! I have never in my life seen a shooting range on public land that was as absolutely polluted as this place. "Environmental impact study" my arse. They're closing it because of all the *&%$! that drop their garbage there.

3) Relay shooting. I guess this harkens to #2. If any of the volunteers had been to the range, they would have already known that there was absolutely no way to put 28 shooters on the line. As such, we had to relay shoot which was time consuming and somewhat disorganized.

4) Consideration for stuff. I know it was cramped quarters on the line, but volunteers, please don't go tramping all over my brand new shooting mat! I don't like that.

5) Attitude toward the kids at the event. In the safety briefing, I felt that the portion of the monologue specifically directed toward the kids present was a little condescending. If you're asking them to be "more mature", then speak to them as such. Don't talk down to them.

6) Finally, the thing still sticks in my craw, and I'm not sure whether I'll ever come to grips with it: I carry a sidearm all the time. I was open carrying to the event. As I got out of my car, I was told I'd have to leave my weapon in the car as it was a safety issue. Really?

I take my carrying a sidearm very seriously. I consider safety a paramount issue. I overheard one of the volunteers say that the safety issue revolves around the weapon "sweeping" people when I would be shooting my rifle from a prone position. Really? My M&P can't be fired unless the trigger is pulled. I can drop it on the ground, twirl it around, hell I could stand on my head and it still wouldn't go off unless the trigger is pulled. You can pretty much say the same for any modern firearm these days. To say it's a safety issue is absurd.

Now, that said, I am 100% cognizant of the old adage, "Your house, your rules", so please don't even go there. If I choose to participate in another Appleseed event, I will of course comply, but it still doesn't change the absurdity of the issue.

Anyway, if I think of anything else I'll post it, but that's it in a nutshell. My overall impression is that it's good, it's beneficial, and I'll consider attending another in the future.

[Kimber Custom]

Leeanna asked me 'is that Earl from our last AS'; no honey, Earl isn't here today. Way to prove me wrong. Sorry I didn't get to say hi.

[George Hacker]

I am so glad I was able to spend my weekend with all of the patriots who came to the Stevenson shoot.  All of the shooters were a great group to work with.  Thank you, shooters, for bringing teachable attitudes.  I could see things really start to fall into place Sunday morning.  The instructors could see everyone consistently shifting their NPOA by lunch.  When we tallied the Red Coat target scores on Saturday afternoon, I ask the shooters how many of them improved their effective range since their morning Red Coat.  Almost everyone raised their hands!

We had two new riflemen spring forth from this event.  Congratulations, Kellar, for shooting a 212 and earning your patch.  Pretty impressive considering you used a bolt-action rifle to qualify.  Tobias, you decisively took your patch by shooting 236.  Shooting two more rifleman scores settled any doubt that the first score was a fluke.  Well done, both of you!

We had several shooters go from "Unqualified" on the AQT to "Marksmanship."  Some were shooting in the 190s which means you were knocking on the door to earn your rifleman's patch.  Keep on dry practicing at home to stretch so you can get into your positions more easily.  Also make the 6 steps to firing the shot second nature and practice the rifleman's cadence.

The heat Saturday afternoon was difficult to take, but everyone hung in until the very end.  We awarded three Youth Patriot patches to Kaisa, Leeanna (an Appleseed veteran), and Natalie.

We had a Sunday walk-on shooter (actually he was a drive-on shooter) named Hector.  He came at 10:00 on Sunday morning to take away the porta-potties.  With a phone call or two and some generosity on the part of instructors we got Hector on the line.  Because of personal coaching by paulw, Hector improved dramatically.  He stayed until we dismissed before he took the toilets away.  What touched us the most is that he took a day away from his family to learn about the events of April 19, 1775.  Before he left, he told us that his newborn baby at home was born April 19th of this year.  Because he stayed, April 19th has taken on a whole new dimension for Hector and his family.  That is the magic of Project Appleseed.

At the end of the day, I challenged the shooters to have hope and help us use the tools at our disposal, the ballot box, the mailbox, and the soap box, to reclaim the liberty the patriots of April 19, 1775 sacrificed so much to pass down to us.  I think everyone took the message to heart.  America was started bottom-up by common folks such as butchers, bakers, farmers, and blacksmiths.  It will be fixed by bottom-up efforts as well - as long as we don't give up hope and we put our shoulders to the task at hand.

The Blue Lake Pit Range has been permanently closed to the public by Skamania County.  Sorry about the piles of garbage that were bagged up in the parking area.  It seems the general public really partied and abused the range as it was about to be closed.  Thank you, shooters, for not letting that get in the way of a very productive weekend.

Thank you, RL, arpjoe, Rizzen, 06en, Winkin not Blinkin, paulw, and Kimber Custom for giving up a weekend to help some Americans rediscover their rifleman heritage.  Thank you, Skamania County, for extending the deadline for closing the range by five days so we could hold our event.  A shout out goes specifically to Jim Richardson (Skamania County District 2 Commissioner), Larry Douglass (Public Works Director) and Cascade Sportman's Club for having us come back to their neck of the woods.

[Kimber Custom]

My family and I had a blast this weekend. Krista said 'if I do, no, when I do AS again...' Both the girls are listing friends they want to bring with them to future events and I think Leeanna might actually make rifleman next time around.

Thanks for letting me be on the team. As much as I enjoyed being on the line with a rifle I think coaching was even better.

[RL]

Shooters, thank you for your patience this weekend, with both the relays and the condition of the range. It did not look like that when we were there in late June. The club that Stewards the range asked us to clean up last time, which we did. They asked that we pile up the bagged trash and leave it, and they would come through and collect the bags. As far as I could tell, our bagged trash was still at the bottom of one of the piles. Unfortunately, that range is now closed, presumably forever. I believe the pending range closure directly contributed to the problem. There was no longer any incentive to maintain the area.

Instructors, thank you for being there.

[Rizzin]

Thanks to all the shooters who were able to withstand the heat both days, I almost did not make it myself. Ironbar sorry the heat got you but hopefully we will see you again.

Congrats to our two riflemen, both of whom requested no photos

Not as many pictures as I normally come home with but I still managed to get a few.

https://plus.google.com/photos/113135752993733636241/albums/5774114992065831089

[06en]

I would like to thank everyone, shooters and the Instructor Corp, for showing for this event. Also I applaud those who chose to persevere the whole weekend. Your steadfastness certainly paid off for you.

One of the highlights for me came on Sunday when given the Fire command, shooters were able to display their understanding of the Rifleman's cadence. 'I love it when a plan comes together.' What a sweet moment.

[paulw]

Thanks to all the students and instructors at Stevenson - they were truly persistent in the heat.
I had a great time at my first "working" Appleseed... the surprise assignment to coach Hector on Sunday was an honor and privilege I won't forget.
I'm looking forward to Ariel in September (and November). 

[SPQR]

Ironbar, consider this.  All the NRA ranges, Thunder Ranch, Oak Ridge, Camp Perry, all the big boys and lord knows how many other ranges and schools insist on cold range rules.  I am certain many people take their carrying seriously.  Which one was the gentleman who plugged himself accidentally in a Nevada theater?   

http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/story/2012-08-15/movie-shooting-Nevada/57062366/1


I can't pick the safe guy from the unsafe guy out of a lineup.  No one could.  "You can pretty much say the same for any modern firearm these days. To say it's a safety issue is absurd."  Absurd is a strong word.  To put penultimate faith in a mechanical device is something many would consider absurd.  Appleseed is one of the most active training programs in the country and in a cursory glance at our Internal After Action Reports I found three instances of modern firearms discharging rounds without the trigger being actuated IN THE LAST TWO MONTHS.

Who should we trust and why?  Our experience is no flimsy thing, its pretty well rounded and it serves us well to the tune of 8 million rounds down range last year and twice that this year.  We can only guarantee your safety on our line by requiring full safety from everyone.  I am not able to pick you out of the line up or the guy who is unsafe or the rifle that discharges a round when the safety is disengaged or the pistol that rips one off when it is compressed from the top of the rail because one small piece out of ten thousand has worn a little weirder than the rest. There are no accidents, only negligence.  We can only ensure your success by guaranteeing the safety of everyone.