Raton, New Mexico July 4-5, Independence Day 2009 NRA Whittington Center

[TaosGlock]

Part 1.
Lady Liberty was proud of the nation wide celebrations held by The Appleseed Project in which we honored our country's Independence.

Here in the Land of Enchantement, 10 freedom loving people from as far as Denver drove to the renowned NRA Whittington Center.

The short summers in the northern high country of NM comes alive with both flora and fauna.
There was no shortage of this on the actual shooting range. Antelope and deer caused numerous "Cease Fires!" during the weekend.
The elk were at higher elevation and the Black Bear remained elusive during the day.

The Appleseed Project now has a designated range at the National Rifle Association's Whittington Center.
It's the Coors Range (Below) with a pavilion/conference area that holds nearly 400 people.
Here shooters can meet, recieve instruction and escape the weather extremes if needed.
The firing line will easily hold 75-100 shooters.


IIT Sarducci, spent time in the Navy and Coast Guard and got our nation's founding flags securely attached.
They were able to endure the wind, sleet and rain of NM's summer monsoons that challenged the shooters each late afternoon.


Our senior most  IIT, stapleguned,  goes over the positional checks for the prone position while ahhrn03 demos.
Shooters spend lots of time in prone, the most stable shooting position.



Shooting amongst the tall grasses and flowers was a unique experience. Later it turned to wet, cold mud. You did bring a shooting mat right?


Cease Fire! Cease Fire! Cease Fire!
Here a mother antelope and her baby decide to wander onto the range.


Stapleguned, fires off the 6 steps to firing the shot with assistance from BlueFeather and ashrn03.


Early in the marksmanship we introduce what we call "Talking Targets".
Here sarducci reminds 2 shooters Andy and Brandi of the two things you ask yourself each time you walk down to the target line:
"Where is my group"? And, "How big is my group?"


Once shooters are shooting 4 MOA, the "Rifleman's Standard", BlueFeather introduces Inches, Minutes and Clicks at the target line.
Shooters convert inches into minutes of angle. Then make the necessary adjustment to their sighting systems to get their groups centered.


Sarducci pleads his case to the Shoot Boss, BlueFeather, who replies: "No! The furry targets are off limits until hunting season!"
The NRA WC has world class hunting BTW.


The 50 Caliber Shooters Association was hosting their event a half mile away and the distant booming added an eerie edge
to the history presentations. We told about the history of these brave Americans and how they let nothing stand between them
and success, beginning on April 19th, 1775 and the events that occured at Lexington Green, the North Bridge in Concord
and along Battle Road on the way east to Boston. We break these events into what we call the 3 Strikes of the Match.
It took 3 strikes of the match to finally get the fuse lit, which got the Revolutionary War started. It lit on the Third Strike.

NM's State Coordinator twh731 fires off what we call the "First Strike of the Match" during the history presentation.


Stapleguned delivers the "Second Strike of the Match" and on Sunday did some impressive Dangerous Old Men stories.


BlueFeather finishes up with the "Third Strike of the Match".


The lush hi-country target line on Whittington Green.


Turned to this when the afternoon monsoon struck. Ug... Elevations above 10,000' recieved snow.


So it was "quickly" inside to the pavilon where we carried on without missing a beat.
Here ashrn03 instructs the standing position.  We did more instruction, history and then set up targets on the opposite wall
and dry fired for nearly an hour. 
One shot dry fired equals a hundred fired live. When the rain abated, shooters then went back out.
The standing stages were indeed remarkable once we resumed live fire.


Part 2 to follow....

[TaosGlock]

Part 2
Next day dawned cloudy and wet giving a very ethereal look to the Whittington area.
The view from our cabin:


Inside the WC property, Appleseeders can camp in tents, RV's or stay in a variety of cabins. 
All the instructors and 4 of the students rented a wing of the Competitor Cabins below.


Check out your neighbors!


Again, thanks to sarducci, the founders flags fly proud and bold in the breezy New Mexican sky. The monsoon started early noon.


Next day we started in on the reviews.
Sarducci (in Orange Hat) and our newest IIT, Precisely Advantageous (L) start the Sunday safety and instructional reviews.


NM SC twh731 and our other newest IIT, NMMI9100 give the next demo review.
Great job all you guys!


Mark from Taos worked 2 full days with a bolt action tube he had since he was 16.
Never missed a hitch either. Here, he and the other shooters shoot Stage 1 of the AQT.
"Don't forget to let the rifle down every few shots!"
"Squeeeze the trigger only when the sights are on the target!"


Sophia fires the 4th stage of the AQT   "How many rounds on each of the 4 targets?"
"How many NPOA shifts on stage 4?" "Remember, stage 4 counts double!"


In 1818 John Adams wrote a message, for all of us here today.
He said, "Posterity, you will never know the price we paid for your liberty.
I hope you make good use of it. If you do not, I will repent in heaven that I ever took half the pains to preserve it."
I can guarantee you, that here today, we are making John Adams and our founders proud.



Our first Rifleman! Congrats Geneva! And for stepping up to take the Orange Hat!


Our next AQT gave us another Rifleman! Congrats Andy!...who also took the Orange Hat!

Way to go guys! Riflemen, forged on the anvil of the AQT.

The grinding out of the AQT's as ashrn03 watches the local monsoon get closer.
We shot during a light drizzle and wind, but the lightning bolts eventually forced us inside again for safety.
There was an electrical "buzzing" in our electronic ears due to the static from the lightning a mile or so away.


But not before we shot the famous BQT!...shown next to a real AQT.


And with perfect standing form, Brandi delivers lead to Barney relieving him of LDS (lead deficiency syndrone).
From a .22, 800 grains is a normal dose for Barney.


The weather magically cleared allowing for a fantastic group shot.

L-R Standing:Mark from Taos, Ken(taipan) from Colorado Springs, Sophia from Albuquerque, Andy(NITRO45) & Brandi from Denver, Ryan(Precisely Advantageous),
Geneva(freefyrefly) & Jordan all 3 from Albuquerque, Bill from Taos.

L-R Kneeling: David(NMMI9100), Paul(ashrn03), Scott(stapleguned), Gill(BlueFeather) & Dan(TaosGlock), Dutch(sarducci), and our NM SC Tom(twh731).
Our instructors came from Albuquerque, Amarillo, Las Cruces and Taos.

As everyone discovers, the Appleseed Project is an outstanding American Heritage program with a superb marksmanship course.
What a great group of persistent shooters! Our founders would be proud. To honor them is to remember them.
The Appleseed Project will see to that!
We are constantly amazed at the generosity of our people, the diversity of our culture and the gorgeous scenery.
New Mexico truly is: the Land of Enchantement.
It was an honor to work with everyone! Thanks!

[freefyrefly]

WOW!!! GREAT pictures!!!! Already makin me miss it . See everyone in August!!!

[Fred]

   What's wrong with this report, and with the pics?

   Easy! In the Year of Appleseed Promotions, on a firing line with room for 400, there's 8 or ten students!

   Let's ALL be disgruntled about this.

   Let's none of us worry about anything but getting more people out to the next one.

   How many?

   How about 100+? (Yeah, you thought I was gonna say "400", right? I won't stop you, if you want to shoot for that goal. Then you can post, "What's wrong with Fred's post? Yeah, he shoots too low!" )

[Precisely Advantageous]

It was a GREAT shoot! The group we had was very attentive and made the upmost effort to improve themselves and indeed they all succeeded in that.Thanks to all who came out and made it possible, I look forward to the next one. Congrats to Andy and Geneva on making Rifleman...We indeed need more people on the line and more Riflemen next time.

[SamD]

Let's ALL be disgruntled about this.

"Why don't you knock it off with them negative waves? Why don't you dig how beautiful it is out here? Why don't you say something righteous and hopeful for a change" 

[BobABQ]

What a beautiful range! It makes me disappointed that I couldn't have gone.

The Boss and myself are planning to attend the August Appleseed up there unless something hits us out of left field.

It is about time my Wife learns how to shoot correctly.

Maybe she will listen to someone other than me!

[CaptG]

I'm trying to talk my wife into going up for the Sept AS. Get some IITing in for me, get her to finaly attend a shoot and make a mini vacation out of it. The pictures might convince her. Plus in Sept it'll still be hot & humid here but coooool up there.
Guy

[Taipan]

Thanks to all the instructors! I had a great time and learned everything I never knew about shooting. It was an awesome time. I was going to try to go to both Appleseeds in Aug near me (Ramah and Raton) but I may only have time/money for one. I believe I will pick Raton again as I enjoyed it so much.

[Colorado Pete]

Taipan, if you're from Co Springs, there's an Appleseed shoot at a new location much closer to home, east of Fountain at the Frontier Club south range, Aug. 8-9. I'll be IITing there and at the Ramah shoot as well (and maybe at Raton as well).

[Maryetta]

The Appleseed Project now has a designated range at the National Rifle Association's Whittington Center.It's the Coors Range (Below) with a pavilion/conference area that holds nearly 400 people.
Here shooters can meet, receive instruction and escape the weather extremes if needed.

Great DAR!!!!  That's my kinda place - almost like home (not enough trees in the pictures...)!  The shoot and the pictures are great, and two new Riflemen and IITs!! 

You rock in New Mexico!  Great Job folks!  After checking the NM forum (I am a newbie) it appears NM has been Appleseeding for about a year and you have already managed to secure a "NRA" DAR - that's awesome!  As a "newbie" this idea appeals to me much more than building private property DARs all over the country for a couple of reasons; first, it is cheaper than "the property owners", Appleseed, or the RWVA building a range of this quality, and secondly, you have the opportunity to access other shooters as well as all the commercial interests who draw customers from the facility.  The drawbacks of course are the possibility of range fees, preaching to the choir, and the possibility of becoming laxidasial about reaching the couch potatoes that we are sincerely looking for ~ but all of that can be overcome if you folks so choose.  Private DARs are necessary too, don't get me wrong, sometimes that is our only option - but it is sweet to have such a facility and attach The Appleseed Project DAR to it.

Your numbers will rise as you progress and word of mouth testimonials let folks know of your Mission.  While many advocate massive numbers on the firing line, that is only practical and possible if you have the local Shoot Bosses and IIT's to handle the number of shooters, and behind them must be the human structure to support and coordinate them in their obligations and goals.  No mini AS, AS, RBC or IBC happens without a lot of behind the scenes work - we must have the human structure to accomplish this or a few very, very good people with work themselves to death trying to do it alone - and The Appleseed Project will loose in the long run if that happens.

Growth is necessary - and inevitable; but within proportion of what you are capable of handling and still get the job [well] done.

I like the saying: "New Mexico is what America was."  One can attach as much "meaning" to that as they so choose....

Again, great pictures, great DAR, Congratulations to the two new Riflemen/IITs - Keep Up the Good Work!!

[BobABQ]

I like the saying: "New Mexico, what America was."  One can attach as much "meaning" to that as they so choose....

I LIKE that!

Can I use it?

[Maryetta]

You shor' can BobABQ ~ and as it is not "my" phrase anyone can insert any State, County, or Town....  I like it because it says so much about what we are trying to accomplish.  Please notice that I added "is" to the phrase to make it more logical.

[freefyrefly]

It can at times be tough to get people to show up. I believe it was Sam that said to me: for every 100 people you talk to about 10 actually show up. And how right he was! But Albuquerque is a small city of around 500,000 so I know we can do better that 50! So the biggest challenge I see is to expand and reach the people who aren't already into shooting. Because as we all know, its not just about the shooting. But if we all stay positive, excited, passionate, and dedicated I know we can make this thing spread like the virus from hell  Does anyone have ideas about advertising? Like what about a specific account set aside for media advertising? Billboards, radio station ads, I dunno. Just a thought. And if word of mouth is the best we can do, then I think i'll start focusing on talking to EVERYONE i can get to stop and listen. Friendliness and patience could be some of our most valuable assets.

[Fred]

     "Word of mouth" - it's the new "low-tech" way...

     

[Maryetta]

deleted

[SamD]

Maryetta,
You ought to pull that from the AAR section and move it to the SC area, where they can benefit from it for thier local promotions.

Sam

[Taipan]

Taipan, if you're from Co Springs, there's an Appleseed shoot at a new location much closer to home, east of Fountain at the Frontier Club south range, Aug. 8-9. I'll be IITing there and at the Ramah shoot as well (and maybe at Raton as well).

Arggggg I'm working at a Reptile show that weekend. I'm going to really try to get to the Ramah shoot too.

[Maryetta]

Maryetta,
You ought to pull that from the AAR section and move it to the SC area, where they can benefit from it for thier local promotions.

Sam

Ummm, sorry Sam, I have pulled it, but I am unsure if you mean South Carolina or some other SC that I am not making the connection??  Please advise...

Maryetta

[SamD]

No no no.
Not "remove it" but move the post to the SC(State Coordinator) area so they can use it.

Good promo material but the state coordinators need it in their end of the world.   Lots of them are too busy to read all the AARs and sort material out from the day to day drivel we produce.   Need to target posts to the audience that can best use it.

Sam

[Maryetta]

"State Coordinator" area... I don't have access to that area to post it there...

[SamD]

Get with your SC and have them move a copy to that area.

Sam

[Maryetta]

Too late... I already sent it to funfaler and asked him to post it there.  I am already working with him and Scout on another project so he was my first logical choice.

Sorry I misunderstood you about move/remove - so here it is again:

Guide to Being Your Own Free Press

Goals:

Help the media cover the issue by providing the kind of information they need, in the format they need, buttressed by the kind of evidence they need in order to persuade producers and editors.

At the same time, bring the message to as many people as you can yourself. Don't become dependent on someone else's editor to get your story out there.

Tips for maximizing media opportunities

• Know the difference between a news release and an opinion piece. Editors and producers want facts and a frame for why it's relevant. They aren't interested in opinions.

• Delete adjectives. Substitute facts.

- Don't: "The Appleseed Project: a dynamic and important citizens group."
- Do: "The Appleseed Project: a local citizens group that focuses on our American Heritage ............."

• Lead with a strong lead sentence. Don't make busy reporters read all the way through your press release to get the point.

- Skip the "Who What When Where Why" first sentence. Some fossil once taught this technique for press releases, but it went out with polyester suits.
- Don't bore the reporter in your first sentence.

• Press release format:

Contact: (your name, your phone number, your e-mail, your organization)
HEADLINE
Subhead
CITY: date - Strong news-like lead sentence.
(Supporting paragraphs - 400 words or less, be factual and concise, not just your opinion.)

# # # # #

• Faxed news release should fit on one page.

• Don't tease or expect reporters to call you for explanations. Put the information they need in the news release. Cite sources and provide links to government or public records to make your facts easy to verify.

• Focus your news release on specific issues rather than on personalities

• Allow enough lead time:

- Magazines: 3-4 month lead time
- Calendar or Event section of newspaper: 2-3 week lead time
- Community newspaper: 1-2 week lead time
- Daily newspaper: 2-3 day lead time, except breaking news (6-12 hr, lead time).
- Talk show television: May take 1-4 months to get on the show, with repeated contacts. When they decide they want you, it's often with very short notice.
- Talk radio: 1 day to six week lead time
- TV: 1-3 days lead time
- TV news crews can often get there in less than an hour if you have a good breaking story


Keep it up:

• PR is cumulative.

• Get yourself in their Rolodex so they know who to call when a story breaks and they are on deadline. How do you do this? By developing a variety of solid news angles on your topic and putting your name/contact info at the top with a tag line like "Available for interviews on *** topics".

• Do this on every press release and offer many different kinds of story angles, which you feed to the press over a period of time.

Make yourself available:

When called to do a show, don't say: "I'll have to call you back after I check my schedule."

Accept the booking on the spot. Bookers have a slot to fill. Whoever says
"Yes" first usually gets it.

• Check your media matching IQ:
"I would like to have Dr. Laura Schlesinger interview me about our American Heritage because a lot of women listen to her show."

This is an advice show about moral issues. She doesn't interview people about our American Heritage.

"Maybe she might do it just this once, if my story is really, really good? Because I really think her audience is perfect for me."

They aren't going to risk losing ratings or subscribers to cover something that doesn't match their format.

Annoying Dr. Laura's producers is not a good plan. May we suggest these targets instead: All Things Politics (a talk radio show featuring local and national political issues from laws pertaining to our American Heritage). Don't get hung up on a single media outlet. ("Just Get me on Oprah") Repeat exposure is more important. And besides, Oprah usually may not cover this kind of issue.

• Use the Internet, or go to the library and look at Bacon's Media Directory or Burrelle's to find media outlets that match your topic.

Send Materials

"My local media isn't covering this story."

- Have you been sending effective press materials using strong story angles, with tie-ins to current news topics and good story hooks?
- Have you made any phone calls? Phone calls don't replace news releases, but they can tell you if you've even got the right editor or if your hook is a dud. If you make calls, have a good press release ready to go and fax it or e-mail it as soon as they ask for it. Journalists are not going to permit you to dictate the news release on the phone, so have it ready to go and in the format (e-mail or fax) they want.

Show up - On time!

• Did you know that talk show hosts share their guest recommendations at a private online site reserved only for radio hosts? If you no-show, you can be blackballed.

• Broadcast interviewers detest being left with dead air.
Tips for publicizing an event:

• Write a news release before contacting anyone in the media, because they will always ask you to send one to them. Always make sure that there is the name and phone number of at least one (preferably two or three) easily accessible contact person(s) who will be able to reply to media inquiries before, during and after the event.

• Most print and broadcast media these days can be found with a "Google" search on the web. If you prefer, there is a set of reference books in just about every public library called "Standard Rate & Data," which usually has a pretty up-to-date listing of every publication and broadcast outlet in every U.S. city along with the names and phone numbers of editors, news directors, etc. Some libraries have another good set of reference books called "Bacon's."

• After sending the news release (via email, snail-mail or fax), call the person to whom you sent the news release (or ask for the assignment editor or managing editor if you only were able to send the release to a generic news room number).

• Usually you can find out from a Google search which radio stations in an area have local newscasts and locally produced talk and public affairs programs. Offer to be a guest on one of their shows and/or offer to schedule a local voting integrity activist, area politician, etc. Sometimes they will allow phone interviews, but for local events they usually they prefer in-studio interviews.

• You might have to call a radio or TV station to find out who the public affairs director and talk show producers are. Quite often there will be at least one locally produced public affairs program on a National Public Radio outlet.

• No matter what type of broadcast outlet it is, always provide a concise fact sheet (about when and where the event will be) to both the producer and the interviewer as much in advance as possible - and always bring a fresh fact sheet on the day of the interview just in case they claim to have never gotten or misplaced it (or whatever). Usually that information will be placed on a TV station's screen toward the end of the interview, but unless you can actually see the info on the screen (or unless the interview brings it up himself or herself), make sure you mention the event. Interviews sometimes seem to be over in the blink of an eye, so make sure you mention the event if the interviewer hasn't already mentioned the topic.

• If you know about the event long enough in advance, you can write and send brief public service announcements (PSAs) and send them to local radio and cable TV stations. It doesn't matter whether they have a news/talk format.

• Make follow-up calls to the news media at least two days prior to the event. Then call the day before and day of the event (unless the media outlet's editor, etc. tells you not to) and schedule on-site interviews with keynote speakers, panelists, etc.

• Bring extra news releases (along with any other important literature) to give to media folks who come to the event. Don't overwhelm them with too many items, though, because they will have news deadlines to meet.

• If possible, write post-event news releases and accompany them with digital photos

Don't depend on the media: Become the media yourself

• Spread the evidence you find to every blog, listserv, forum you know and throughout your personal network.

• Talk about it at work and to people you meet everywhere.

• Learn to write an effective press release.

• Put messages on:

- Yard signs
- Car windows
- Write them on duct tape and wear them
- Print removable stickers and stick them on things:
- Bathroom door at the gas station.
- On telephone poles in the dead of night
- At bus stops
- On the back of bus seats
- Stick them into your junk mail and send it back via return mail
- Slip them into menus at restaurants
- Leave them in books at the bookstore

• Make magnetic signs for your car

• If you know a trucker, have them put a message in the window as they drive across the county.

• Make a patch and put it on the front of your baseball cap

• Carry a sign and stand in the window outside the Today Show
Show leadership

• Use your real name when you post on Internet message boards about The Appleseed Project

• Stand up for what you believe even if you are told "It will never happen."


BE YOUR OWN HISTORIAN / DOCUMENTARY PRODUCER

Capture Events and People on Film

Get the hard evidence that can stand up in a court of law and preserve the historical truth.

• Document public meetings, our American Heritage recounts, vendors, politicians and anything dealing with The Appleseed Project as it is a piece of history that cannot be rewritten, if you have the truth of what occurred on film.

• Let's get as many citizens as possible get into the habit of documenting on film anything related to The Appleseed Project because it will inspire others to action and will be a reservoir of truth that we can draw from in order to find the best solutions that will preserve our republic:

• Here's a succinct guide, written by a lawyer, which provides some excellent general guidance. Download it, print it out, and keep it with your camcorder: www.krages.com/phoright.htm

General tips:

• Keep your camera's battery charged

• Keep extra blank tapes available

• The goal is to get public officials and vendors on record by asking the right questions and observing what they do.

• Show others what good public servants look like, and document the difficult ones.

• Especially for meetings, prepare ahead of time by writing questions designed to elicit definitive answers regarding voting procedures.

• Avoid over-general questions that lead to speeches, evasion and non-responsiveness.

• If you happen to capture something that has evidence value (which happens more often than you think), be prepared to execute an affidavit and/or testify, if needed.

• Throughout The Appleseed Project cycle concerning political issues and the Second Amendment, capture any part of:

- Public meetings
- Private meetings
- Certification hearings
- Testing
- Ballot preparation
- The Second Amendment related activities by third-party vendors
- Meetings with vendors or public officials
- Early voting
- The Appleseed Project training
- The Appleseed Project equipment and materials transport and handling

•   In relation to voting on Second Amendment issues:
- Voting day activities as related to the Second Amendment and/or taxes
- Vote Counting (all phases including videotaping chain of custody):
Depots and drop-off sites
Spot check audits
Absentee ballot processing
Mid-Second Amendment voting equipment and materials transport and handling
- Explanations of policies and procedures
- Explanations of "glitches"
- Post-Second Amendment canvassing meetings
- Obstructive behavior, intimidation tactics, evasive or non-responsive actions


Tips from a Film Producer:

• When shooting, keep any zooms and camera moves purposeful -- gratuitous zooming and "garden-hosing" makes the video hard to watch, and looks amateurish.

• Let the subject matter guide your moves. Need to see more detail? Zoom in.

• Need to include more of the environment? Zoom out.

• When in doubt, keep the zoom as wide as it will go -- this will also keep your images steadier and is more likely to catch action you'd miss when zoomed in. If you must be discreet (i.e. holding the camera casually without looking through it) keeping the zoom wide will increase your chances of catching the action.

• You'll probably be using your camera's (lousy) built-in microphone to capture audio, so if sound or words are important, stay as close to the subject.

• If you are forcibly discouraged from shooting video, put the lens cap on if you must, and keep the camcorder running to capture audio.

• Don't be confrontational, but whenever possible someone in the background should be ready to shoot any confrontations that may arise between you and anyone trying to prevent you from shooting. The more cameras on the scene, the better.

• Learn how to make digital copies of your tapes -- never let the original tapes out of your hands. If you've captured incriminating evidence, keep your original tapes in a secure or non-obvious location.

• When you remove a recorded tape from the camcorder, be sure to write-protect the cassette immediately, to prevent its accidentally being recorded over. On Mini-DV tapes, there's a shutter on the back edge of the cassette that you slide OPEN. On 8mm/Hi-8 tapes, you slide the shutter CLOSED. On VHS tapes there's a plastic tab that you pry out and discard.

• Without fail, label each tape with the subject, the date, and your phone number, and indicate whether the tape is an original or a copy.

• If your tapes should get confiscated you may still be able to shoot low-quality MPEG video on your camcorder's memory card, if it has one (get the biggest card you can afford). This may be better than nothing.

• Get familiar with your camera and practice its use beforehand. In the heat of battle there will be little opportunity to read the manual! Too much trouble? Weigh the tradeoffs, and then decide.

Questions to ask to "Be the Media":

• Are there any other locations besides this where potential shooters/Riflemen can be found?

• When is the next small Appleseed Shoot, election or decision?

• Will there be absentee voting? Who will the ballot printer be? Where will they be processed for mailing? Sorting? Counting?

• Where is the central tabulator room? Are citizens allowed to watch the tallying?

• Where are voting machines kept?

• What staff members touch your voting machines before, during and after a vote to legislate our Second Amendment rights and/or raise taxes-health impact fees?

• Does the vendor help with establishing these laws? What are the names of the vendor techs?

More resources: Democracy for America has produced an excellent online course to access the media: http://tools.democracyforamerica.com/nightschool