Smith Mountain Lake Pistol Shooting Association (SMLPSA) General Membership Meeting September 27, 2017 Minutes President Peter Fisette called the meeting to order at 7:00PM. The meeting agenda was distributed to the membership by email and was also available at the meeting as a print out. The Secretary s Report and the Treasurer s Report were also available at the meeting as print outs. Roll Call SMLPSA Officers President Peter Fisette, Treasurer Gary Kalagian and Secretary Giff Swayne were present. Vice President Ben Loya was unable to attend. In all 19 members and 3 executive officers were present for a total of 22. Since a quorum was not achieved a motion to waive the requirement was made, seconded and passed unanimously. President Fisette noted Ben Loya is ill and will most likely not be able to return to duty as Vice President. Reading of Minutes from Last Annual Meeting Secretary Swayne read the minutes from the General Membership meeting held on November 30, 2016. He asked if anyone had any comments or corrections. There were none. Motion to Accept the Minutes A Motion was made and seconded to approve the 2016 minutes as read and they were unanimously approved. Secretary s Report Mr. Swayne presented the Secretary s 2017 report. At the time of the meeting membership stood at 173 which is down 56 from last year however last year s meeting was held much later in the fall so many more renewals were captured in the numbers. It is believed that many more renewals will come in over the next month.
The membership break down was reported as follows; 67 LIFE/Full, 20 LIFE/Annual, 34 Discounted Regular Range Users, 19 Full Price Occasional Range Users and 33 Associate Member Range Users. Mr. Swayne also reminded members that membership renewals not received before December 31 would be subject to a $25.00 late fee. Motion to Accept the Secretary s Report A Motion was made and seconded to approve the minutes as presented and was unanimously approved. Treasurer s Report Gary Kalagian presented the Treasurer s report. Mr. Kalagian reviewed the profit and loss statement and the balance sheet. Copies of those are attached to these minutes. A question was asked about the Trust Account. It is generated as a function of the discounted range cards and is used as an untouchable account. A question is asked about why we have a computer at the range with no internet capability, why don t we turn it into cash? Peter explained that the laptop is of no value and was a donation made long ago. The laptop is so old it is now out of date. The computer kept at President Fisette s home is club property and it is used to conduct club business. The range Report was reviewed. Range use has dropped dramatically. There was some discussion as to why this is the case. The shorter hours during the summer months when the lake population is high, the restrictions on the types of rounds that can be fired and competition from the new range in Roanoke were all mentioned. It was agreed that further discussion would be held during the President s Report and the Open Discussion later in the meeting. Motion to Accept the Treasurer s Report A motion was made and seconded to approve the Treasurer s Report. The motion was approved unanimously. Tax Accountant s Year End Tax Filling Report and Inventory Audit ( Tom Tanner) Tom was not able to attend the meeting but he will still prepare the taxes for the club. This year because we exceeded $50,000 in gross sales we will have to file a bit more complicated form but no tax liability is expected. Motion to Accept Tax Filing Report A motion was made and seconded and was approved. President s Statement Peter discussed the annual lease for the club s use of the range which is usually renewed in October. The issue of using additional types of firearms at the range is a topic of discussion. Because of some new ranges (Safe Side Tactical for example) in the area that allow different firearms and rounds to be fired some felt that they may have a negative impact on our range usage. Peter has spoken with 4-H about the idea and safety was their
primary concern. There is a new ballistic curtain that eliminates the risk of higher pressure rounds escaping the building. The other issue is damage to the baffles, lights and the building. Solutions are being suggested and 4-H will consult with NRA engineers to see if they agree with the proposals. It is possible that if approved shotguns (buck shot only is the idea) and ARs could be allowed. A discussion about the idea that bird shot would be less likely to cause damage as opposed to buck shot took place. Also the issue of ARs and the increased noise shooters in other lanes would experience was discussed as a possible problem. Peter suggested that perhaps gun specific events that would be AR only or shotgun only could be a solution. It was discussed, that if AR15 s are allowed, then they would be limited to the.223/5.56 cartridge only. Range maintenance is becoming an issue. For example growth on the berm needs to be taken care of soon. Some saplings are of a size that they could cause round to fragment. Perhaps a Range maintenance day is in order to clear the berm and address some other maintenance issues is a good idea. 4-H will be obligated to dig the berm to remove lead due to the years and volume of shooting at some point in the future. Liability insurance has been paid and the NRA membership is current. Peter s NRA credentials were renewed by the club since he is the CRSO and everything at the club is his responsibility. Peter reported that there has been very little interest in CCW classes due in part to online offerings that are cheaper but do not include live fire and are somewhat lacking in content as compared to Peter s classes. Ammo has been renewed and is competitively priced within reason. Obviously we can t compete with large internet retailers but having the ammo at the range is a matter of convenience for the members. The FFL averages about $1600 per year of income for the club (based on 4 years of history). This has replaced the need for gun raffles that used to be held. Motion to Accept President s Statement A motion was made and seconded to accept the President s Statement. The motion was unanimously approved. Vice President s Statement No statement due to Ben s health issue. Discussion of Gift to 4-H and Change of Use for Club President Fisette proposed an approximate $3000 donation to provide for steel plates on the baffles at the back of the range (the last 3 rows) should shotguns and ARs rifles be allowed. He also advised that in his discussion with 4-H Management, they raise the remaining ceiling baffles and lights by 18 to prevent further significant damage.
Discussion of SMLPSA s renewal of its FFL with BATFE The Club s FFL was renewed in 2017. Floor is Opened For Discussion In an effort to increase range membership and usage several ideas were raised. These included more local advertising in businesses and if possible in the form of an article about the Range/Club in the Smith Mountain Eagle. Also the need for a new brochure was mentioned. Peter remarked that the software used to produce the brochure is out of date and needs to be replaced in order to produce a new useful brochure. The cost of new software will be investigated. Perhaps inviting other clubs like Roanoke to come here for a match would be a good way for more people to learn about our facility and perhaps improve membership and range usage. It was agreed that this would be investigated. There was also a discussion about allowing use of holsters by those who are certified by IDPA or some similar organization. Again perhaps a specific holster event only evening would help. As always safety is the primary concern. But if restricted to shooters who have IDPA, Cowboy Action or similar certifications and if only allowed at specific shooting events which would be well monitored it could be approved. It was suggested that perhaps some Ladies Events would be fruitful. A program aimed at women who might otherwise feel intimidated shooting at the range could introduce the club and the enjoyment of target shooting to ladies in the community. The idea will be considered. A discussion of the proposed National Hearing Protection Act was held. A Bill is somewhere in Congress however given the current political environment it is unclear if it will ever come to the floor this year. President Fisette noted suppressed pistols are welcome at the range. Someone asked if Range time fees should be increased to from $8 to $10 since we are losing money due to lower range usage? It was pointed out that our costs to support RSOs and open the range don t change and with lower range usage the club loses money. Some feel that raising range time fees could hurt range usage even more. What about corporate sponsorships or range advertisement as a way to offset costs? Peter will discuss the idea with 4-H. The raffle of the Kentucky Rifle was held. Ed Gillispie won the rifle. Congratulations to Ed on winning a beautiful rifle!
Meeting was adjourned at 8:27 Respectfully submitted, William Giff Swayne SMLPSA Secretary