Issue #1, Volume #1 Fifty Caliber Institute Newsletter
The latest on legislative news and events in the fifty caliber World By:      The staff at FCI and selected contributors

    Hopefully, this is the 1st of many newsletters. The staff at the Fifty Caliber Institute wanted to improve on our "Email Alert" system in an effort to bring you current information that will keep you abreast of what is happening to protect your right to own and shoot your .50 BMG target rifle and any developments that will affect your right to enjoy the fifty caliber sports. Our newsletter affords us the ability to do that better and to better serve you.

    Our mission is to consolidate all owners of the 50 BMG target rifle into one collective group so when we speak to a group of legislators, we speak as a united voice. We represent you. As you all know, the 50 BMG has been under fire by the anti-gunners since Dianne Feinstein introduced her bill in the US Senate in 1998. This is not going to stop and we all need to stay informed on what the issues are. At FCI we want our newsletter to be one of those tools you can put in your bag of tricks to help us in this fight.

    We will not spam you, although we intend to use our newsletter to make you aware of our current fund raising events. Most of the information we pass on to you will be fifty caliber related, but there will be times when we bring to your attention information you need to know regarding other aspects of the shooting sports. We work very closely with other organizations such as NRA; 2nd Amendment Foundation; California Rifle and Pistol Assn and many others. Many times the work they are doing on other bills will have a direct effect on our rights. When that happens we will try to provide you with the information you need to be aware of.

    We also want to invite those of you who might want to submit comments for publication in this forum to do so. As Editor of the newsletter, it will be my job to accept or reject any article that you might want to publish. But we encourage you to respond and give us your opinion. Hopefully we will have a small group of regular contributors to keep your interest. For those of you who don't wish to publish under your own name, if you meet our criteria we will allow you to publish under an assumed name to protect your identity. Contact me at (405) 769-7851 or email me at: info@fiftycal.org for more info. All articles submitted will be accepted or rejected by the Editor.

    One of the things we'd like to hear from you about is your opinion about the newsletter. Is it a good idea? Is it too long or too short? Your feedback is valuable. info@fiftycal.org

Legislation:     The most current attack on the rights of fifty caliber shooters again comes from the state of California. As many of you are aware the California Attorney General, Bill Lockyer has requested the Department of Justice to hold hearings related to language changes in the CA Assault Weapons statutes that may directly affect some types of 50 BMG target rifles that were legally registered under the provisions of AB-50 passed in 2004.     FCI has written a strong letter opposing proposed changes to the language and intent of California's Assault Weapons Ban. Our letter to the CA Dept of Justice (DOJ) can be read on our web site at: http://www.fiftycal.org     The letter and editorial are too lengthy to reprint here, but if you go to our web site and read the letter you can become familiar with the problem.     Since our letter to CA DOJ was originally sent out as an "Email Alert" we have received a lot of comment back. One thing that is troubling to me is the number of people in states other than California who have expressed the attitude, "they are getting what they deserve". One person from Texas even asked to be unsubscribed because "He doesn't live in California"! Well I got news for you, if it's happening in CA, it's just a matter of time before it's going to happen in my state and yours. As most of you know Teri & I moved out of California three years ago because of their draconian gun laws. But that doesn't mean we've forgotten about our brothers & sisters in that great state.     If we are going to beat this disease that is spreading like a cancer across our country we have to stick together and "nobody gets left behind"! When California is in trouble, we're all in trouble regardless where we live. Coming Battles:     Right now we are in the middle of an election cycle that is keeping the anti-gun politicians down so their constituents don't find out exactly where they stand. However, our fights will start again right after the election in November and if the democrats win as many seats across the country as they predict, our battles at the beginning of the legislative season next year will be reminiscent of the Clinton years.     Congress is on their summer recess right now and something we can all do is recommended by NRA at:     http://www.nraila.org/CurrentLegislation/Read.aspx?ID=2381     There are a number of other pro-gun bills pending in Congress that require your action. With the House out for its "Summer District Work Period," your U.S. Representative will be back home in his or her respective district. Please contact your Representative's district offices and urge your Representative to cosponsor and support these measures, and to bring these bills up as soon as possible when they return to Washington. You can also contact your Representative at (202) 225-3121. In addition, please call your U.S. Senators at (202) 224-3121, and urge them to cosponsor and support these measures. Additional contact information can be found using the "Write Your Representatives" feature at www.NRAILA.org.     The fifty caliber community will be engaged in battles in the states of New York and in Illinois next year. We are taking the steps now to build our support in both those states to prevent another California style AB-50. We will keep you up to date as things develop.

FCSA World Championships 2006:     If you were not able to attend this years 50 caliber World Championships in Raton, NM you might want to put it on your agenda for next year. Everyone who attended (190 guns signed up) enjoyed themselves and came away with a feeling of having had a great time and good shooting. We experienced a wide range of weather which isn't unusual for that time of year in the higher elevations of NM. We had predominantly good shooting conditions in the mornings but the wind would build until near the end of the day almost anything could happen. Raton is at 6320 feet of elevation and those thunder storms would build throughout the day to come pouring down in early afternoon. We finished shooting twice in the rain.     The overall match winner was Lee Rasmussin. The World Championships this year brought together all the top shooters from across this great country, but it turned out to be a shootout between Lee Rasmussin (photo on L, taken by Brett Berger) from WA who placed 1st in the "Iron Man" 4 gun aggregate to beat Mark Avakian (photo on the r, taken by Brett Berger) from AZ who finished close behind in 2nd. Wow, what a shoot-out!! They both are incredible shooters and it was fun to sit there for 4 days and just watch them shoot it out. We didn't know until the scores were announced who had actually won. Congratulations to both of them for a great performance.     Watching the demonstration of professional shooting between competitors like Lee and Mark is fun. It's a pleasure just being there and watching it happen and being able to walk away with the memory of having participated. I know a lot of the people I talked to feel the same way. As Skip Talbot would say, "We've come a long way from that 1st match in Lodi, Wisconsin" those many years ago. We have a lot to be proud of and every member of the Fifty Caliber Shooter's Association needs to pat himself/herself on the back for our accomplishments. Those of us who were not able to attend or who chose not to attend missed a great spectacle. I was honored and I look forward to next years contest.     I had the privilege of being assigned a shooting bench between Lee Rasmussin on my right and Scott Nye on my left. Both of these guys are previous winners of the World Championship and I had help from Mark Avakian at night to discuss shooting technique and reloading practices. Ken Johnson was working the firing line and just talking to these guys for the four days of competition helped me improve my shooting a lot. I haven't had the time to get a lot of "trigger Time" in the past few years and trigger time is very important. However, going to the World Championships and being able to pick the brains of some of the best shooters in the world helps a lot. Learning from guys who are better than you and to see the changes we've all made in technology over the year, improving your game and having a good time while you do it. For those of you who do not attend because you feel you are not "competitive enough", that is not true. I have never seen a fifty caliber shooter go to the 1,000 yd line to compete who was not satisfied at the end of his match. Try it, you'll like it!!     Some of the prizes won this year included an EDM Arms Mdl. 96 bolt action rifle and a Serbu .50 caliber carbine. There was a drawing for a nice bore scope and everyone who competed had an opportunity to go to the prize table to select a prize to take home. Many of the prizes were very expensive, like the certificate I received for a 50 BMG reamer by Pacific Tool and Gauge Co. and the stainless steel 50 BMG rifle barrel from Dan Pederson's Classic Barrel & Design in AZ. Others won similar prizes for their efforts in competition.

New South Central Shooting Club     I also wanted to make everyone aware there is a new fifty caliber shooting club that has been formed up in the South Central part of the United States. Reid Woodward (AR), who is a good friend and also a member of the Board of Directors of the Fifty Caliber Shooters Ass., Inc. (FCSA) has formed up a club that covers the region of Arkansas; Oklahoma; Texas; Missouri; Louisiana and Alabama. He calls the club the South Central Shooting Club (SCSC) and his Vice President is Bryan McCann in LA. Barry Hamilton (TX) and Don Heidbriar (TX) are the Secretary / Treasurer respectively. I mention this because they are now hosting two formal shoots each year in Waco, TX at a 1000 yd range down there. I've attended both matches held so far and had just a great time. If you live in that region you might want to contact those guys and join their club. They are a great bunch of people who are promoting our sport aggressively. South Central Shooting Club (SCSC) PO Box 6546 Kingwood, TX 77325-6546     We can email you a copy of their membership application by contacting us at: info@fiftycal.org

Help Support FCI The Fifty Caliber Institute is a non-profit organization. Unlike many other pro-gun efforts, we have not been funded by any of the major organizations in the Second Amendment arena. We are built on dedication to the cause, hard work, and a belief in the importance of our cause. We have been very successful in defending the rights of sportsmen, hunters, recreational shooters and those who simply believe that Constitutional rights are not up for grabs every time a politician has a new idea for America. We look to you for support. Together we can preserve the greatest American tradition and our most sacred rights. Thank you in advance for your kind and generous help in this ongoing fight. http://www.fiftycal.org/support.php

FCI Fundraisers: Barrett Firearms Model 99-.416 caliber Bolt action rifle (scope Included) $25 a chance or $100 for 5 chances to win This drawing will be held on Sept 13th The anniversary of the date Gov, Schwarzenegger signed AB-50 in California.
TNW M3-HB Semi-auto Belt fed .50 BMG (M-63 mount included) $25 a chance or $100 for 5 Chances to win This drawing will be held on December 22nd just in time for Xmas.