Hello Fellow ORPA Members !

I want to wish all of you the best for the coming year. 2012 is off and running.

On the drawing board is a CMP Highpower Marksmanship Clinic for 2013. Due to the reconstruction of the pits on Rodriguez Range at Camp Perry, dates and ranges are limited for this year, so we need to look ahead. We will be looking for volunteers to provide one-on-one coaching for the clinic as well as assistance by volunteers on the firing line and in the pits. As our schedule permits, we are tentatively looking at Father's Day weekend 2013, the same weekend as our Bob Wright Long Range match. Please keep this weekend open to help with our clinic.

We have also just been notified that the last weekend in June is not available at Camp Perry this year. This is the weekend that we usually hold our State Championship Highpower match and a second EIC match. Accordingly, our Highpower schedule for 2012 Has been changed and these matches will be held June 30 & July 1. Please check back on the website at www.orpa.net and watch your GUNSMOKE for further details regarding this year's schedule.

The NRA Annual Meetings are scheduled in St. Louis, Missouri this year April 13 - 15 and This is not too far to consider attending. If you missed last year's meetings in Pittsburgh, try to attend this year's in St. Louis.

Buckeye Firearms Association has asked for our support in an effort they are making to have ODNR allow rifles in currently legal PISTOL cartridge calibers for deer hunting in Ohio. The state of Indiana adopted this change several years ago and the BFA feels that it is time for Ohio to follow suit. The trustees will discuss this at our next meeting on January 29. If you or your club is interested in supporting this change, please contact: Dan Allen, 82 Commodore St. Newark, Ohio 43055 Home: 614-559-3831 Cell: 740-641-3469, email- dallenp89@gmail.com . Your support is needed before the ODNR holds it regional meetings in early March.

I want to continue to encourage you to make every attempt to get your spouses and youth involved in the shooting sports. We need to make every effort to make the shooting sports a family affair, not just the good ol' boys club. Come out and attend our shooter appreciation cookout on the Sunday of Memorial Day weekend. Attend one of our matches for rifle or pistol and bring a friend. A good place to start may be the Friends of Camp Perry Pop-Up Shoot the Saturday before Easter. The date will be April 7 with registration starting at 8:00 am and shooting at 9:00 am. The shoot will be 40 shots at 40 silhouette targets with pistol, at distances from 10 to 30 meters. It will be held on the Combat Pistol Range at Camp Perry which is located behind the CMP Air Rifle Range. It's fun, challenging and inexpensive.

This year the Trustees have decided to keep the one-day format for our Annual Meeting for your association and would like to ask if any club would be interesting in hosting the meeting to be held on November 10, 2012. Our meeting begins with committee meetings at about 10:00 am and is followed by a lunch. The Annual meeting of members is at 2:00 pm followed by a Trustees Meeting. Dinner is at 6:00 pm preceded by a social hour. If your club has a facility capable of handling about 40 people and would like to host the meeting, the Trustees would much rather benefit one of our clubs for preparing the meals and hosting the meeting than separate businesses in some location. This would be a good opportunity for your officers to get to know us and for us to know a little bit more about our member clubs. Please contact Gwen Bailey at gwen175@neo.rr.com if your club is interested.

I also want to remind clubs that the ORPA makes 2 gift memberships available to each member club to use as awards, prizes or giveaways each year. All that is required is to request such gift membership on club letterhead. I urge you to use these as recognition awards, match prizes, etc. It's free to the club and a $25 value to the recipient. It's hard to find a less expensive award.

I also want to remind you of the Buckeye Bash sposored by Buckeye Firearms on February 12. It will be held during the Second Amendment Firearms Conference and Expo at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Dublin, Ohio. The keynote Speaker will be former NRA President Sandra Froman. For more info see www.buckeyefirearms.org or look for the info elsewhere in this issue of GUNSMOKE.

Until next time,

Gwen Bailey, President
gwen175@neo.rr.com

gwen175@neo.rr.com