Meeting Dates
The dates for the meetings coming up are October 6 and November 3. The October meeting will be the nomination of next years officers. The November meeting will be the election of next years officers and the trophy presentation. Remember that the meeting is the first Friday of each month thru November. I encourage all members to come out to the meetings. If you have any friends that would like to join, please bring them so they can see what goes on. I hope to see each one of you there!
New By-laws
The proposed new by-laws will be presented for voting at the October meeting. According to the old by-laws, the membership must be given a copy of the proposed by-laws at least 15 days before the vote. This is your notice and the proposed by-laws are included in this newsletter. Please come to the meeting to vote on these.
Article I- Name
The name of this organization shall be “The Laredo Rifle and Pistol Club”.
Article II- Purpose
The purpose of this organization shall be the encouragement of organized rifle, pistol, and shotgun shooting among citizens of the United States resident in our community, with a view toward a better knowledge on the part of such citizens of the safe handling and proper care of firearms, as well as improved marksmanship. It shall be our further objective and purpose to forward the development of the characteristics of honesty; good fellowship; self discipline; team play; and self reliance which are the essentials of good sportsmanship and the foundation of true patriotism.
Article III- Membership
(1) Full Membership: Any citizen of the United States 21 years of age or older may become a full member
of this organization on the vote of the Executive Committee after completing and signing the
application form; paying the annual dues; and subscribing to the following pledge:
The NRA Pledge
I CERTIFY that I am a citizen of good repute of the United States of America; that I am not a member of any organization or group having as its purpose or one of its purposes the overthrow by force and violence of the Government of the United States or any of its political subdivisions; that I have never been convicted of a crime of violence; and that, if admitted to membership, I will fulfill the obligations of good citizenship.
(2) Junior Membership: Any citizen of the United States 12 - 20 years of age on the vote of the Executive
Committee after comp1eting and signing the application form; paying the annual dues; and subscribing
to the NRA Pledge above. Junior memberships are considered limited and the following rules apply: a)
No voting rights. b) Junior members may not hold office; c) Range use is allowed for junior members
age 14 -20 years using long guns only; d)Junior members age 12 and 13 may only use the range when
accompanied by an adult; e) Junior members age 12 - 20 must have direct supervision by their parent
or guardian when shooting a handgun.
Note: Any member is subject to expulsion for violating these range usage rules or any other safety rules of the club. This is mandatory in order to provide our members a safe shooting environment. Such expulsion shall follow the guidelines listed in Article VIII.
Article IV — Dues
(a) The member’s annual dues payable to the club shall be as listed in the accompanying schedule, (see
section (c) below), and must be paid as the membership application is turned in. These dues are
subject to revision annually by the Executive Committee. Annual dues are for the calendar year
(January 1- December 31). Club gate locks are changed after the 1st annual General Members
meeting (1st Friday of February).
(b) No member of the club that is unpaid and has not re-applied for membership by the 1st Friday of February shall be eligible to vote or enjoy any other privileges or benefits offered by this club until such member re-applies and pays dues.
(c) Schedule of Dues (2007 Year)
Regular Full Membership $75.00
Law Enforcement Full Membership $55.00
Senior Full Membership (62 and older) $37.50
*Junior Members Age 12 -20 $37.50
**CHL Class 1st Year Only Discounted Membership . $37.50
(*) (**)No voting rights
(d) The only dues that may be refunded will be those paid by membership applicants who are refused
membership by the Executive Committee within a reasonable time after their application. Under no
circumstances will any other dues be refunded.
(e) Membership cards are not transferable and gate keys must never be loaned for any reason. Only keys
turned in to the Secretary as inoperable or broken may be replaced without charge. The cost to a
member of replacing a key that is “lost or stolen” is $75.00. Repeated requests for key replacement will
be regarded as suspect and may not be granted.
Article V — Meetings
(a) Annual Meeting. The annual meeting of this club shall be held on the first Friday of October in each
year. A nominating Committee of five (5) members, none of which shall be club officers, shall be
appointed by the President at least thirty (30) days prior to the annual meeting. This Nominating
Committee shall present its nominations for club officers at the annual meeting, and all other
nominations from the floor shall then be accepted. Club officers elected at the annual meeting shall take
office on January first of each year. If the annual meeting shall not take place at the time fixed it shall be
held within a reasonable time thereafter, and the officers shall hold over until their successors shall
have been elected.
(b) Regular Meetings. The regular business meeting of the club for the transaction of ordinary business
shall be held on the first Friday of each month from February through November. The meeting shall be
held at the range or another location if necessary due to circumstances as determined by the Executive
Committee. Meeting time is 7:00 P.M.
(c) Special Meeting. A special meeting of the club may be held at any time upon the call of the President
or upon the call of the Executive Committee, or upon demand in writing, stating the object of the
proposed meeting, and signed by not less than 20 % of the members entitled to vote. Notice of the
time, place and object of any special meeting shall be given all officers and members in good standing
in writing by United States mail not less than seven days prior to the date fixed for the holding of the
meeting. The place of such special meeting shall be fixed by the Executive Committee.
(d) Fifteen members of the club entitled to vote shall constitute a quorum at any meeting. A quorum,
however, is not required in order to have a regular meeting. It is only required to vote on actions that
require club votes.
Article VI — Officers
(a) The officers of this club shall be: President; Vice-President; Secretary; Treasurer; Chief Instructor;
and Executive Officer who, acting together shall constitute the Executive Committee. They shall be
elected by a majority vote, by ballot, of the members in good standing present at the annual meeting
of the club. They shall hold offices for one year or until their successors are elected.
(b) Officers’ prerequisites are as follows: President and Vice President-must have been active members
of this Club for at least 3 consecutive years prior to taking office and must have attended greater than
50% of meetings in the election year. Secretary and Treasurer-must have been active Club members
at least 2 consecutive years prior to taking office and must have attended 50% of meetings in the
election year. Chief Instructor and Executive Officer-must have been Club members 1yr. prior to
taking office and must have attended four meetings in the election year. (c) The Executive Committee
shall have general supervision and control of the activities of the club.
(d) Meetings of the Executive Committee shall be held regularly at such time and place as the Committee
may determine. Special meetings may be held at any time on the call of the President or on demand,
in writing to the Secretary, by three members of the Committee.
(d) Four members of the Committee shall constitute a quorum at Executive Committee meetings.
(e) Resignation of any officer may be accepted by a majority vote of the remaining members of the
Executive Committee.
(f) A vacancy in the Executive Committee may be filled by a majority vote of the remaining members of
the Committee. However, if more than one vacancy exists, a special meeting of the club shall be
called and new officers shall be elected to fill the vacancies until the date of the next annual meeting as
provided in Article V, paragraph (a) above.
(g)The officers of this club shall maintain individual membership in the National Rifle Association for their
tenure in office.
(h) No officer will be monetarily compensated for his service to the club other than complimentary full
membership given to elected Club officers per the following schedule: *
President: 2 years over free service year.
Vice President 1 year over free service year.
Secretary: 2 years over free service year.
Treasurer: 1 year over free service year.
Chief Instructor: 1 year over free service year.
Executive Officer: 1 year over free service year.
Match coordinators free for service year only.
*Existing past presidents which are considered to have lifetime free memberships are “grandfathered” in such that their privileges will not change.
Article VII — Duties of the Officers
(a) President: The President shall preside at all meetings of the club and of the Executive Committee. He
shall be a member ex-officio of all regular and special committees, and shall perform all such other
duties as usually pertain to his office.
(b) Vice-President: The Vice-President shall perform the duties of the President in his absence or at his
request.
(c) Secretary: The Secretary shall conduct all official correspondence pertaining to the preparation and
forwarding of all reports required of the club. He shall notify the members of the Executive Committee
of all meetings and shall notify all members of annual and special meetings, as required in Article V. He
shall keep a true record of all meetings of the Executive Committee and of the club and have the
custody of the books and papers of the club, except the Treasurer’s books of account. All applications
for membership in the club shall be made to the Secretary. He shall be responsible for the collection of
all fees and dues and shall remit the same to the Treasurer, taking his proper receipt therefor.
(d) Treasurer: the Treasurer shall have charge of all funds of the club and place the same in such bank
or banks as may be approved by the Executive Committee. Such money shall only be withdrawn by
check signed by the Treasurer and for the payment of such bills as shall have been approved by the
Executive Committee. The Treasurer shall keep an accurate account of all his transactions and render
a detailed report with vouchers at any meeting of the Executive Committee when requested and an
annual report to the organization at its annual meeting.
(e) Chief Instructor: The instructor shall have charge of all small arms instruction with authority to appoint
his assistants. He shall contract no bills without the authorization of the Executive Committee.
(F) Executive Officer: The Executive Officer shall have charge of the ranges of the club, the printing of
scorecards, the arranging of competitions, etc. He shall contract no bills without the authorization of
the Executive Committee.
(g) The Executive Committee is responsible for developing an annual budget for all regular and expected
Club expenditures and submitting it to the General Membership no later than the regular March
meeting for approval or rejection in total. If the budget is rejected, a revision must be passed in the
following April meeting. The Committee may spend up to $300 total per month for any combination of
non-budgeted or under-budgeted items without Club review. This budget may be amended only once
during any fiscal year upon majority vote of the Club during any regular meeting. Special expenditures
outside the above developed framework must pass unanimous Club vote during a regular meeting.
Club Asset Protection Clause
Neither the Executive Committee, nor any member thereof, nor any shooting or event coordinator, nor any regular Club member, has the authority to acquire; alter; trade; or dispose of any Club asset without prior Club approval by majority vote at a regular Club meeting. The same rule applies for any binding contract/s that create Club Liabilities.
Article VIII — Suspension or Expulsion
(a) Any officer may be removed by a two-thirds vote of the members in good standing present at any
special meeting called for this purpose. No vote on suspension or removal may be taken unless at
least fifteen days’ notice in writing shall have been given to the officer of the reasons for his removal
and of the time and place of the special meeting at which such ballot on his suspension or removal is to
be taken. At such special meeting the officer shall be given a full hearing.
(b) Any member may be suspended or expelled from the club for any cause deemed sufficient by the
Executive Committee by a two-thirds affirmative vote of the Committee members present at
any regular or special meeting. No vote on suspension or expulsion may be taken unless at
least fifteen days’ notice in writing shall have been given to the member of the charges
preferred and the time and place of the meeting of the Executive Committee at which such
charges will he considered. At such meeting the member under charges will be accorded a full
hearing.
(c) Charges against any officer or member may be preferred by any member in good standing. They shall
be in writing clearly stating the facts relied upon and accompanied by all affidavits or exhibits, which
are to be used in their support. Such charges shall be filed with the Secretary, who will immediately
notify the President. The President will call a meeting of the Executive Committee to hear the charges.
The Secretary will give at least fifteen days’ notice of the meeting to each member of the Executive
Committee and to the accuser and the accused, which notice shall be in writing and will include a true
copy of the charges and of the supporting affidavits and exhibits.
(d) Any member suspended or expelled by the Executive Committee may appeal to the full membership
of the club. Such appeal shall be made in writing to the Secretary who will notify the President. The
President will call a special meeting of the club for the purpose of acting on the appeal. The Secretary
shall give at least fifteen days’ notice in writing to all members of the club in good standing stating the
date, time, place and reason for such special meeting. At the meeting of the full club the Secretary will
read the original charges, the supporting affidavits, and will read or display the accompanying exhibits
and will read the minutes of the special meeting of the Executive Committee at which the charges were
heard and action taken. A full hearing will be given the accuser and the accused. A vote will be taken
by ballot of the members in good standing present and a two-thirds vote shall be required to reverse
the action of the Executive Committee.
Article IX — Match Rules
All rifle, shotgun and revolver or pistol competitions held by the club will be governed by the rules and regulations of the National Rifle Association of America, approved by the National Board for the Promotion of Rifle Practice and the Secretary of the Army. All Cowboy Action Shoots will be governed by the rules of the Single Action Shooting Society (SASS).
Article X —Amendments
Proposed amendments to these By-laws may be introduced by any member of the Club at any regular meeting or special meeting called for the purpose. Such proposed amendment/s must be analyzed by the Executive Committee prior to the next regular Club meeting as to their possible and/or expected effects. A report of the analyses and the Executive Committee’s recommendations will be sent to the Club members by e-mail or U. S. Mail at least 10 days prior to the next regular meeting. The Club will then vote on the amendment/s. A two-thirds vote of the members present will be required to pass it/them.
I hereby certify that these bylaws have been adopted by this Club.
_________________________________
President’s Signature Date
________________________________
Secretary’s Signature Date
The by-laws committee has invested unknown hours in coming up with these by-laws and should be thanked by all members for their hard work!
Synopsis of Changes
1) Article II - Purpose:
a. Title changed from Object to Purpose. Reason — grammatical clarity.
b. Line # 3: Delete “or legal aliens” 1
c. Line # 5: Delete “persons” and replace with “citizens” meaning United States Citizens only2
2) Article III - Membership:
a. Line # 1: “or legal alien” deleted ~
Reason: The NRA Pledge is exactly that, The NRA ‘s Pledge. It is a copywrited document that belongs legally in its exact verbiage to the NRA. Any addition or deletion to it, besides being illegal, makes it something other than what its name says it is and is improper.
b. Line # 3: “on the vote of the Executive Committee” replaced.
Reason: A responsible Executive Committee should review membership applications for completeness and compliance to our club by-laws as well as existing state and federal laws. This allows us an opportunity to prevent undesirables from slipping into our ranks and using our facilities for questionable purposes.
c. Both full and junior memberships are noted and the accompanying limitations on junior memberships are well defined. These limitations follow the generally accepted prudence of legalities of our current societal mores. It should be noted that while our beloved and esteemed brave soldiers/recruits may use pistols while on military ranges, there use of them anywhere else must be under the supervision of their direct first line commanders (which are seldom at our club).
Note: The expulsion notice after the junior membership paragraph had added to it a warning of expulsion for violating the defined “usage” rules as well as “safety rules” since they go hand-in-hand in purpose and desired effect.
1 Refer to the Discussion of Resident Alien Gun Rights Verification under item 7 pg. 2
2 Refer to the Discussion of Resident Alien Gun Rights Verification under item 7 pg. 2
3 Refer to the Discussion of Resident Alien Gun Rights Verification under item 7 pg. 2
3) Article V - Dues:
a. Some wording changes without any meaning changes.
b. Addition of a schedule of dues that has been in use but never documented properly. This schedule is subject to change annually and is the only item in these by-laws intended as such.
4) Article V - Meetings:
a. Section B: Meeting time is changed from 8:00 P.M. to 7:00 P.M.
b. Section D: Voting quorum is increased from 10 members to 15 members.
5) Article VI — Officers:
a. Section (i): Added that no officer will receive monetary compensation for his duties to the club.
b. A schedule is given to quantify and limit free memberships awarded to the officers for their services. Past presidents’ lifetime free memberships are grandfathered in.
6) Article VIII Duties of Officers:
a. Item (g) added that the Executive Committee is allowed to spend $400.00 per month for unusual, ad hoc, or special purposes without General Membership review. (All such items are still reported in the monthly treasurer’s report to the General Membership.)
7) Article X Amendments:
a. Any references to having the NRA review any by-laws changes are deleted, since the NRA no longer gets involved in club managements or by-laws.
1), 2), 3): Discussion of Resident Aliens’ Gun Rights Verification.
It is very important that our club membership understand with crystal clarity that this change is one made based on the practical application of current legalities involving resident aliens’ gun ownership rights and not on any racial bias. The principles are the same for Russians; Chinese; Canadians; Mexicans; and all other nationalities of the world. This change was made after multiple and extended conversations with such officials as:
1) Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms — Mr. Greg Alvarez, Enforcement Supervisor of Houston Office.
2) United States Border Patrol Laredo Sector Commander Montoya.
3) Laredo Police Department — Juan Rivera.
4) The United States INS Prosecution Office.
5) The United States Attorney’s Office — Mr. Jose Flores.
The problem is in the attempt to verify whether or not a resident alien is given by means of his classification of residency the right to purchase and own a firearm by the INS. There are more classifications that deny this right than those that allow it. There is no designation on either the residency card or any residency papers given the alien that note the right to buy or own a firearm. That information is kept within the private files of the INS who may or may not chose to make it known to others, be they private citizens, organizations, or even law enforcement. Greg Alvarez of the BATF told me that they even have trouble getting that crucial little piece of information on aliens from the INS. To add to that problem, criminal databases in Mexico and many other countries are infinitely more fragmented than those in the United States and the level of cooperation between the officials of the other countries and ours on items of “minor” importance is usually very poor.
Therefore, there is little chance to be even conditionally comfortable that a legal resident alien is in fact a clean; upstanding; law abiding citizen in his own country, and therefore we can’t be sure of them here either. Mr. Jose Flores of the U.S. Attorney Office said that the NRA got it right in their pledge and to allow resident aliens into a gun club would open the club members, the club itself and possibly others of our communities and countries citizenry to a plethora of hazards and problems from direct bodily harm to growth of organized crime and other problems which could create liabilities that few of us are prepared to endure. This is a particularly sensitive issue in Laredo given the level of drug syndicate and other organized gang activity in our sister city which is almost surely spilling quietly into our community.
Therefore it is a bad idea that was a mistake when it was done and it must be reversed. We should not feel guilty about keeping some of our rights of citizenry in the United States to ourselves. It was and is, after all our forefathers; brothers; sisters; and friends who have paid the ultimate price for us to have them to enjoy and protect. We should protect our Second Amendment Rights with responsibility and conviction befitting our forefathers intent and wisdom.
Newsletter Articles
All Officers and members are encouraged to submit articles to be included in this newsletter. If is club or shooting related and not derogatory, it will be included in future newsletters.
Please submit to me by the 20th of the month at secretary@laredoshooters.com or by mail at LR&PC, PO Box 1771, Laredo, TX 78041.
