Defensive Handgun Elements Course

It was a great day to have some fun, gain some knowledge, and develop some new skills.  It was our pleasure to host Martin Carter of Echelon Tactical Solutions for this course. Check out the photo album for some of the highlights.

Echelon Tactical Solutions

5th Annual USMC / NRA Rifle Fundamentals Camp

Ashippun, WI – August 7, 2008. The Stone Bank Sportmen’s Club and Heritage Shooting were pleased to host our 5th Annual USMC / NRA Rifle Fundamentals Camp
in cooperation with the United States Marine Corps. This event is
designed to introduce and build confidence in the “poolees” in
attendance. A “Poolee” is a person who has signed up to be a United
States Marine and is waiting to be in the “Pool” of the next batch to go
to one of only two U.S. Marine Corps boot camps.

From August 4th to August 7th, over 430 “poolees” and guests traveled
from around the state of Wisconsin, including groups from Milwaukee,
Green Bay, Racine, Brookfield, Waukesha, Beloit, Janesville, and
Madison, to the Stone Bank Sportsmen’s Club grounds to gain experience
and confidence in their physical skills and mental strength. Activities
included physical conditioning, individual strength challenges,
camouflage face painting, rifle fundamentals, and tasting their first
MREs (Meals Ready to Eat). The “poolees” and guests also had the
opportunity to talk with current Marines about their jobs and
experiences in the USMC.

The NRA certified firearms instructors of Heritage Shooting
volunteered their time and classroom facility on the grounds of the
Stone Bank Sportsmen’s Club to conduct the basic rifle fundamentals
course which included classroom instruction on the firearms nomenclature
and basic operation, the opportunity to receive hands on training, and
to actually shoot the rifle on our rifle range. This training
opportunity allowed each participant to gain familiarity and confidence
in the safe handling and use of the rifle, a skill required of all
Marines.

Due to today’s environment; more than 75% of high school graduates
have never fired a rifle. Those that have
most likely have not had any
proper marksmanship training. The Stone Bank Sportsmen’s Club membership
and the Heritage Shooting volunteers feel that the least we can do for
these brave young people is to give then an opportunity to at least
learn the basics of rifle marksmanship.

 

We are doing our part to help the young men and women who have made
the choice to serve our great nation by assisting the Marines at our
facilities. This training will benefit every “Poolee” by introducing
them to the firearms they will be using in basic training and throughout
their military career. This “advance training” is so important to the
success of the “Poolees” that many of the Marine Recruit Sergeants and
officers present at this training volunteered to do this. We look
forward to working with the U.S. Marine Corps annually to help future
groups of “Poolees” receive this valuable opportunity and training.

This program was started in 2004 at the Stone Bank Sportsmen’s Club
in cooperation with Heritage Shooting and the USMC and has been heavily
funded by the Wisconsin State Friends of NRA. The USMC / NRA Rifle
Fundamentals Camp program has grown in 2008 to include programs being
conducted in La Crosse at the La Crosse Rifle Club and in Wausau at the
Duane L. Corbin Shooting Range which reached over 600 young men and women this year alone.

The North Central Wisconsin Gun Collectors Assoc., Inc. has already
stepped forward to donate funds to support this program in 2009. Tax deductible donations to Heritage Shooting, Inc. can be designated to support this important program.