Ex-Jersey boy checking in.

[Dwarven1 0]

Greetings form the Frozen North - well... Massachusetts, anyway.

 

I was born and brought up in Fair Lawn and moved to MA back in '87. Got my first gun from J&J Guns in Bayonne, NJ back in 1981 - a S&W Model 19. (and my second gun was from Service Merchandise! A 10/22).

 

Anyway, I stumbled across this board a couple of days ago. Usually, I spend most of my time hanging out on www.appleseedinfo.org - the home board for Project Appleseed - a history class cleverly disguised as marksmanship training. ).

 

What the RWVA (Revolutionary War Veterans Association) is all about:

The Appleseed Program is designed to take you from being a simple rifle owner to being a true rifleman. All throughout American history, the rifleman has been defined as a marksman capable of hitting a man-sized target from 500 yards away

[tbtrout 141]

Welcome. we are glad to have you.

 

A little non NJEA endorsed history is just what this state needs.

[Dwarven1 0]

Please. NJEA-endorsed history is what got me a D- in history in high school - modern teaching methods suck the life out of history and make it as boring, dry, dull and dead as they can.

 

Now, when I run an Appleseed Shoot and talk about what happened on 4/19/1775, I do my darndest to try and put all my shooters right with me on Lexington Greed, facing a line of redcoats. I tell them about the 8 pairs of fathers and sons who were standing there in the light of the rising sun... and how 5 of those pairs were shattered by death. I tell them about how the Redcoats marched 16 miles to Concord... in wet wool pants, in boots that had wooden soles (and weren't made left and right, either), and were getting pretty nervous the whole way because the entire countryside seemed to be awake... and aware of where they were going and why.

 

I talk about Captain Isaac Davis, the captain of the Acton Minuteman company, and how his 4 children were sick on that morning... and how, when he left for Concord with his men, he simply turned to his wife and said, "Take care of the children". It was the last time she ever saw him, as he was one of the first killed at the North Bridge.

 

I tell the shooters, especially the young ones, what the death toll was that day - the oldest colonist killed was 79... and the youngest, 13. I sure got the attention of my 13 year old shooter two weeks ago at the shoot in Throop, NY with THAT little bit of info. I talk about "Dangerous Old Men" - men like Hezekiah Wyman, who the Regulars nicknamed "Death on a Pale Horse", and Samuel Whittemore. (I'll let the readers google those names for more info).

[tbtrout 141]

You can't teach individual history here, everything is shortened for the Collective.

 

I look forward to you getting a shoot going down here.

[kenw 293]

Welcome from Sussex County. Your program looks very interesting. I hope it's successful here in the PRNJ.

 

Ken

[njpilot 671]

Welcome from Freehold.

[Dwarven1 0]

Welcome from Sussex County. Your program looks very interesting. I hope it's successful here in the PRNJ.

 

Ken

I do, too, Ken, but we're having a BIG problem securing a range. Basically what we need is a 25 meter range at least 25 meters wide with a good backstop. We need it for the entire weekend, as the program is two 8 hour days - start at 8:30 and run til about 5 PM. It doesn't need to be a gun club; a field would do as long as there's a berm so we can shoot safely. Project Appleseed will provide targets, target stands, instructors and Range Safety Officers (I'm an NRA certified RSO, myself) and even rent a porta-potty (if it's needed).

 

Personally, since I'm driving down from MA for it, North Jersey would be my preference, but honestly, if it happens to be in Cape May, I don't care - I just want to see NJ get with the Appleseed Program. Sounds to me like there are a LOT of sleeping Americans there who've forgotten just what that little Revolution was all about... and we want to remind them.

 

So... Anyone got a range - or even a field with a berm - where we can hold an Appleseed Shoot?

 

Oh!! Did I mention? Cost for the weekend-long instruction is $70... unless you're under 21, in which case it's free. Or if you're a woman, in which case, it's free. Or active-duty military (need an ID), in which case (say it with me now), it's FREE. AND... if you're a Rev War reenactor (in period dress) OR an elected official - it's free. Yes, Project Appleseed is put on by the Revolutionary War Veterans Association, and we are a gen-u-wine non-profit. Our mission is much more important than making money...

[NJChiroDoc 0]

Welcome!