Our guest speaker for the March 10th meeting will be Dave Workman. He'll be talking about recent gun rights events as well as bringing in copies of his book "Washington Gun Rights and Responsibilities." If you buy one of his books, you can get one personally autographed. Don’t miss this meeting! (posted 3/4/2010)

Our club has an outside vendor scheduled to come in to offer a Utah Concealed carry course on March 21st at 10 am at Sam's Gun Shop. The class is offered by Roger Moore of Gun Smart Firearm Training. We have had him up before and he is a good instructor. He comes up from the Portland Oregon area on occasion to offer this class.

The Utah Concealed Carry Permit is good in about 29 states. They issue to non-residents. In order to obtain it, you must complete a Utah certified course. This is what Roger offers. The cost is $95 prepaid and $105 at the door. The actual application for the Utah concealed license is $65.25. The license is good for 5 years. The turn around time for receiving it is about 60 days. The course will be held on March 21st at Sam's Gun Shop in Everett WA. It's about a 4 hour class. For an additional $20, Roger will be holding another session dealing with the Oregon concealed license. To get registered for this class contact Roger Moore at www.gunsmartfirearmtraining.com or 503-348-7354. Register soon!

See the flyer for additional information. (posted 2/24/2010; updated 3/4/2010)

Articles here and here. (posted 2/18/2010)

SEATTLE, Feb. 12 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- A King County Superior Court judge has ruled in favor of a lawsuit filed by the Second Amendment Foundation and National Rifle Association, striking down a ban on guns in city parks because it violates Washington State's long-standing preemption statute.

Judge Catherine Shaffer ruled from the bench that the gun ban, adopted under former Mayor Greg Nickels, violates Washington's law, which placed sole authority for regulating firearms in the hands of the State Legislature. That law was adopted in 1983 and amended in 1985, and has served as a model for similar laws across the country.

SAF and NRA were joined in the lawsuit by the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms, the Washington Arms Collectors and five individual plaintiffs.

"This is a great victory for the rule of law and Washington citizens," said SAF Executive Vice President Alan M. Gottlieb. "Greg Nickels was so blinded by his personal hatred for firearms owners and his own arrogance that he imagined the city under his control could simply ignore state law. That arrogance cost Nickels his job last year. We repeatedly warned him not to push a gun ban, but he refused listen.

"It is also a victory for the Legislature," he observed, "because this case affirms the intent of lawmakers in 1983 to prevent cities like Seattle from creating a nightmare patchwork of conflicting and confusing firearms regulations. The ruling solidifies the legislature's authority and sends a message to city and county governments to stop meddling with the rights of Washington citizens."

Gottlieb suggested a review of local ordinances may now be in order, so that city and county governments can be compelled to remove old gun regulations or face legal consequences.

"This ruling puts anti-gun local officials on notice that legally-armed citizens have rights, too," Gottlieb stated.

The Second Amendment Foundation (www.saf.org) is the nation's oldest and largest tax-exempt education, research, publishing and legal action group focusing on the Constitutional right and heritage to privately own and possess firearms. Founded in 1974, The Foundation has grown to more than 650,000 members and supporters and conducts many programs designed to better inform the public about the consequences of gun control. (posted 2/12/2010)

Don Heinz has prepared draft course notes and rules for the NRA Basic Personal Protection Outside the Home Course. They have been posted in the Training Staff area. (Apologies to Don for taking so long to post them.) (posted 10/2/2009)

The draft course of fire has been added to the Training Staff Area. (posted 12/13/2009)

At the December 9 club meeting, new officers were elected for 2010:

The club calendar for 2010 has been posted and the month-by-month calendar has been updated. The date for the Holmes Harbor has not yet been confirmed (they confirm their schedules in January). If you find an error, please notify the webmaster. (posted 12/2/2009; updated 2/12/2010-the Holmes Harbor date is confirmed)

The club has acquired a post office box. The primary reason for the P.O. Box is because in-plant mail has proved unreliable for class payments. The address is:

The club's costs for holding training classes have increased, so we have had to increase the fees for students. We have also revised the registration procedures. Please see the newly revised Training FAQ for details. (posted 9/3/2009)

The NRA appears to be offerring free one-year trial memberships. You don't get the magazines, insurance, or the NRA's official knife. Information is at http://www.nrahq.org/nrabonus/. (posted 6/28/2009 -- a hat tip to Carter Comstock)

You can register for Utah/Oregon Concealed Carry Permit Classes through this website. Completion of the class is a requirement to obtain a non-resident CCW permit in Utah or Oregon. The Utah permit is recognized in 27 states. The class is one day in length.  For more information, or to pre-register for a class contact Roger Moore at: rmoore@gunsmartfirearmtraining.com. Be sure to include your name, phone number and e-mail address, and put "EGC - UT/OR CCW" in the subject line. When we have enough students to hold a class, one will be scheduled in this area. They are typically held at Sam's Gun Shop & Range in Everett, WA.

Information about the Utah Concealed Firearms Permit can be found at the web site of the Utah Department of Public Safety.

• Mar. 10: Club meeting. 5:30 PM at Sam's Gun Shop & Range
• Mar. 13-14: Basic Pistol Class. 8:00 AM at Sam's Gun Shop & Range
• Apr. 17-18: Basic Personal Protection in the Home Class. 8:00 AM at Sam's Gun Shop & Range
• Apr. 14: Club meeting. 5:30 PM at Sam's Gun Shop & Range