in other words
The Gun Doctor: Full Auto Safety
By Wolfgang Rotbart
I recently attended the annual Albany Full
Auto Shoot just south of Albany, Oregon. In case you
haven’t heard of this, it is a gathering where vendors
who own full auto firearms, more popularly known as
machine guns, and those of us less fortunate can come
together to enjoy our shared enthusiasm. Attendees
can purchase magazines of ammo and turn money into
loud noise and a great deal of fun very quickly.
There is a public perception that machine guns
are illegal except for military or law enforcement use.
The fact of the matter is that anyone who can pass a
background check, about the same as needed for a con-
cealed handgun permit, can purchase a machine gun for
a one-time tax of $200. The difficult part is coming up
with the money to buy the machine gun itself. Because
of supply and demand, machine guns generally go from
about $3,000 to well over $100,000.
Almost anyone who shoots, and many who
don’t, enjoys cutting loose with a full auto. The rate of
fire ranges from a few hundred to about 1,200 rounds
per minute – that’s 20 rounds per second. Putting that
much firepower downrange that quickly is mind-bog-
gling for most folks. I saw many ear-to-ear grins and
quite a few wide-eyed-WOW! faces after emptying a
40 or even 100 round magazine. I can’t recall anyone
coming off the firing line wearing a frown.
The Shoot was from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM
over an entire weekend. I can’t say with certainty how
many rounds were fired, but it was certainly in the tens,
and probably in the hundreds, of thousands. The cali-
bers ranged from the familiar diminutive .22 long rifle
to a few rounds of 76-millimeter (3” diameter) shells
fired from a restored World War II tank. That was liter-
ally and figuratively a blast!
Why am I writing about this? Simple – safety.
In the two days of full auto fire, occasionally by folks
who had never shot a firearm, and especially not a full
auto, there were exactly zero casualties from gunfire.
The youngest shooter appeared to be about 10 years
of age and the most elderly was old enough to be my
mother. And I’m 56.
I think this shows a significant feature about
firearm usage - although they are inherently dangerous
like cars, airplane travel, and sharp knives, firearms
can be utilized and enjoyed with a very high degree of
safety when proper safety rules are observed.
In this case, there were Range Safety Officers
at each of the approximately 25 vendor tables to en-
july10
2012
7
force firing range safety rules. There were only a few
simple rules that were rigidly adhered to with the de-
sired result of zero casualties.
I saw many families enjoying a fine outing dur-
ing this event. The shooting sports are certainly not for
everyone, but are one in which young and old, male
and female can safely participate.
I took some video of the event, which I will
edit and post on YouTube as time permits.
Follow-up information to topics in this and
other articles can be found on the “Resources” page
on The Gun Doctor home page (www.wolfgangthegun-
doctor.com).
I welcome ideas for topics for these articles.
Please email them to:
Wolfgang@WolfgangTheGunDoctor.com or call me at
503-429-7342 between 10:00 – 5:00 M – F.
Wolfgang Rotbart is an AGI-certified Master
Gunsmith and a NRA-certified Basic Pistol Course In-
structor. He works as a gunsmith and as an Oregon
Concealed Handgun Safety Course Instructor. You
may visit The Gun Doctor website for more informa-
tion at: http://www.wolfgangthegundoctor.com/
Oregon Equestrians Announce Banks Library Renovation
The Banks Public Library is these is that Banks Public Library has
2012 Malarkey Trail Ride Event up and running at full steam again after
joined the rest of the WCCLS libraries
Columbia County Chapter of
the Oregon Equestrian Trails (OET) is
announcing their 11th annual Malarkey
Trail Ride on Saturday, August 18th,
2012. This is an event open to all levels
of horseback riders, and to the general
community of Columbia County and
neighboring areas. Horses are not
required to come and enjoy the event as
there is a huge used tack sale and open
air lunch.
Look for the entrance across
from Fullerton Road on Highway 30,
north of Scappoose. Announcement
signs in the communities of Scappoose
and St. Helens will display by August
11th, with the entrance gate sign going
up early on the 18th. The access road is
narrow and one way, with cattle guards
so no ride-in participants are allowed;
trailer in only. This is a day event, no
camping available.
A no-host BBQ with tasty
burgers and hotdogs, and large used
tack sale, with a big selection of raffle
items adds to this full day of horse and
country fun. Bring the kids and friends
to enjoy the country setting in the open
pastures with Scappoose Creek running
through it. Bring your picnic basket
and chairs, though this is an alcohol
free event. Bathrooms and water for
the horses are also available. Ample
free parking is available for all.
Event registration begins
at 9:00 AM, last ride out is at High
Noon. Fee is $10 per rider, or $25 for
families or youth groups of 3 or more.
The registration fee includes one raffle
ticket. You must be in attendance to pick
your prize. Ride time is approximately
2 hours at a leisurely pace. Please leave
the dogs at home. This is an easy flat
ride on a well marked trail. However
there are cows, bees, and mud to be
aware of. Horses do not need to be shod
or wear boots. An obstacle skill course
is being built for those who want to put
their mount to the test, with flags, in
and outs, and step-overs. Participants
will register and sign a no-fault waiver
before beginning their ride.
This annual fundraiser for
OET supports the many trails in our
county with building new trails, yearly
maintenance, horse and trailer access
areas, stalls and campsites. Your
donations are tax deductible as Oregon
Equestrian Trails is a registered non-
profit organization. More information
about this organization is available at
the website: oregonequestriantrails.org.
Click on the Colombia County Chapter
link to find the chapter’s Facebook
page. Please come and join us for a
day of riding and country fun.
several months of renovations. The
community now have a beautiful, newly
renovated library to share with their
patrons.
The library staff wishes
to thank everyone for the patience they
have shown as library staff have dealt
with changes in their plans due to delays
in product shipping. Staff plan to return
to their regular hours on Thursday July
5th. To celebrate the completion of the
renovation,
The Banks Library is having a
grand re-opening on Saturday July 14
from 10:00 AM to 12 :00 PM Everyone
is invited to come and see the new space.
The renovation has resulted in
the addition of about 900 square feet
to the library space. This new space
allows for the collection to be housed
more comfortably and also provides
more space for patrons to sit and read
or use the Wi-Fi. Since the library has
absorbed the former community room
space, plans are underway for a Phase
2 project which would construct a new
meeting space and allow for future
growth of the library. In the meantime,
City Hall is available for community
meetings.
Coincidentally to the library
renovation, there have been several
other changes to operations. The first of
in using radio frequency tags to check
items in and out. This greatly streamlines
circulation for staff and also paves the
way for the library to have a self-check
machine, which should happen later this
summer.
Currently, patrons pick
up their holds from the holds shelf and
bring them to the front desk to check
out. In the future, patrons will either
bring them to the front desk or check
them out themselves.
There is also a new phone system which
will allow for voicemail messages.
Finally, the library will be able to accept
credit cards in the near future.
The City of Banks provided
the funding for the renovation portion
of this two-phase project. The second
phase, construction of new space to
allow for future growth of the library
and to reinstate a community room for
public meeting use, will be financed
through various funding sources,
including grants and donations. The
Friends of the Library and a group
of interested citizens have started the
fundraising campaign. The Library
Expansion Team received fundraising
training through a grant from The Ford
Family Foundation.
For fast
cash!
010412
TOO BUSY?
Call your LOCAL bookkeeper
R
Y
OLL
A
P
PLUS LLC
Silkscreen printing
Printing while you wait for small orders
Vinyl lettering and heat transfers
Teams, groups, special events
Edi Sheldon 503-429-1819
edisheldon@gmail.com
2245 Baseline St., Cornelius
(Across from Fred Meyer)
503-530-8119
State Licensed PB-0388
Open
everyday
at 9 a.m.
LTC#29629-C
Licensed tax consultant • Full service payroll
Personal & small business bookkeeping • QuickBooks assistance
CORPS, S-CORPS, LLC, Partnerships • Personal one-on-one service
Hoodies, dress shirts, aprons & more
No order too large or too small
No set-up fees
711 Bridge Street, Vernonia
(503) 433-4278
kavila@kaptanskraft.com
