This page has information for the Baen Barfly shooting trip held prior to the start of the LibertyCon Science Fiction Convention in Chattanooga, TN. The shoot is not officially a convention event, and is not limited to convention attendees OR Baen Barflies, but it is held in coordination with the convention staff.
NOTICE: DUE TO ONGOING ISSUES WITH THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC, LIBERTYCON WILL BE VIRTUAL IN 2021.
Details:
Date: TBD
Time: 0830 – 1300 CST
Cost: $35
Location: Dead Zero Shooting Park, Spencer, TN
RSVP to instructor@xring.com with a subject line of “LibertyCon Shoot 2022”, please include the names, dates of birth, addresses, NRA membership numbers (if applicable) and phone numbers of all intended participants. NOTE: The RSVP is for planning purposes only, we have no limit on the number of attendees, anyone can show up the day of the event with no issues.
If anybody is interested in taking the NRA Basic Pistol Blended Course, which involves roughly eight hours of online training, followed by hands-on drills and qualification at the range (the drills may be demonstrated in my room either Thursday or at some point during the convention), I’ll accept up to eight students to do so, it will cost an additional $50 over the normal course fee, and I’ll need to purchase and distribute activation codes at least one week prior to the convention. I highly recommend that anyone who intends to do this gets a code from me prior to 6/1 to give them time to complete the online training in advance.
We are planning to use two of the shooting bays at Dead Zero, one at 25 yards, with a mixture of paper and steel targets, and a 50 yard bay with a mixture of paper and steel targets. The 1000 yard electronic target range is complete, use of that range is not included with our event but the range owner has mentioned possibly having a discounted rate for anyone from our group desiring to use it.
I will have some firearms with ammunition available (but please contribute to the cost of it), but I recommend bringing some if you don’t have your own firearm. I’ll have pistols in 9mm, .45, and .38/.357, and .22lr, along with rifles in .22lr, 5.56mm, 6.8SPC, .30 Carbine, and .30-06.
The new range requires use of their own range officers, so while I will gladly accept any assistance from those wishing to help, having our own range officers is no longer a major concern.
NOTE: Anybody bringing machineguns must have a copy of their Federal paperwork and I must know in advance, the range’s insurance requires that one of their RSO’s accompanies any shooter while they are shooting a machinegun.
Attached are the liability waivers for my training and some basic safety terms, I’ll add the range’s waiver and directions to the range soon.
Documents
FirearmInstructionLiabilityRelease
Dead Zero Shooting Park Liability Waiver
Dead Zero Shooting Park Range Rules
History
The shooting trip originated as a convention event for only some of the convention staff and major convention guests, with the Barflies holding their own shooting event afterwards so any of the guests who wished to could stick around and shoot with the Barflies as well. Due to other pressures, the convention discontinued their official shoot and asked if any guests who wanted to go shooting could go with us. Now there is again an official shooting trip, but it’s only for the guests of honor, the remaining guests are still invited to go with us.
Several years ago, I realized that the group shooting trip was getting too large to continue in an unorganized manner, so I obtained my NRA instructor certification and at least one Barfly got his NRA Range Safety Officer certification. In 2013, the size of our group, and the fact that we had certified instructors and RSO’s, caused some consternation for the Park Ranger at the Wildlife Management Area range we’d been using, in addition they had made changes to the range which made it less amenable to our activities, so I looked for an alternative range, the alternative I found was to rent a commercial training facility for our use, using my instructor credentials and insurance. It means we now have to pay to use the range, but we have control over who is present and how they conduct themselves.
Greetings
Is there any plan for a Libertycon 29 (2016) shooting trip. If there is, how would one apply to attend?
Thanks
Tony Thompson
Sorry – this comment almost got lost in the spam, yes, the current plan is to have another trip next year, I just haven’t reserved the range yet. When we get closer to the date, I’ll have people email me at instructor@xring.com with a subject line of “LibertyCon 2016 Shoot” and the same details as above to get placed on the list, but pre-registration is not required.
Thanks for the info. Any plan on how you’ll put the information about it out? So they know to contact you?
It’ll be updated here, on my Facebook, on the LibertyCon Facebook, on Baen’s Bar, and in Uncle Timmy’s fanzine, Revenge of Hump Day.
Sent the RSVP email.
Do you have enough RSO’s. I’m an OIC/RSO with the Army, so I’m likely trained enough.
Hey, just sent you our RSVP email. I can offer to bring a good bit of ammo and some extra firearms. My wife is having shoulder issues right now, we expect she’ll be healed up enough to shoot her Mossberg 930 if there’s a place to shoot it. If she’s not healed, that just means more off hand practice for her. 😉
If you need another RSO, I’ll help out. I can probably bring another couple of RSOs, if needed.
I may take you up on that, I’m putting together an email to all of the people who volunteered as RSO’s, if you could send your email address to instructor@xring.com… Right now, I figure I need at least one at the rifle range whenever it’s in use, and three to four on the line with one watching the entire line, if we have enough volunteer RSO’s, I’ll want to rotate them to allow them to shoot as well.
Is there an age limit? How do we pay you and when is the money due?
I don’t want to exclude anybody, but safety is the first priority. For shooters under 14, they must be accompanied by a parent or guardian at all times on the range, and may be restricted on what they are allowed to shoot. 14-17 I need some form of parental permission slip if they’re not present, and at least one legal adult listed on that permission slip present to sign waivers, but they don’t have to continually accompany them.
James,
Thanks for putting this together again this year. I appreciate the work you do.
I wish I can go here this year, do you have any idea when you will do the next one?
Great idea, I would like to get there and participate.
I would love to attend, but need a ride to the range with my mobility scooter. My scooter comes apart and will fit into the trunk of most mid to full size cars. Can someone help?
I can try. I should be at the Marriott this evening and I have a Hyundai Elantra Limited. The trunk seems fairly large to me, but we’d have to see.
Scott Kuntzelman
309-532-4664