November 15 2008
Well, gang, there’s interesting news this week.
A couple of our members have come up with an intriguing idea. They broached the subject with a question. "Is there an official Montrose Beer and Gun club Handbook?"
The embarrassing answer, of course, was no.
The idea was tossed around by the folks at club headquarters, over a case or two of beer, and while there was some knowledge of The Infantryman’s Manual and the Boy Scout’s Handbook, it was hard for the group to agree on just what might be contained in a handbook for a group of folks such as ourselves.
Some tips on hand-loading ammo would be appropriate, along with home-brew recipes. Basic first aid for bullet wounds and various types of explosions seemed important to some, while still others were quick to point out that treating injuries commonly, or sometimes uncommonly, associated with drinking beer and cooking were a definite must for inclusion in such a publication.
One of the headquarters staff who was sporting crutches, a cast on his leg, and black rings under his eyes that could only have been caused by a broken nose, mildly said something about the proper navigation of stairs. With special attention given to going up them.
After a laundry list of safety issues came things like a code of conduct, a mission statement, the rules for the formation of local chapters, oaths of office, pledges of some kind, etc., etc. Until finally everybody looked at each other and realized that it was all just too damned complicated.
No wonder we had never done it before!
At last it was suggested that we open it up to the entire club membership to help us out with the thing.
First of all, do we need an official club handbook, and secondly, what should it contain?
Go to our club’s web site and click on the "Shoot Us A Line" icon and let us know how you feel about it. Your suggestions may be expressed simply, or, you can write and send in a whole page, or a complete chapter if you like.
This is your chance to contribute to the character of the club. Think it over for a couple of days, and then get in touch. We need your help on this gang.

Till next week
Helga Biermeister
Secretary