On Target

Story and photo by Chris Karstaedt
Janesville Messenger Sports Writer
Reprinted with Permission

JANESVILLE — It’s easy to pick up a newspaper or turn on the TV to see firearm use portrayed in a negative manner. It’s even easier to point fingers and call for stricter firearms legislation.

Unfortunately, the number of individuals using guns to commit crimes overshadows the many people who use guns as they were intended — for hunting and recreation.

Members of Rock County Rifle and Pistol Club have been promoting proper gun use in a safe and recreational way for over a half of a century. The club provides its members with a year-round location to hone their marksmanship.

“Basically, I like shooting,” said nine-year RCRPC member Wayne Konkle, of Sharon. “And bull’s-eye shooting is one of the few sports I can do in the winter.”

Bull’s-eye shooters aim at a paper target with several different rings around the center, or bull’s-eye. Each ring is assigned a point value, and the closer the shot is to the bull’s-eye, the higher the point value.

The club offers its members an indoor shooting range, which can be used any time it is not being used for a league event. The range is located on South Jackson Street in Janesville, in the basement of the old Hufcor building near the General Motors plant.

“We have been down here for the last 30 years,” Janesville resident and the club’s membership chairman Ron Schultz said. “The club was originally in a gravel pit, but it flooded and the city had to condemn it.”

The club has nearly 200 members, according to Schultz, and numbers tend to be higher during the winter months. The club caters to members of all ages, as well.

The oldest member is Claude Willoughby, of Evansville, who is nearing his 101st birthday. Willoughby has been a member since the 1950s, when the range was still located at the gravel pit.

“I have handled guns in some shape of form for the last 84 years,” said Willoughby said, who no longer shoots rifles because of his age.

The club also draws younger members like Angie Meyers, 21, of Janesville, who is an aspiring art teacher and a current student at the University of Wisconsin-Rock County.  Meyers said she joined the club because it sounded fun.

“I just wanted to learn something new and develop skills that I wouldn’t normally use,” she said.

Meyers said she had only shot a gun once or twice before joining the RCRPC, but other members have helped her learn proper techniques. Her eventual goal is to be able to go on hunting trips with her father. Plus, club membership might be helping Meyers gain skills for her future career.

“I think it’s good (for) hand-eye coordination,” she said.

Club membership is open to anyone 18 and older, although minors can shoot with a parent that is a member of the club present.

Potential members also must meet certain requirements. Each member must belong to the National Rifle Association, be able to legally own a firearm, and must attend a meeting to get voted into the club or make a special arrangement with the membership committee.

Whether members are simply taking target practice or are participating in a league shoot, safety is a major concern. The club takes extra precautions during shooting matches by having an announcer check to see if all is clear after each round. Member are required to wear safety glasses and ear protection at all times and there are signs posted all over the range to remind people to be safe. All this is done, members said, to ensure that everyone has a safe and enjoyable time.

Besides range practice, club members are able to participate in shooting-league competitions. Many participate in the Border Pistol League, which holds shooting competitions on both sides of the Stateline during the fall and winter months.

League shoots are often done without the other team present. The targets are officially stamped and scored, and the results are sent to the league. Other times, RCRPC members travel to the other clubs to shoot.

According to Schultz, league shoots give members another opportunity to hone their skills.

“It gives members a different experience to shoot at different locations,” he said.

The club also opens its doors to community groups, giving them access to its range. Boy Scout troops and hunter-safety classes regularly hold shoots at their south Janesville facility. The club also sponsors two gun shows each year, holds monthly competitive-shooting events, and conducts a shooting program for youth.