Stray rounds

[Bob J]

Among other things, I play the hammer dulcimer...... Not very often I find common ground with my love of shooting sports.....

http://www.cadillacnews.com/story_news/?story_id=1010803&year=2009

Music - and gunfire?

By Ashley box and Matt Sewa

Some unexpected projectiles from above met a shocked reception at the Dulcimer Funfest in Evart Saturday.

Machine gunfire rained at least three bullets onto the annual musical festival, striking two vehicles. No one was injured.

When Osceola County Sheriff’s Deputies was first dispatched to the sound of automatic gunfire around noon Saturday, officers inspected the site of an organized weapons shoot, explained Undersheriff Justin Halladay.

After inspecting the site, officers believed the firing range was following all necessary safety precautions, and after documenting the weapons and individuals present, they left the scene.

No one involved predicted that at least three stray bullets from that site would travel over two miles to land in the midst of the Dulcimer FunFest.

"By the grace of God (nobody was hurt)," said Gail Schwandt, President of the Original Dulcimer Players Club (ODPC). "Yes, there could have been loss of life if that bullet had penetrated a trailer with a water heater going and exploded. Everyone parks so close to each other. The number of people that could have lost their lives, what could have happened, is terrifying."
*

"We are just so thankful nobody got hurt," said ODPC member Pat Hesselgrave. "We were all concerned when we started hearing the gunfire and thought, ‘What in the world is going on?’ It sounded like a war."

Dean Agee, who hosted the shooting event on his property in Evart that on Saturday, said he is relieved no one got hurt.

"I don’t think anybody thought that it was remotely a possibility (a stray bullet could reach the Evart fairgrounds)," Agee said. "It goes without saying I am delighted no one was hurt."

Agee was hosting a shooting event put on by four firearms dealers licensed through the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).

At least one of the firearms being used was a .50 caliber machine gun.

Agee said the shooting range was set up so that the guns were being fired downhill into a bowl on his property. The target area was about 30 feet below a tree-lined ridge. The gun was mounted on a tripod with a limiter that prevented the gun from being fired higher than at parallel.

"That bullet is capable of traveling five miles; that is why it was locked down," Agee said. "The only possibility we can figure that could have happened was if the bullet was fired too low, the bullet could have skipped off the ground."

Because shooters were aiming toward the bottom of the tree-lined ridge, a stray bullet could have struck the ground or trees, Agee said. He said he did not think it was possible for a bullet to escape the property and travel the 2.1 mile distance to the fairgrounds.

"It was an unfortunate and unusual event that happened with that bullet," Agee said.

"They were using a very high-powered weapon and believed the range they had set up was adequate for the weapon they had brought," Halladay said. "It was adequate for 99 percent of the weapons, but one was just too powerful."

Halladay explained that a handgun bullet travels at roughly 1,000 feet per second, a rifle at 2,000. A bullet from a .50 caliber weapon can travel as fast as one mile per second.

The shooting event, which was organized in the winter, was an informal shoot for friends and by invitation only Agee said. He said it was legal and that police were informed prior to the event that the shooting would be taking place on Saturday. That day was also chosen, Agee said, because nearby Spring Hill Camp would not have children at the camp.

"There were two safety officers, and their only job was to make sure that there were no accidental discharges," Agee said.

He also said each of the four firearms dealers were control of the weapons from a safety standpoint.

"I think everything we could have done, we did, other than not think it was possible a bullet could skip."

From the Sheriff’s Department standpoint, the individuals involved had the legal right to host the shoot, but after documented safety concerns, the department has the right to prohibit any demonstrations in the future.

The department has forwarded its report to the ATF, who will review the case for license removal or penalty to the licensed firearms dealer involved.

"They are not going to be allowed to that here again," Halladay said. "Once there is a problem with safety, we can say ‘no more.’ Originally, we didn’t have the authority to prohibit them from coming here, or to revoke their license now - but we do have the authority to tell them not to come back."

Halladay recommended that anyone in attendance at the Funfest check their property for damage, and if any is found, come forward to the department.

He noted that at least three bullets made it to the fairgrounds, one that struck a white pickup truck, one that struck a trailer and a third that struck ground.

"We had 564 camping units (staying at the park) and almost 5,000 people on the grounds," Sharon Skaryd of the ODPC said. "It was very scary, but it worked out fine."

A woman whose name was not released was watching television in the trailer that was struck with a stray bullet. The bullet entered through the roof of the trailer and exited out a window above a sink in the kitchen area of the trailer, Skaryd said.

"She said her mother-in-law planned to come back and fix lunch at the sink. If she would have come back five minutes earlier, it would have brought her in line of the bullet," Skaryd said. "That was really scary."

Schwandt said the pickup truck that was hit was parked in front of the grandstand.

"There were little children on stage," she said. "The potential for loss of life was so great."

ODCP board members said the incident will not stop the FunFest from returning to Evart in the future.

"There is no effect on the future of the FunFest in Evart," Schwandt said. "The grounds are wonderful and the fairboard bends over backwards to help us. There is no thought of putting the festival somewhere else."

Agee said that the only shooting from his property in the future would be limited to skeet shooting and deer hunting.

[email protected] | 775-NEWS (6397)

 

[dwarven1]

Among other things, I play the hammer dulcimer

Really? Do you teach, or know someone in Metrowest who does?

 

[Pilgrim]

Handled the way it should be. In Ma there'd be about 10 people in jail, and a dozen or more lawsuits within a week.

 

[Bob J]

Unfortunately I don't teach and have been unable to find a teacher.... I know of one other player here on the south shore but she's self taught as well....

Only classes I've been able to attend were at a festival in Mt Dora Florida.... Was able to go down to see my mother who lives there and also go to the festival....

Really? Do you teach, or know someone in Metrowest who does?

 

[bpm990d]

Among other things, I play the hammer dulcimer

Neat!

Undersheriff Justin Halladay.... A bullet from a .50 caliber weapon can travel as fast as one mile per second.

Maybe I'm wrong about this, but I think the only guns shooting things that fast are smooth bore 120mm tank guns firing sabot rounds. Maybe they should get another expurt. I'm glad no one was hurt.

B

 

[AEC]

From ChuckHawks:

The U.S. M33 .50 BMG military load uses a 668 grain FMJ-BT bullet at a muzzle velocity (MV) of 2910 fps with muzzle energy (ME) of 12,550 ft. lbs. The U.S. M2 military load uses a 720 grain FMJ-BT bullet at a MV of 2810 fps and ME of 12,600 ft. lbs.

 

[drgrant]

Handled the way it should be. In Ma there'd be about 10 people in jail, and a dozen or more lawsuits within a week.

Well, might have went that way because it's discinctly possible the dealers in question contribute to the Sheriff's re-election fund. No better way
to get signoffs and sample/demo letters.

-Mike

 

[Underwhere]

Really? Do you teach, or know someone in Metrowest who does?

My mother plays and I can probably find you a teacher if you want.

 

[dreamer]

"By the grace of God (nobody was hurt)," said Gail Schwandt, President of the Original Dulcimer Players Club (ODPC). "Yes, there could have been loss of life if that bullet had penetrated a trailer with a water heater going and exploded. Everyone parks so close to each other. The number of people that could have lost their lives, what could have happened, is terrifying."

WTF??? That seems like a really, really odd thing to be concerned about.

 

[SteelShooter]

and we could have been out there mixing nitro glycerine, and one of those bullets could have come down and blew up the whole town. And what if we were all walking around with babies on our heads, they could have all been killed !