REIDSVILLE, NORTH CAROLINA
ARTICLE I - NAME
The name of the organization shall be Rockingham County Gun Club, Inc.
ARTICLE II - OBJECTIVE
The objective of this organization shall be the encouragement of organized competitive and recreational shooting among the residents of our region, with a view towards a better knowledge on the part of the members of the safe handling and proper care of firearms as well as improved marksmanship. It shall be our further object and purpose to forward the development of those characteristics of honesty, good fellowship, self-discipline, team play and self-reliance, which are the essentials of good sportsmanship and the foundation of true patriotism.
ARTICLE III - MEMBERSHIP
Any citizen of the United States aged 18 or older, who is eligible to possess a firearm, or any foreign national residing in the U.S.as a resident alien or other legal alien status who can meet the following criteria is eligible to apply for membership. The applicant can be considered only after subscribing to the following pledge and paying all required fees and dues. Application for membership must be made to the Board of Directors, and membership in this organization is only by approval of the Board of Directors. There may be multiple classes of membership that will be approved by the Board of Directors. Honorary membership may be approved by the Board of Directors on an individual basis. Honorary members do not pay initiation fees or annual dues, nor may they vote in any vote taken by the Club or hold any elected office or appointed position.
The privileges and benefits of a membership are limited solely to the person in whose name the membership is granted. The dependents of a member defined as current legal spouse, children 18 or under living in the home and children 19 and over who are still dependent on the members, such as a college student currently enrolled in college, are allowed to utilize all of the member’s range benefits. They may visit the Club only when accompanied by the member, who is solely responsible for their actions and who must accompany the dependents at all times. Dependents may shoot skeet and trap at the member rate. Each membership is entitled to one vote only on any Club vote, and it must be cast by the member.
PLEDGE
I CERTIFY that I am a citizen of good repute of the United States or my country of origin, that I am not a member of any organization or group having as its purpose the overthrow by force or violence of the Government of the United States or any of its political subdivisions, that I have never been convicted of a felony, that I am not under indictment for any judicial proceedings that might result in a felony conviction, and that, if admitted to membership, I will fulfill the obligations of good sportsmanship and good citizenship. I further certify that there are no legal prohibitions, local, state, or federal, against my possessing or using a firearm.
ARTICLE IV - DUES AND FEES
All dues and fees to join this Club shall be set by the Board of Directors. Dues and fees must be paid before a person can join the Club and all dues and fees must be paid before a person can be elected to any office. Failure to pay the renewal annual dues shall result in the delinquent member losing his or her Club membership and must apply for re-entry.
Fees for any event or match on any range shall be set by the match director of that particular function, with the net proceeds being forwarded to the Club Treasurer. Charter Members shall pay no dues other than the $10.00 annual insurance fee unless voted otherwise by the full membership.
ARTICLE V - MEETINGS
A. General membership meetings - The Club shall hold two annual membership meetings per year as follows:
a..The first membership meeting of the year shall be held on the first Monday in June.
b.The second membership meeting of the year shall be held on the first Monday of December.This meeting shall be the Club’s annual business meeting with the election of officers and/or directors taking place at this meeting. If the annual meeting cannot be held on this date, it shall be held as soon as possible, and the officers and/or directors shall hold over until their successors have been elected.
B. Emergency meetings. Emergency meetings can be called by the President anytime it is deemed necessary.
C. Quorum. Twelve percent (12%) of the members entitled to vote shall constitute a quorum; this quorum must be present before any official action can be taken. The election of officers and/or directors does not fall within the official business requiring a quorum and therefore may be legally conducted at the December annual meeting and the results are official.
ARTICLE VI - OFFICERS & DIRECTORS
A. There shall be four (4) Officers of this Club and they shall be a President, a Vice-President, a Secretary, a Treasurer, and there shall be Nine (9) Directors.The Officers and Directors together shall constitute the Board of Directors. They shall be elected by a majority vote by ballot of the members in good standing present at the December annual business meeting or by returning a club validated absentee ballot on or before the date of the December meeting.Only ballots presented at the December annual business meeting and those received by the Secretary by the date of the meeting shall be included in the voting.The Officer positions shall be elected every three years. Three Director Positions shall be elected each year, with the three positions filled three years earlier being open for election. All Officers and Directors shall hold offices for three years or until their successors are elected. The offices of Secretary and Treasurer may be combined. All Board nominees must be members of the Club in good standing and must be members of the National Rifle Association. If elected, all Officers and Directors must remain members of the Club in good standing at all times and must maintain their membership in the NRA during their tenure.
B. The Board of Directors shall have general supervision and control of all the activities of the Club. The Officers of the Club shall be responsible for the day-to-day operations of the Club and are authorized to act in the name of the Board of Directors on any situation or question that arises at the Club.
C. Meetings of the Board of Directors shall be held regularly at such time and place as the Board may determine. Special meetings may be held at any time on the call of the President or on demand, in writing to the Secretary, by three or more members of the Board of Directors.
D. Fifty percent (50%) of the Board of Directors shall constitute a quorum and a quorum must be present for any meeting to be able to legally act on Club business.
E. The resignation of any Officer or Director may be accepted by a majority vote of the remaining members of the Board of Directors.
F. A vacancy in the Board of Directors may be filled by a majority vote of the remaining members of the Board. A person so appointed shall serve out the balance of the term of the position that was vacated. However, if there are two or more simultaneous vacancies, a special meeting of the Club shall be called and new officers and/or directors shall be elected to fill the vacancies at that meeting. As with a single vacancy, the persons elected to fill the vacancies shall serve out the terms of the positions being filled.The balloting at the called meeting is to be conducted in the same manner as the annual election of Officers and Directors.
G. No one person may serve more than two consecutive 3-year terms, either elected or appointed, in any office or combination of offices. After being off of the Board for at least three full calendar years, a person is again eligible to be re-elected or appointed for an additional two 3-year terms, etc.If a person is elected or appointed to fill a vacancy that expires in one year or less, that person is still eligible to be elected or appointed for two 3-year terms, etc. However, if a person is elected or appointed to fill a vacancy of more than one year’s length, that person may only be elected or appointed to serve a single 3-year term, then must be off of the Board for at least three calendar years. In the last event, a person serving more than one year of a term is only eligible for one three year term before he or she has to be off the Board for three calendar years.
H. Succession of officers – In the event of the resignation, absence or removal of both the President and the Vice-President, and as it is legally necessary to have someone designated to conduct Club Board meetings, until such time as the required officers are appointed, the authority of the President shall devolve upon the Treasurer, and if the Treasurer is also not available, the authority shall pass to the Secretary.
ARTICLE VII - DUTIES OF OFFICERS
A. PRESIDENT - The President shall preside at all meetings of the Club and of the Board of Directors. He shall be a member ex-officio of all regular and special committees and shall perform all of the other duties normally associated with the office. The President shall be the only Officer or Director who can encumber the assets of the Club and obligate the Club for loan purposes but only with the approval of the Board of Directors.
B. VICE-PRESIDENT - The Vice-President shall perform the duties of the President in his absence or at his request, and has full authority to act in his stead in these events. In the event of the resignation or removal of the President, the Vice-President shall be the acting President until the next annual December membership meeting.
C. SECRETARY - The Secretary shall be responsible for keeping an accurate and true account of each official meeting of the Club and shall have custody of the books, records and files of the Club. He shall conduct all correspondence of the Club. He shall maintain the official membership roster and shall be responsible for carrying out all of the normal duties of the office. He shall be custodian of the official Club seal and shall be responsible for affixing same to all ballots and other official papers that require the Club seal. The secretary shall be responsible for maintaining the annual re-affiliation with the NRA.
D. TREASURER - The Treasurer shall have charge of all Club funds, dues and fees and shall be the sole person entitled to disburse funds as approved by the Board of Directors. He shall deposit funds and maintain the necessary accounts in the bank or banks as approved by the Board of Directors. He shall maintain the financial records needed by the club and shall be responsible for maintaining all insurance needed by the club, the timely payment of all due debts of the Club, and shall be responsible for the all Club accounts, the Club CDs, and all of the normal duties of a treasurer. He shall prepare a monthly financial report to be presented at the monthly Board meeting and shall prepare a year-end financial report to be presented at the December general membership meeting.
ARTICLE VIII - REMOVAL, SUSPENSION, DISCIPLINE, OR EXPULSION
A. In order to provide a procedure for infractions of a nature not warranting expulsion or removal, the Board may, at its discretion, choose to implement the following procedure:
a. At the first infraction of a non-major Club rule, a verbal warning will be given, preferably by the Board member who witnessed the incident.
b. At the second instance by the same member, the Secretary will send a written warning to the member.
c. For a third incident, the member shall be required to appear before the Board.
d. For a major incident involving danger to others, or for several incidents by the same member, the Board may proceed directly to one of the following without going through steps “a” and “b”.
B. Any member may be suspended or expelled from the Club for any cause deemed sufficient by the Board of Directors by a two-thirds (2/3) affirmative vote of the members of the Board present at any regular or special meeting. No vote on suspension or expulsion may be taken unless at least 15 days notice in writing shall have been given to the member of the charges preferred and of the time and place of the meeting of the Board of Directors at which such charges shall be considered. At such meeting, the member charged will be accorded a full hearing.
C. Any officer may be removed by a two-thirds (2/3) affirmative vote of the members in good standing present at any special meeting called for this purpose as long as the quorum outlined in Article V, Section c. is present. No vote on suspension or removal may be taken unless fifteen (15) days’ notice in writing shall have been given to the officer stating the reason for his removal and of the time and place of the special meeting at which such vote on his removal is to be taken. At any such special meeting, the officer shall be given a full hearing.
D. Charges against any officer or member may be preferred by any member in good standing. They shall be in writing clearly stating the facts relied upon and accompanied by all affidavits or exhibits that are to be used in support of the charges. Such charges will be filed with the Club Secretary, who will immediately notify the Club President. The President will call a meeting of the Board of Directors to hear the charges. The Secretary will give at least fifteen days’ (15) days’ notice of the meeting to each member of the Board of Directors and to the accuser and the accused, which notice shall be in writing and will include a true copy of the charges and of the supporting affidavits and exhibits.
E. Any member suspended or expelled by the Board of Directors may appeal to the full membership of the Club. Such appeal shall be in writing to the Secretary who will notify the President. The President shall call a special meeting for the purpose of acting on the appeal. The Secretary shall give at least fifteen (15) days’ notice in writing or by electronic mail to all members of the Club in good standing stating the date, time, place and reason for the special meeting. At the meeting of the full Club, the Secretary shall read the original charges, the supporting affidavits and will read or display the accompanying exhibits, and will read the minutes of the special meeting of the Board of Directors at which the charges were made and action taken. A full hearing will be given the accused and the accuser. A vote will then be taken by ballot of the members in good standing present and two-thirds (2/3) majority vote shall be required to reverse the action of the Board of Directors.
ARTICLE IX - MATCH RULES
All firearm competition held by the Club shall be governed by the rules and regulations of the Rockingham, County Gun Club and the rules of the governing body of the competition being held, including but not limited to the Amateur Trapshooting Association, National Skeet Shooting Association, National Benchrest Shooters Association, International Benchrest Shooter, etc.
ARTICLE X - AMENDMENTS
In accordance with the Articles of Incorporation, the Board of Directors of the Corporation shall have the power to adopt, amend and repeal the By-Laws of the Corporation unless said By-Laws are amended to the contrary by the members at a specially called meeting of the members or at the annual December business meeting of members. A quorum, as described in Article VI, Para. C. above, must be present at either the regular scheduled meeting or the special called meeting for official business to be conducted. A 2/3(two-thirds) affirmative vote of all of the members present at the meeting shall be required to overturn any changes made to the By-Laws by the Board of Directors.
End of By-Laws.
The foregoing revision of the By-Laws was presented to the Board of Directors at the regular monthly meeting on September 4, 2007. The revised By-Laws were approved by a majority vote of the Board of Directors and are in full force as of that day.
Guy Cooter
Secretary
Rockingham CountyGun Club