Bylaws
Article I
1. To encourage
organized shooting activities among citizens of the
2. To establish a public development of the essentials of good sportsmanship, honesty, law observance, and self-reliance.
3. To establish and support junior sportsmen for the purpose of carrying out the objectives of this Society with the adults and youth of our state and nation.
4. To hold exhibits from time to time at various locations throughout the state, where membership and general public may within applicable laws, view, display and trade.
5. To promote, communicate, and portray early American, Civil War, and Cowboy living history in general.
Article II
Any citizens of the
1. There shall be two classes of memberships:
A. Endowment Members: Those individuals who qualify as sponsored members and pay a one-time fee for lifetime membership or pay a yearly membership fee.
B. Honorary Members: Those individuals whom the Society from time to time may wish to honor for some special service or contribution to the shooting sport.
2. The annual dues of each member shall be on a calendar year January through December, with dues being due by the 1st of January each year.
I CERTIFY that I am a citizen of good repute of the United States of American (or Canada); that I am not a member of any organization or group having as its purpose or one of its purposes the overthrow by force and violence of the Government of the United States or any other political subdivisions; that I have never been convicted of a crime of violence, and that, if admitted to membership, I will fulfill the obligations of good sportsmanship and good citizenship.
Article III
1. Annual membership categories shall be as follows:
A. Single membership
B. Family membership. Family members
include spouse/significant other, and children. Children reaching 21 years of age are responsible for
their own memberships.
C. Senior memberships (for those over 60 years of age).
D. Junior memberships (for those ages 12 – 17).
2. Lifetime memberships shall be as follows:
A. Single lifetime membership
B. Family lifetime membership (limited
to 3 members)
3. A member of this Society whose dues are in arrears for 30 days shall not be eligible to vote or enjoy any of the other privileges of this Society.
4. A member of this
Society whose dues are in arrears for 6 months shall be dropped from the rolls.
5. Due to the NRA requiring 51% of our membership to be members of the NRA in order to qualify for NRA-sponsored insurance, every member of this Society shall be encouraged to become a member of the NRA. To be a member of the Board of Directors the member must be a member of the NRA for their term as an officer.
6. Every member of this Society shall be encouraged to become a member of the Single Action Shooting Society (SASS).
Article IV
1. Meetings: The regular meetings of the Society shall be held after regularly scheduled shoots when deemed necessary, weather permitting. During the membership meeting, those members present in good standing shall constitute a quorum. In the event that weather is not permitting, a designated place will be established to continue the meeting. The meeting shall be open to all club members in good standing. All business matters that affect this Society shall be open for discussion. The Board of Directors may make exceptions to the scheduled membership meeting provided a 10-day notice is given to all members.
2. Board of Directors Meetings: Board of Directors meetings shall be held at such time and location as designated by the Board of Directors.
3. Family memberships shall be allowed 2 votes on any Society issue. Voters must be 21 years of age.
Article V
1. The officers shall be President, Vice-President,
Secretary, Treasurer, Range Master, Member-at-Large, and Sgt-at-Arms. The
officers acting together shall constitute the Board of Directors.
2. The Board of Directors shall have general supervision,
control and management of all activities of the Society. Any decision of the Board
of Directors may be reversed by a 2/3
majority of votes cast by the members in good standing; according to established policy.
3. The resignation of any officer shall be submitted to the President or Vice-President in writing and may be accepted by a majority vote of the Board of Directors members.
4. A vacancy in the Board of Directors shall be filled by Presidential appointment, subject to the approval of the Board of Directors. The appointee shall serve until the positions next scheduled general election. However, if two or more vacancies exist, new officers shall be elected at the by mailed ballots to fill the vacancies for the remainder of the unexpired term. Should the offices of the President and Vice-President become vacant simultaneously, the remainder of the Board of Directors may select from its members in good standing a President Pro Tem to preside over the meeting of this Society in order to elect a new President and Vice-President.
Article VI
1. Election of Officers: The President shall appoint a three-member nominating committee in August of each year. The Nominating Committee shall submit a slate of nominees for the positions being elected that year at a general membership meeting after the shoot on the first Sunday of September, at which time nominations will also be accepted from the floor. Ballots will mailed to all members in good standing after the September meeting and the results of the election will be announced at a meeting after the shoot on the first Sunday of October. The newly-elected officers will begin their term on November 1.
2. All officers shall be elected to serve for the period of 2 years.
A. The election for President, Range Master, Treasurer and
Member-at-Large, shall be held in even numbered years.
B. The election for
Vice-President, Secretary, and Sgt-at-Arms shall be elected in odd numbered
years.
3. Officers shall be elected by the majority votes cast by
Society members.
Article VII
1. President: The President shall preside at all meetings of the Society and of the Board of Directors. The President shall be a member Ex-officio of all regular and special committees, and shall perform all other duties as usually pertain to the office.
2. Vice-President: The Vice-President shall perform the duties of the President in the President’s absence or at the President’s request. The Vice-President shall also perform other duties as requested by the President.
3. Secretary: The secretary shall conduct all official correspondence pertaining to the proper preparation and forwarding of all required reports. The Secretary shall notify all members of regular and special meetings, and shall keep true records of all meetings of the Board of Directors and of this Society, and have custody of the records and papers of the society. The Secretary shall also perform other duties as requested by the President.
4. Treasurer: The treasurer shall have charge of all funds of the Society and place same in such banks as may be approved by the Board of Directors. Such money shall only be withdrawn by checks co-signed by two authorized members of the Board of Directors. Authorized members shall be the Treasurer and two other Board members who are not family members of the Treasurer. The treasurer shall keep an accurate account of all financial transactions and render a detailed report at any meeting of the Society when requested. The treasurer shall submit a complete summary, which shall constitute the annual report, of all expenditures and income at the October meeting of the Society. The Treasurer shall also perform other duties as requested by the President.
5. Range Master: The Range Master shall have charge of the ranges of the Society, arrangement and control of competitions and range activities, including safety and arms instructions, with authority to appoint assistants from the members of the Society. The Range Master shall enforce range safety during Society activities. The assistants appointed by the Range Master shall be Range Officers (RO’s) and shall serve for the period of 1 shoot. The Range Master shall also perform other duties as requested by the President.
6. Member-at-Large: The Member-at-Large shall perform duties as requested by the President.
7. Sgt-at-Arms: The Sgt-at-Arms is responsible for maintaining order as necessary at all meetings and events. He shall use Robert’s Rules of Order to govern the meeting. He shall also help maintain range security and assist the Range Master when needed. The Sgt-at-Arms shall also perform other duties as requested by the President.
8. It shall be the duty of the officers to attend all regular, Board of Directors and special meetings of the Society.
1. An officer who is unable or unwilling to perform the duties of the office to which elected shall notify the President for replacement.
2. Any officer who is unwilling to perform the duties of the office to which elected shall be removed from office. A majority vote of the other Board of Directors members shall be required to refer the issue to the Membership. A 2/3 majority vote of the members in good standing will be required to remove the officer.
Article IX
1. Any member may be suspended or expelled by the unanimous vote of the Board of Directors. Any member in good standing may refer charges against any member to the Board of Directors. Such charges shall be in writing, clearly stating the facts, accompanied by all affidavits or exhibits, which are to be used in their support. Such charges shall be filed with the Secretary, who will immediately notify the President. The President will present the charges at the next regular meeting of the Executive Committee. The accused may have representation at such meeting. A unanimous vote of the Board of Directors shall be required for expulsion.
2. The accused may file an appeal for a hearing by the general membership of the Society within 30 days of the Board of Directors’ decision. A written appeal shall be filed with the secretary, who will within 48 hours notify the President. The President will present the appeal at the next regular Society meeting. The accused may have representation at the Society meeting. A 2/3 vote of the members in good standing shall be required to reverse the decision of suspension or expulsion.
1. The capital of this Society shall consist of such property as acquired including any real property, by leasehold, of fee title, which it may acquire and hold in accordance by law, such money as may be paid into the treasury of the Society by the members thereof as dues and fees, or received by the Society from other sources.
2. The highest amount of indebtedness of liability, direct or contingent, to which the Society may, at any time subject itself, shall be subject to the limitations of law and approval of the Secretary of the State of Montana, and shall not exceed 80% of the assets. The asset value of the real estate and improvements shall be appraised value of the property.
3. No obligations and/or encumbrances against the real
property of the Society may be made with the approval of 2/3 of the current members in good standing.
Article XI
1. Any proposed amendments to these by-laws may be
introduced by any Society member in
good standing at any business meeting or may be submitted to the Board of
Directors at any time.
2. Interpretation of these by-laws may be recorded by a Policy statement.
3. Policy statements may be executed by the Board of
Directors.
4. All policy statements shall be recorded and shall be
considered as part of the by-laws of this organization. The Board of Directors may rescind any policy statements.
5. Interpretation of the by-laws shall be the responsibility
of the Board of Directors.
Article XII
1. All meetings and Board of Directors meetings shall be conducted according to Robert’s Rules of Order.
2. Activities of the Society shall be restricted to areas designated for the specific purpose of the Society. Insurance restrictions prohibit members from using the “Sun River Rangers Shooting Society” name while participating in off site re-enactments and other such events where blanks, live rounds or any other detonations occur.
3. The Society shall not be used for the firing or detonation of such weapons as described in Title II, Machine Guns Destructive Devices, and certain other firearms; Subchapter B, Section 5845. Definitions of Public Law 90-816, known as the Gun Control Act of 1998, Paragraph (f) Destructive Devices: or any other weapon of device that violates the spirit of the Sun River Rangers Shooting Society (SRRSS). The Above restrictions shall not be construed to pertain to those weapons described in Paragraph (g) Antique Firearms.
4. The above Paragraph shall not prevent the Board of Directors from granting permission for the demonstration of such weapons when deemed beneficial to the Society membership as a whole.
5. No shooting or gun handling shall be permitted during any meeting of the Society.
6. It shall be the duty of all members to acquaint themselves with all restrictions.
7. Because safety and public image are of paramount importance to the Society, any violation of these restrictions shall be sufficient cause to initiate expulsion or suspension proceedings as outlined in Article VII of the Sun River Rangers Shooting Society (SRRSS) by-laws.
Article XIII
1. Upon dissolution of this Society, any monies remaining in the Society’s treasury shall be donated to a non-profit organization or charity after expenses of this Society are satisfied, as decided upon by the vote of a majority of the members in good standing.
2. The organization to receive these monies shall be the
State of