By-Laws

ARTICLE I

NAME

The name of this organization shall be the Polk County Gun Club, Inc.

 

ARTICLE II

OBJECT AND PURPOSE

a. GENERAL. The object of this organization shall be the encouragement of organized shotgun, rifle, and pistol shooting among citizens of the United States resident in our community and with a view toward a better knowledge on the part of such citizens 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. To promulgate the above purposes, this corporation shall affiliate with the National Rifle Association.

b. JUNIOR MARKSMANSHIP PROGRAM. The Club shall sponsor a Junior Marksman Program, now known as Polk County Gun Club Junior Marksmanship Program, open to any boy or girl over ten (10) years of age through December 31st of the calendar year in which their twentieth birthday occurs and whose application for membership, approved by a parent or guardian, is approved by the Board of Directors. The object of the Junior Club shall be to improve the knowledge and skill of its members in matters relating to the proper care and handling of firearms, the management of target shooting ranges and competitions, the concepts of hunting and conservation, and to develop among its members those qualities of leadership, loyalty, cooperation and good sportsmanship which are essential to good citizenship.

c. LAW ENFORCEMENT TRAINING. The Club shall make its facilities available for training programs conducted by law enforcement agencies, the National Guard, Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts and other responsible organizations. Club members who are certified firearms instructors shall be encouraged to make their services available for such training programs.

d. CMP MARKSMANSHIP QUALIFICATION PROGRAM. The club shall participate in the CMP Marksmanship Qualification Program conducted by the Department of the Army (National Board for the Promotion of Rifle Practice) to train citizens in the use of military-type individual small arms as a means of National Defense.

e.COMMUNITY SERVICES. The club shall make its facilities available as a public service to the community for conducting NRA Hunter Safety Courses, NRA Basic Marksmanship Courses, NRA Sighting In Days, and general firearms safety education and marksmanship training courses

 

ARTICLE III

MEMBERSHIP

a. APPLICATION. Any citizen of the United States 18 years of age or older may apply to become a member of this organization by submitting a membership application sponsored by two voting members as defined in Article III Section i in good standing. This application must be approved by the Board of Directors and the applicant must pay the usual initiation fees and dues. The member of this club shall maintain individual membership in the National Rifle Association and shall subscribe to the following pledge:

“I certify that I am a citizen of good repute of the United States of America; 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 of its 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”.

b.CHARTER LIFE MEMBERS, HONORED CHARTER LIFE MEMBERS. . The members of the now dissolved P.C.G.C. Investors, Inc. shall be Charter Life Members or Honored Charter Life Members of the Polk County Gun Club, Inc. Honored Charter Life Member is a special designation to recognize those original investors who re­contributed their original investment after reimbursement of that sum following the dissolution of the P.C.G.C. Investors, Inc. These classes are limited to the original nineteen (19) members, plus the member replacing the non-active (resigned) member, Robert Hull. In consideration of their original investment, Charter Life and Honored Charter Life members shall not be required to pay annual dues. They shall be required to pay all general assessments on the same basis as other members. Charter Life and Honored Charter Life members shall each be responsible for maintaining his/her membership in the National Rifle Association

c. COMPOSITION OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS. The Board of Directors of the corporation shall consist of nine (9) members. They shall be elected by a majority vote by ballot of the members in good standing present at the Annual Members Meeting of the club. The terms of the Board of Directors members shall be 3 years with three (3) Member’s terms expiring every year. (As amended May 21, 2009).
Charter Life Members/Honored Charter Life Members/ (Formally the PCGC Investors) are entitled to a seat on the Board of Directors without standing for election by the voting members.  They may function as the other Directors except that their presence at the meeting does not count towards a quorum.
Board members shall be elected by the membership after which the officers shall be elected from the Board of Directors by members of the Board. No Board of Director member shall be eligible to hold the office of President that has not served the club as a club officer for at least one term.

d. ANNUAL MEMBERS. An annual member shall pay an initiation fee and annual dues in amounts set by the Board of Directors. At the time a person applies for membership in the Polk County Gun Club, he must provide evidence of membership in the National Rifle Association. Each year thereafter, at the time of paying annual dues to renew membership in Polk County Gun Club, each member shall furnish evidence to the club that he or she is currently a member of the National Rifle Association. This amendment shall become effective for the club’s fiscal year which begins on May 1, 1996. Membership in the National Rifle Association is not required for membership in the Junior Marksmanship Program.

e. MEMBERS OF THE MILITARY. An individual, twenty-six (26) years of age and younger, may apply for membership in the Polk County Gun Club, Inc. as an annual member in this classification upon payment of an initiation fee of $50.00 and annual dues of $50.00.  Application for membership must be approved by the Board of Directors.  If approved, he/she may use the facilities of the club in the same manner as regular annual members but may not vote at the members’ meeting.  Such military member may transfer at any time to “annual member” by paying to the club an amount equal to the difference between the amount of the initiation fee and dues in effect at the time of his/her acceptance as a military member and the amount he/she paid.

f. JUNIOR MEMBERSHIP. Juniors over the age of 10 through December 31st of the calendar year in which their twentieth birthday occurs, may apply for membership in the Polk County Gun Club Junior Marksmanship Program. The application must be approved by the Board of Directors and the Junior Club Marksmanship Program committee chairman.  The application fee and yearly dues are to be determined annually by the Board of Directors.  The junior membership allows the member to participate in the junior club activities under the supervision of the committee chairman and coaches.  No other usage of the club facilities or membership privileges are conveyed with this membership.

g. INACTIVE MEMBERS. Club members may from time to time apply to the Board of Directors for classification as an inactive member, and for good cause shown, the Board of Directors may grant such status. An inactive member shall not be required to pay dues or assessments during the time he is inactive and shall not be required to pay an additional initiation fee when he returns to active status. However, if a general assessment has been made of all members during the time he was inactive, the inactive member may be required to pay all or part of the assessment before being returned to active status.

h. BENEFITS OF MEMBERSHIP.

  1. Charter Life memberships, Life memberships, and Annual memberships shall be family memberships and shall entitle the member, his or her spouse, their dependent children under the age of 26 years who are full time students and reside with the member, and their children under the age of 26 years who are active members of the armed services, the use and enjoyment of all club facilities.
  2. Definitions:
    Member:  a person who is the card holding, dues paying or life membership holder.Family membership:  the persons in the member’s immediate family under the age of 21 or 26 if in college or the military.  These persons have an unlimited guest standing with the member.

    Guest:  a person who is a guest may visit and use the ranges with a member in direct control of the guest.  As it specifically applies to the pistol and rifles ranges, a member may bring any one guest 3 times in a calendar year.  Said restriction does not apply to the trap and/or skeet ranges.

  3. In the event the card holding member becomes deceased, the surviving spouse has the right to notify the Board of his/her desire to apply for the open membership position.  Said surviving spouse must make application sponsored by 2 club members and all additional requirements for membership approval pursuant to these by-laws and Board approval.

j. VOTING MEMBER. Amended November 27, 2000, a voting member is a member with 3 years consecutive membership.” All Board members must be voting members.

 

ARTICLE IV

INITIATION FEES, DUES, AND ASSESSMENTS

The amount of the initiation fee and the amount of annual dues shall be proposed by the Board of Directors and set by vote of the club members at the annual meeting each year. The initiation fee shall be paid upon acceptance as a member and is not required to be paid again so long as continuous membership is maintained. If a membership is terminated for any reason, that person must pay a new initiation fee before being re—accepted for membership or make an appeal to the Board of Directors to show just cause as to why the re-initiation fee should be waived Approval of such an appeal is at the discretion of the Board of Directors. Annual dues shall be paid in advance and may be paid on an annual, semi-annual, or monthly basis as the Board of Directors may from time to time direct. No money from dues income shall be spent for other purposes until mortgage payments for one year have been paid. Honored Charter Life members, Charter Life members, Life members, and Annual members may from time to time be charged an assessment in an amount determined by vote of a majority of the members of the club at a regular or special meeting at which a quorum is present. No member of the club in arrears shall be eligible to vote or to enjoy any other of the privileges or benefits offered by the club.

 

ARTICLE V

MEETINGS

a. ANNUAL MEETINGS. The annual meeting of the club shall. be scheduled for the third Thursday in May of each year. If the annual meeting shall not take place at the time fixed, it shall be held within a reasonable time thereafter, and the officers shall hold over until their successors shall have been elected. All members in good standing shall be notified in writing by mail at least 30 days prior to the annual meeting of the meeting date, time, location, and purpose of the meeting.

b. REGULAR MEETINGS. The regular business meeting of the club for the transaction of ordinary business shall be scheduled quarterly at such time and place as may be fixed by the Board of Directors.

c. SPECIAL MEETING. A special meeting of the club may be held at any time upon the call of the President or upon the call of the Board of Directors, or upon demand in writing, stating the object of the proposed meeting and signed by not less one-fifth of the members entitled to vote. Notice of the time, place, and object of any special meeting shall be given all officers and members in good standing in writing by United States mail not less than seven days prior to the date fixed for holding of the meeting. The place of such special meeting shall be fixed by the Board of Directors.

d. QUORUM. Fifteen (15) of the members of the club entitled to vote who are present shall constitute a quorum at any meeting

e. NOMINATING COMMITTEE The Board of Directors shall, at the Director’ s meeting held in January of each year, appoint a committee of three (3) to select a slate of candidates for the next fiscal year. The committee shall select a Chairman from within their group. The Nominating Committee shall select the slate of nominees in accordance with Article VII - BOARD OF DIRECTORS subheading (b.) - COMPOSITION OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS. The Nominating Committee shall submit a slate of five (5)or more nominees to the Board of Directors at the regularly scheduled Directors meeting held in March each year.

f. WAIVER OF MEETINGS. If a holiday season or other circumstances make it impractical to hold any meeting as provided herein, then the Board of Directors may waive such meeting or set another date for the same. The membership shall be notified accordingly. No less than three (3) regular meetings in addition to the annual meeting should be held each fiscal year.

 

ARTICLE VI

OFFICERS

a. The officers of this club shall be a President, Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer, and Executive Officer. These officers must be filled by Board of Director members elected by those members of the club in good standing at the Annual Members Meeting. Immediately following and at the same place as the Annual Members Meeting, the newly elected Board of Directors shall hold a meeting. At such meeting, providing a quorum of these Director members are present, they shall elect the officers of the club by ballot and by majority vote. The officers of this club shall serve for one year or until their successors are elected.

b. Resignation of any officer may be accepted by a majority vote of the remaining members of the Board of Directors.

c. In the event of a vacancy in any office, the replacement officer shall be appointed by the Board of Directors. The term of the replacement officer shall begin at the time the appointment is approved by majority vote of the Board of Directors at a regular or special meeting called for the purpose of filling said vacancy and continue for the unexpired term of his predecessor in office.

 

ARTICLE VII

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

a. GENERAL POWERS. The affairs of the corporation shall be managed by its Board of Directors. Directors shall be members of the corporation.

b. COMPOSITION OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS. The Board of Directors of the corporation shall consist of nine (9) members. They shall be elected by a majority vote by ballot of the members in good standing present at the Annual Members Meeting of the club. The terms of the Board of Directors members shall be 3 years with three (3) Member’s terms expiring every year. (As amended May 21, 2009)
Board members shall be elected by the membership after which the officers shall be elected from the Board of Directors by members of the Board. No Board of Director member shall be eligible to hold the office of President that has not served the club as a club officer for at least one term.

c. REGULAR MEETINGS. A regular meeting of the Board of Directors shall be held without any other notice than this bylaw immediately after and at the same place as the Annual Meeting of members. The Board of Directors may provide, by resolution, the time and place for holding additional regular meetings without other notice than such resolution. Additional regular meetings shall be held at the principal office of the corporation in the absence of any designation in the resolution.

d. SPECIAL MEETINGS. Special meetings of the Board of Directors may be called by or at the request of the President or any two (2) Directors and shall be held at the principal office of the corporation or at such other place as the Directors may determine. Notice of any such special meetings shall be given at least five (5) days previously thereto to all board members.

e. QUORUM. A majority of the Board of Directors shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business at any meetings of the Board. But if less than a majority of the Directors are present at any meetings, a majority of the Directors present may adjourn the meeting from time to time without further notice.

f. BOARD DECISIONS. The act of a majority of the Directors present at a meeting at which a quorum is present shall be the act of the Board of Directors, unless the act of a greater number is required by law or by these bylaws.

g. VACANCIES In the event of a vacancy occurring on the Board of Directors, the remaining directors shall appoint a replacement director. This appointee must be ratified by a majority vote of the voting members of the club present at a regular or special meeting called for the purpose of filling said vacancy. The term of the replacement director shall begin at the time the appointment is ratified by majority vote of the regular membership and continue for the unexpired term of his predecessor in office.

h. AUTHORITY TO ISSUE CORPORATE OBLIGATIONS. The Board of Directors shall have the authority to issue bonds, debentures, or other obligations of the corporation from time to time for any of the objects or purposes of the corporation and to secure them by mortgage, deed of trust, or pledge of any or all of the real and personal property, rights, privileges, and franchises of the corporation wheresoever situated, acquiring, and to be acquired, and to sell or otherwise dispose of any or all of such obligations in any manner and in such terms as the Board of Directors may deem proper.

i. GENERAL COMMITTEES. General committees and their chairmen shall be appointed by the board of directors. Each member of a general committee shall hold office for one year or until his successor is appointed. General committees to be appointed may include but shall not be limited to the following: Range Development, Membership, High Power, Shotgun, Pistol, Smallbore, Junior Club, Nominating, Auditing and Camp Perry Matches. The chairman of each general committee shall be expected to attend all meetings of the Board of Directors. Each general committee chairman, if not a member of the Board of Directors, shall have voice in the Directors meeting, but not vote. An Auditing Committee consisting of two (2) appointed by the President shall examine the books and records of the club and shall submit an audit report at the first general membership meeting following the annual meeting. Chairmen of High Power, Shotgun, Pistol, Smallbore, and Juniors shall serve as or be responsible for appointing a designated Range Officer to be present at any shooting event held at their respective ranges. The Camp Perry chairman shall be responsible for organizing teams, appointing the team captains, drawing the club’s issue of CMP ammunition, in the absence of the CMP custodian and delivering same to the CMP custodian, and handling the administrative matters concerning the Camp Perry matches in all categories. He shall be responsible for furnishing to the Board of Directors copies of the paperwork of all CMP transactions that he conducts. All business conducted by the CMP custodian or the Camp Perry chairman shall be in accordance with U. S. Army regulations 920-20.

 

ARTICLE VIII

DUTIES OF OFFICERS

a. PRESIDENT. The President shall preside over all meetings of the club and of the Board of Directors. He/she shall be a member ex-officio of all regular and special committees and shall perform all such duties as usually pertain to the office. The president shall be responsible for keeping an up-to-date membership list, the collection of dues, financial records of membership dues paid and the transference of dues to the Treasurer.

b. VICE PRESIDENT. The vice President shall perform the duties of the President in his absence or at his request. In the event of a vacancy in the office of President, the Vice President shall serve as President until a new President is elected. The Vice President shall be responsible for the publication of the newsletter and the calendar of events.

c. SECRETARY. The Secretary shall conduct all official correspondence pertaining to the proper preparation and forwarding of all reports required of the club by the National Rifle Association and the Director of Civilian Marksmanship. He shall notify the members of the Board of Directors of all meetings and shall notify all members of special and annual meetings. He shall keep a true record of all meetings of the Board of Directors and of the club and have the custody of the books and papers of the club, except the Treasurer’s books of account. He shall be responsible for re-affiliating the club annually with the National Rifle Association.

d. TREASURER. The Treasurer shall be responsible for the receiving of all fees and dues. He/she shall have charge of all funds of the club and place the same in such bank or banks as may be approved by the Board of Directors. Such funds shall only be withdrawn by check signed by any two of the following officers: President, Vice President, Secretary, or Treasurer. The Treasurer shall keep an accurate record of all his/her transactions and render a detailed report at all Board of Directors meetings and an annual report to the organization at its regular annual meeting.

e. EXECUTIVE OFFICER. The Executive Officer shall be responsible for keeping abreast of the activities of the General Committees He/she should be prepared to report the status of general committee activities to the Board of Directors at director meetings and at regular membership meetings where general committee chairmen are not present. He/she should strive to promote cooperation among the various disciplines represented in the club for the betterment of the club as a whole. He/she shall furthermore be responsible for maintaining a current inventory of all club property, serial numbers or other identification and have a signed receipt from the person that has custody of the property. It shall be the responsibility of the Executive Officer to report to the Board of Directors any changes in the property as to custodian, condition, or maintenance performed on same. An audit is to be performed on all properties at the beginning of the term of an Executive Officer. The Executive Officer shall advise the club Secretary of the combination that he proposes to set on the gate lock by April 30th of each year and will change the combination on the gate lock on May 30th.

 

ARTICLE IX

SUSPENSION OR EXPULSION

a. Any member may be suspended or expelled from the club for any cause deemed sufficient by the Board of Directors by a two-thirds 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 fifteen (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 will be considered. At such meeting the member under charges will be accorded a full hearing.

  1. 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 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 call a meeting of the Board of Directors to hear the charge. The Secretary will give at least fifteen (15) days’ notice of the meeting to each member of the Board of Directors and to the accuser and to the accused, which notice shall be in writing and will include a true copy of the charges and of the supporting affidavits and exhibits. If the President is the officer charged, the Vice President shall perform the duties of the President as set forth herein. If the Secretary is the officer charged, the Treasurer will perform the duties of the Secretary as set forth herein.
  2. Any member suspended or expelled by the Board of Directors may appeal to the full membership of the club. Such appeal shall be made in writing to the Secretary within fifteen (15) days and said Secretary will notify the President. The President will call a special meeting of the club for the purpose of acting on the appeal. The Secretary shall give at least fifteen (15) days’ notice in writing to all members of the club in good standing stating the date, time, place, and reason for such special meeting. At the meeting of the full club the Secretary 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 heard and action taken. A full hearing will be given the accuser and the accused. A vote will be taken by ballot of the members in good standing present and a two-thirds vote of the members shall be required to reverse the action of the Board of Directors.

b. Any officer or member of the club who has been suspended or expelled by the National Rifle Association shall automatically stand suspended or expelled from this club immediately upon receipt of official notice by the Secretary of this club from the Secretary of the National Rifle Association.

c. The National Rifle Association shall be given a complete report whenever a member of the club is suspended or expelled, showing charges made and action taken.

 

ARTICLE X

MATCH RULES

All NRA sanctioned competitions held by the club will be governed by the rules and regulations laid down by the National Rifle Association and approved by the National Board for the Promotion of Rifle Practice and by the Secretary of the Army. In addition, the club may hold competitions sanctioned by other shooting organizations.

 

ARTICLE XI

AMENDMENTS

Proposed amendments to these bylaws may be introduced by any member of the club at any regular meeting or special meeting called for the purpose.  After approval by the board, the proposed amendments must be acted upon by the club membership at a regular meeting or special meeting called for the purpose, provided a copy of the proposed amendments has been sent to each club member by United States mail at least ten (10) days before the meeting.  A two-thirds vote of the members present will be necessary to pass the proposed amendment.

 

ARTICLE XII

CORPORATE SEAL

The corporate seal of the corporation shall consist of two concentric circles, between which is the name of the corporation, and in the center of which is inscribed SEAL, and such seal as impressed on the margin hereof is hereby adopted as the corporate seal of the corporation.

I hereby certify that the foregoing is a true and accurate copy of the bylaws of Polk County Gun Club, Inc. approved by the Board of Directors at a regular meeting held on May 11, 2021 and adopted by the members of the Polk County Gun Club, Inc. at a regular meeting held on May 20, 2021.  Said bylaws includes amendments approved at regular membership meetings held on February 7, 1984, May 15, 1986, May 17, 1990, January 26, 1991, May 25, 1991 and May 16, 1996.

POLK COUNTY GUN CLUB, INC., a North Carolina corporation

BY:__________________________________  (signature)

     __________________________________  (print name)

ITS _________________________________