Dates Through 2010
2007
January 6-7, 2007
March 24-25, 2007
May 12-13, 2007
July 14-15, 2007
Sept. 22-23, 2007
Nov. 10-11, 2007 |
2008
January 12-13, 2008
March 8-9, 2008
May 10-11, 2008
July 19-20, 2008
Sept. 20-21, 2008
Nov. 8-9, 2008 |
2009 tentative
January 10-11, 2009
March 14-15, 2009
May 16-17, 2009
July 18-19, 2009
Sept. 19-20, 2009
Nov. 21-22, 2009 |
2010 tentative
Contact the business office for tentative dates or stayed tuned! |
A Message From the President
THE MARCH SHOW BONANZA! [March 26, 2007] I am sitting at my desk thinking
about this past weekend at Wilmington and how tired everyone
looked Sunday as they packed up to make their way home from the
show, a good tired, mind you, but none the less tired. The place
was packed and the deals were everywhere. We had a lot of positive
comments and many good suggestions for future shows. I feel good
about where the club is heading, and the numbers are starting
to show it. This past weekend we sold out the house with 827
tables, 987 guests and almost a new record with 281 new members.
With just two shows under our belt this year we have almost surpassed
the totals of 2004 and 2005. What a great group of people to
be involved with. Thanks for everyone's efforts.
THE REALLY BIG SHOW
- MAY: brace yourselves - here we come again Air Force Museum.
I don’t know if we can top last year but we are going to
try. The Air Force Band of Flight will once again entertain us
with their talent. We also will have many of our state law makers
on hand and some outstanding speakers as well. Please join us
on Saturday night...you won’t be disappointed.
THE NEW TOP AWARDS:
this year and for years to come we have anchored an outstanding
Ohio Sculptor/Artist Mr. Alan Cottrill from Zanesville to sculpt
what you see on the front cover of this edition of our newsletter.
The solid bronze Minuteman stands about twenty inches high and
weighs forty pounds. Each of these bronzes will be serial numbered
starting with OGCA 01 and I hope it will be the highlight of
anyone's gun or display room for years. In my opinion this bronze
symbolizes what the OGCA stands for, freedom and pride. Three
will be awarded this year. (See article page 3.)
THE SHOW GUN:
for the first time we will have a one of a kind engraved Colt
70 Series, 38 Super that will be auctioned off at the May show
on Saturday afternoon. There will be a special room set up for
the bidding and a bidders number will be needed to place bids.
(See back cover.) I would like to thank all of those people involved
in this project for they have donated their time, materials and
artistry to make this project happen.
Colts Mfg. Co
Michael Dubber
Dan Chesiak
Dennis Holland
Please remember to bid early and bid often.
The NRA Annual Meeting: long-time members Cam and Josie Cogsdill will
represent the OGCA with their Colt double action exhibit at the
NRA convention in St. Louis in mid April. It's been a pleasure
to have known the Cogsdill's for many years. If you are planning
on attending the NRA convention stop by and say hello to Cam
and Josie. They will also display in May in Wilmington!
Well, until we all meet again at the BIG SHOW...
Best Wishes,
Joe W. Pittenger
President
Great March Statistics
Thanks for your support!
Guests: 987
Applicants: 281!
Tables: 827
Tables sold out in record time including both conference rooms.
May tables will be assigned to members on a first come,
first served basis.
70th Anniversary
Show Gun - Colt 70 Series Government 38 Super
The one of a kind OGCA 70th Anniversary Show Gun will be
auctioned mid-afternoon on Saturday May 12 at the Roberts Centre
in Wilmington, Ohio. Look for signage for the exact place and
time, and how to obtain bid numbers.
For those unable to attend we will accept sealed bids received
by Monday May 7th at the OGCA Business Office. Mark envelope
"Show Gun Auction." Enclose name, member number, bid
amount in U.S. dollars and phone number.
We gratefully acknowledge Colt Manufacturing which donated
this fine custom firearm, as well as Colt master engraver, Mike
Dubber, Colt grip maker, Dan Chesiak, ivory grips carver Dennis
Holland, and finisher, Doug Turnbull.
As you read this Dan Chesiak and Dennis Holland are bringing
life to the Colt 70 Series 38 Super with grips of gorgeous carved
ivory. Master Engraver, Mike Dubber is making it a masterpiece.
Picture French Grade engraving with just the right amount of
flourish in this gun celebrating 70 years of OGCA, including
for example, serial number and rampant colt in gold.
Mike is Past President and founding member of The Firearm
Engraver's Guild of America. He has been engraving since 1970
and holds a Bachelors and Masters in Fine Art Education. He will
be on hand at the May show and setting up with President, Joe
W. Pittenger, in aisle M. We will have photos of the transformation
of this one-of-a-kind piece of art that will never be duplicated.
Auction will benefit our Political Action Committee --
and the fight for our firearm freedoms!
Nominations
For Director Due In May
It’s that time of year again when
we are looking for a few good men and women interested in running
for the OGCA Board of Directors. Contact First Vice President
Frank Hodges at (513) 451-6197 for a nomination form.
The nominating committee is looking
for avid collectors who have been members for at least 5 years,
with a desire to help move OGCA into the future. Candidates must
be a resident of Ohio. The nomination form and necessary paperwork
must be returned to Frank by the close of the May meeting. Interviews
are conducted in July for the Fall election. If you have any
questions, contact Frank at (513) 451-6197.
Guests Permitted to Buy, Sell
and Trade; One Year Test
As per the last newsletter, OGCA has
made changes on a 1 year test basis that ALL members should be
aware of:
1) Guests PERMITTED to trade in compliance
with law & rules of OGCA.
2) Guests strictly limited to 2 visits
in their life beginning March 2007. Must join (if interested)
on 1st or 2nd visit.
3) Guest pass fee raised to $10. Note
- the fee is now waived for guests ages 17 & under. See guest
pass registration form.
OGCA will remain a private show, closed
to the general public. Questions, comments, or ideas for improvement
of this test policy may be directed to the Committee: Cy Byrd,
Jon Chorpenning, Peter Cox, Charles Metcalf, Cecil Parker, and
Ken Seminatore.
Display Show 2007
"Powerful, virile and full of life,
energy and complexity" is how Alan Cottrill's fine bronze
sculptures have been described, and we are pleased to announce
that this Ohio artist has been commissioned to create The Minuteman
Award for the top three display show awards: Member's Choice,
First Place Theme and The Robert Rubendunst Best Educational
Award.
The Minuteman Award symbolizes freedom
and pride. "A thousand years from now these beautiful bronze
statues will still be standing, and It will certainly be an honor
to present them at our 70th Anniversary banquet." said President,
Joe W. Pittenger, who has been working behind the scenes to find
special awards for each of the 10 Award categories. These awards
are in addition to $12,000 in cash prizes already announced!
Are you planning on doing a display but have not yet sent in
your application? We are still accepting applications for display
tables but please contact the Business Office by April 16th if
you are interested.
Our Theme is “Competition Firearms
and their Shooters” and we have some incredible entries.
For trade tables, MAIL in your form ASAP as space is limited
and the hall is expected to sell out. Like last year, the display
show will be located in the center of the exhibit hall. Our
regular table holders in that area were extremely supportive,
and we will do our best to relocate those affected by the display
show to another great area.
Come visit and enjoy our display show!!
You will see and learn something new – guaranteed! Bring
your family and friends.
Members Please Vote, Vote, Vote!!!
Vote for the best display by filling
out a ballot and returning it to the attendant on Saturday May
12th by 2:00 PM.
Thank you in advance to each exhibitor, judge, and volunteer.
This world-class event is turning heads around the nation toward
our great club.
Authors
to Sign Books May 12th
As part of our 70th Anniversary festivities,
some of our members who "wrote the book" on their collecting
interest will be available to sign their books on Saturday May
12th. We will have a tentative schedule posted but the prime
time to get an autographed book will be Saturday 10 AM - 2 PM.
Robert J. Adamek Pistols of World War
I
Leonardo M. Antaris Astra Automatic
Pistols & Star Firearms
Roy Baumgardner Precision Shooting With the M-1 Garand
John Breslin Variations of Colt’s
New Model Police and Pocket Breech Loading Pistols
Charles Clawson Colt 45 Government Models
and Colt 45 Service Pistols
Albert Frasca The .45-.70 Springfield
and
The .45-.70 Springfield – Book II
Tracie Hill Thompson: The American Legend
Donald A Hutslar Ohio Gunsmiths and
Allied Tradesmen (5 volumes)
Thomas D. Schiffer Peters & King
Noel P. Schott Military Rifle Markings
1866-1950 Third Edition
Chuck Worman Firearms of the American
West 1803-1865, Firearms of the American West 1866-1894, and
Gunsmoke and Saddle Leather
Banquet
To Celebrate 70 Years - Final Call For Tickets!!
Tickets are going fast to our 2007 banquet!
There is only one 70th Anniversary so do not miss this chance
to celebrate with us on Saturday May 12th at 6 PM at the National
Museum of the United States Air Force. To reserve your spot,
simply send in the yellow flier asap.
The reaction to the evening entertainment
has been tremendous. The Air Force Band of Flight is such a special
treat that you will want to include all of your friends and family.
You will have the chance to meet many special guests including
outdoors columnists, NRA VIPs, our illustrious Display Show judges
and many others. Former Secretary of State J. Kenneth Blackwell
will be in attendance and we have invited the entire Ohio General
Assembly, Governor Strickland and others in the state/national
leadership.
Tour this phenomenal museum, and dine
in the “Modern Flight Gallery” among some of the most
historically significant planes ever built. The low dinner price
includes 2 free drink tickets, a delicious salad/dinner/dessert
catered by the Air Force Officers Club and appetizers. Add another
$5 and we will take you there and back via a comfy motor coach
bus. You can't beat it - but space is limited. Do not delay!
Banquet attendees are also invited to
a free "behind the scenes" Restoration Tour by OGCA
Director, General Charles Metcalf, Director of the museum. The
optional tour group will meet in the museum lobby at 4:30 PM.
Volunteers will take you to the restoration hangers and you will
meet back with the rest of the group around 6 PM. Ticket required
- check the box on the banquet flier! (Note that there is not
bus service from the Roberts Centre for the optional tour.)
Tickets must be purchased in advance
and will not be available at the May show. Once the busses and
the banquet are sold out, no more reservations can be taken.
Dues - Thank You For Your
Continued Support
Your ANNUAL DUES STATEMENT was enclosed
in the November meeting mailing. (The yellow slip with your name
and address.) You can mail your payment without the statement,
but please include your member # so we can credit the proper
account.
Your previous years badge can be used
for admission into the January 6 & 7 meeting, so do not be
concerned if you mail in your payment but have not received your
new badge insert before you leave for the January meeting. Please
Allow 3-5 weeks for processing.
After January 15th, letters for subsequent
mailings will not be mailed until dues are current. If payment
is not received by March 31st, the name of the nonpaying member
will be purged from the file and can be reinstated only by paying
a minimum of 3 years dues by December 31, 2007.
We need and appreciate your support.
With your help we will remain the oldest and largest private
gun collecting group in the world.
No increase in over 5 years!
One Year $30.00
Three Years $85.00
Five Years $140.00
Life $600.00
Senior Life (65+) $300.00
“Collectors’
Row” is the small section of the mammoth NRA Annual Meeting
and Exhibits where the gun collectors associations like OGCA
can be found. Though it is often tucked away, tens of thousands
come to see the great exhibits put on by collectors groups. The
vast majority are shooters and hunters, and yet many visitors
say it's their favorite part!
We will have a sneak peek at the April
13-15, 2007 NRA exhibit in the May newsletter as well as a look
back at our fine NRA exhibits so far this century.
We have displayed collectible firearms
at every NRA Annual Meeting since 1954. Besides being the longest
running collectors group to display (53 years), OGCA is also
the most successful, having received numerous certificates, Silver
Medallions and the “Silver Cup" an unprecedented eight
times.
The keys to our success are 1) the most
creative and determined members in the world 2) a built -in source
for the NRA exhibit in our world-class Annual Display Show 3)
a conviction that this is one way that collectors can help a)
build a larger, stronger more unified NRA and b) educate the
average NRA member about firearm collecting. (Both are pivotal
when gun collecting shows come under attack!)
Exhibiting is a monumental undertaking, and it is always with
our sincerest appreciation that so many fine members have accepted
the challenge.
"See You in St. Louis!"
Accepting the challenge this year is 33 year Life members, Cameron
and Josie Cogsdill, of Michigan who will exhibit "Colt
Double Action Revolvers 'The Golden Era' 1911-1941" in St
Louis, MO on April 13-15, 2007.
If you are going to St. Louis, be sure
to visit the OGCA exhibit and support Cam and Josie as well
as Director, Jim Tekavec, who has volunteered to chair the NRA
Exhibit Committee for the second year in a row.
Can't make St. Louis? Meet the Cogsdills
at the May 12-13 Display Show!
Women of the OGCA: Ruth Swihart
Ruth Swihart defines the term “Tom
Boy.” She grew up in the mountains of Maryland on a dairy
farm along with three sisters. She was the son her father never
had and started hunting with him at an early age. She remembers
jumping on brush piles to flush out rabbits at five or six years
old.
When she was around 7 and all the guys
were going deer hunting, she decided she would go hunting, too.
She and her sister struck out on their own with mom’s butcher
knife and great expectations. She’s not sure what would
have happened but she figures she probably would have jumped
on one, stabbed it and dragged it home if she came across a wounded
deer. Ruth set out hunting this way a few times before she got
caught with the butcher knife and heard a stern lecture from
mom.
Ruth loves horses and met her husband,
the late Ronnie Swihart, at a horse show. Ronnie is what brought
her to Ohio and we owe a debt to him for this because Ruth is
one of the finest members of OGCA. She knows collectible firearms
and has been setting up for years at OGCA. She brings about
40 square feet of some of the finest long guns around.
Ruth and Ron spent alot of time in the
woods. They hunted bear in Canada and white tail deer in Ohio
among other game. Once Ron could no longer hunt, Ruth would
call him 10 times a day on her cell phone to tell him what she
was seeing and what was happening in the woods.
Ruth has a wall of trophy deer - most taken with bow – that
rivals any serious hunters we know. The last big deer she got,
she hunted for 27 days. The only time she was not out in the
woods was when she was at a gun show.
She has a great story about tracking
a trophy deer into a thicket so dense that she actually had to
go around it through water and pull him into the canoe just to
get him out of the woods.
For Ruth, hunting is a great time to
think about your spiritual self and everything else when surrounded
by the woods. “It is God, the animal and me - in that order.
I am just the little person.”
When we asked her advice about bear
hunting she said “Don't wait. Do it while you are young.”
Ruth is planning a trip for the fall while we speak.
Ruth can be found set up at row H at
the Roberts Centre, often with her sister, Ramona. Ruth is also
a member of the NRA and the Michigan Antique Arms Collectors
Association.
Ron passed away just a few months ago
but you know he’s looking down and grinning from ear to
ear, lighting up the room and talking a mile a minute about the
love of his life and all the fun he had at OGCA.
I have been lucky to call Ruth and
Ron Swihart friends for more than twenty years. As a matter of
fact, one purchase from them many years ago, a Colt SAA, I still
hunt with today, and have taken several deer and a bear to date.
Ruth is one of the finest women of collecting and hunting that
there is to know. She is always generous with the tales of her
hunts and interesting trips and I look forward to hearing about
her bear hunt later this year. This article is just a small window
into one of our outstanding lady members and I want to thank
her for sharing it with all of us.
- Joe W. Pittenger
Enola Gay Navigator Announced For September Meeting
Mark your calendar! Theodore "Dutch"
Van Kirk, the Navigator of the Enola Gay will make a special
appearance at the September 22-23 meeting at the Roberts Centre
in Wilmington.
Van Kirk flew 58 missions in England
and North Africa before being selected by General Paul Tibbets
to serve as navigator on the first atomic bombing mission on
August 6, 1945. His inspiring and thought-provoking talks about
the mission of the 509th composite Group have brought standing
room only crowds to their feet. This is a rare chance for you,
your family and friends to hear first hand from this distinguished
veteran. Among his decorations are: the Silver Star, Distinguished
Flying Cross and Air Medal with 14 oak leaf clusters, plus many
Theater awards.
War Against Gun Shows Will
Intensify this Year - By Tim Inwood
The following article was written
by OGCA Life member, Tim Inwood, for Buckeye Firearm's Association
(BSA), the P.A.C of Ohioans For Concealed Carry. Tim raises extremely
important questions about the next 70 years of OGCA, and the
need to prepare for the fight to save firearm freedoms and gun
shows. BSA has been instrumental in passing H.B. 347 concealed
carry reform and state firearms preemption legislation. OGCA
and our Political Action Committee look forward to strengthening
our relationship with organizations like BSA who are making a
difference both in and out of Ohio. I encourage you to visit
www.buckeyefirearms.org and sign up for their email alerts which
report on important firearms related legislative issues almost
as they happen. Alot is brewing on the legislative front. Stay
tuned. Be prepared. Get involved. Do your part. Read Tim's article.
– Joe W. Pittenger, President
On the weekend of January 6th, 2007,
the Ohio Gun Collectors Association had their first show of the
year at the Roberts Centre in Wilmington Ohio. As I walked the
aisles admiring the displays of Colt’s from the American
Civil War and Winchesters of the “Old West”, the PA
system came to life, and the voice over my head began talking
about how the OGCA was celebrating seventy years in 2007. It
made me stop and think to myself.
“Will there be another seventy
years?”
The reason for this pessimistic thought
is rather obvious. While I was strolling those aisles admiring
firearms that were used in the American Revolution and played
their role in creating our country, an insidious plot is being
hatched in Washington D.C. to kill gun shows.
For some time now, various plots have
been in the works to effectively snuff that great American tradition
of the weekend gun show. Senators John McCain, Jack Reed and
Joe Lieberman have a bill in the works to “close the gun
show ‘loophole’”, among other things. A cosponsor
of that bill, Senator Mike DeWine, now sits in his home in Cedarville,
still puzzling as to why he was voted out of office last November.
I doubt it has occurred to him that had he not back-stabbed the
gun owners of Ohio he would have been reelected. Or perhaps he
does. Mike had the audacity to proclaim in his reelection literature
last year that he was a strong supporter of the Second Amendment.
So maybe he knew he needed us and just wanted to bluff his way
through with lies. Such a man deserved defeat, and I hope his
political career is as dead as Julius Caesar.
The new Speaker of the House, Nancy
Pelosi, now known as “Queen Nancy” in some circles,
has a scary number of anti-gun plans in the works. Among them
is a bill for an automatic 72-hour waiting period for anyone
buying a gun at a gun show. Never mind that a gun show lasts
much less than 48 hours. UPS and Fed Ex will make money shipping
guns and the general public being forced to leap one more hurdle
to own a gun, and thus will be less enthusiastic about attending
a gun show, let alone buying anything. This is not crime fighting,
but a nuisance to the law abiding.
The point of these bills is essentially
to kill the gun shows. They proclaim it is to stop criminals
from procuring their weapons at these shows. The theory criminals
in bulk get their firearms at gun shows is a myth. Very few crime
guns come from gun shows. Federal statistics themselves say this.
• The Bureau of Justice Statistics
(BJS) 2001 report “Firearms Use by Offenders,” the
largest such study ever conducted by the government, found that
less than 1% of U.S. “crime guns” come from gun shows.
• A 2000 BJS study, “Federal
Firearms Offenders, 1992-98,” found only 1.7% of federal
prison inmates obtained their gun from a gun show.
• A National Institute of Justice
1997 study, “Homicide in Eight U.S. Cities,” reported
less than 2% of criminal guns come from gun shows.
Statistics show criminals get their
guns from family, friends and most are stolen. Granted some of
those are stolen from gun shows, and I have been at a few Bill
Goodman and PRO shows where guns have been stolen. This is not
the fault of the promoters but of the boldness of these thieves.
Luckily most of them are stupid and are caught on the spot. The
Promoter of the PRO show has gone to the new measure of adding
a colored strap to the guns as they are checked in by patrons.
If a gun is sold at the show, a strap is added by the dealer.
The patron on the way out is required to show all guns to security.
You better have that strap on it or they will assume you have
a stolen gun. I applaud Mike Duve for adding this security measure
and for also promoting a very good show. PRO Gun Shows are a
fundraising program of Peoples Rights Organization, the statewide
firearms rights advocacy group founded in 1989.
The point of this article my friends
is that yet another measure is brewing in Washington D.C. to
take another simple pleasure from you and me that will be done
in the name of fighting crime. In reality all it is another battle
in the war to destroy gun ownership. The authors of these and
other bills know this has nothing to do with reducing crime.
They do know that making obtaining a gun more difficult will
cause people not to buy them. Humans are always guilty of looking
for the path of less resistance. If obtaining a gun is too much
of headache, they won’t do it. These folks know passing
gun prohibition will be easier if there are fewer gun owners.
At the same time they try to convince us we don’t really
need a gun anyway. The police are there to protect us after all.
Sadly, too many folks buy this and eventually many regret it.
Too many are convinced they don’t
need a gun to protect themselves. They are brainwashed by news
broadcasts telling them they don’t need a gun and if they
have one, that they are 10,000 times more likely to use it on
a family member or the family goldfish, or some other such rubbish.
I laugh when I see the commercial for Brinks Home Security. We
have all seen it - the bad guy kicks in the door or breaks the
window and the little family runs upstairs and gets the phone
call from Brinks and all is well… In a world where the average
police response time is 15 minutes or more, I think not. Now
I am not bashing home security systems. In fact, I have one.
But I view it as an early warning system that tells me if it
goes off, I need to grab the old Colt AR 15 and see what is going
on. I bloody well know it will not protect me. Sadly many others
think it will save them. I hope they come around to reality before
that theory is tested.
So my friends I urge you to write and
call your legislators in Washington D.C. and tell them you enjoy
our gun shows and you want them to be left alone. While you are
at it tell them you want them to protect our gun rights not attack
them. I know Senator Voinovich has not been a strong supporter
of gun owners, but seeing Mike DeWine’s bloody scalp now
hanging on the wall he might realize this is one group of people
he does not want to anger if he wishes to remain a US Senator.
I also urge you all to support the gun
shows. You have to remember the Gun show is not only a reflection
of the 2nd Amendment right to bear arms, but the shows have 1st
Amendment implications as well. Prohibitions or severe restrictions
on gun shows should also be viewed as infringements on the 1st
Amendment right to assemble. That is unacceptable. Among the
shows open to the public PRO in particular has been a strong
advocate and defender of gun rights in Ohio. They have played
major roles in fighting anti gun legislation in a number of cities
and have been an ally for years in defending our gun rights.
I urge you to go to the show and thank Mike Duve and the team
for their efforts.
The Ohio Gun Collectors Association
is a private club founded by Miller Bedford in 1937. It is the
crème de la crème of gun shows. Though there is
a mix of modern and antique firearms you certainly will see more
antique guns there than at any other show in the state of Ohio.
The quality is amazing, as is the historic content of these national
treasures. To attend that show you must know a member and get
a guest pass. However, if you know two members and they will
vouch for you, then you can join one of the oldest and most prestigious
gun collecting organizations in the United States. The OGCA is
a close ally of the NRA and has long been a supporter of your
Second Amendment rights. I hope you will endeavor to seek out
a member and attend the show. They are truly an event to be experienced.
As I frequently and fondly say to friends “It is like going
to a museum where all the exhibits are for sale.” I think
it will be something you will always remember. So ask your friends
and family if they are members and go to what is truly an event
you will never forget.
I want to pass on congratulations to
OGCA President Joe Pittenger, Vice President Hal Ferrell and
the rest of the Officers and Board of OGCA on 70 great years
and I pray they never end.
I also remind you to make those calls,
write those letters and if you have not already done it, please
renew your membership in the NRA, GOA, BFA and do your part in
protecting your firearms rights. We can not do it without you.
Tim Inwood is the current Legislative
Liaison and Past President of the Clinton County Farmers and
Sportsmen Association, a Life Member of the NRA and OGCA, and
a volunteer for Buckeye Firearms Association.
Moving soon? Please
notify the OGCA Business Office P.O. Box 670406 Sagamore Hills
Ohio 44067 (330) 467-5733 ogca@ogca.com when you move to avoid
delays in your mailings.
