The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 or ADA is a civil rights law that prohibits discrimination based on disability. It was enacted by the 101st United States Congress and President George Herbert Walker Bush signed it into law. The ADA broadly protects the rights of individuals with disabilities in employment, access to State and local government, places of public accommodation, transportation and other important areas of American life.

Unfortunately for the NMLRA our Walter Cline range is sadly lacking in “places of public accommodation”. If you have a physical disability you are limited to using the portable toilets and we have no ADA compliant shower facilities. That is about to change. We need to build a restroom and shower house that is ADA compliant, and it’s not going to be cheap. When I heard this from our NMLRA president I immediately started to think of what Gunmaker’s Hall could do to help. We build two guns a year to raise money for Gunmaker’s Hall and the NMLRA. Why not build another, sell tickets for a giveaway and use the money to help build the new restroom? We could have not one but several gunmakers from the Hall work on it; a collaboration rifle.

That’s how it started. When I brought up the idea at Gunmaker’s Hall in 2019 several makers immediately volunteered to help. I was honestly surprised by so many offering their services, with not one asking for payment for their work. All of us want to see that restroom built. A partial list Gunmakers and artisans on the project includes Mike Miller, John Kleihege, Bill Hoover, Dennis Priddy, Larry Horrigan, Dick Miller, John Cummins, Ron Lowell, Mark Cunningham, Jeff “po Boy” Luke and Benjaman Quearry. 

I’ll be writing monthly articles to give updates on the rifle’s progress and some background on the artists working on it. We will be actively working on it at the Hall during the shoots and giving talks on its construction at the Education building. This is not just a rifle, it is also an opportunity to see and learn about its construction techniques. We will begin selling tickets to win this once in a lifetime gun at the upcoming June shoot and every month in Muzzle Blasts. The giveaway will be held at Gunmaker’s Hall during the September 2021 shoot.

This giveaway will be a first not only in the master gunmakers and artisans working on the project but in what the winner will receive. Not just a rifle will be given away, included will be a handmade rifle case, a period correct bag filled with a ball mold & lead ladle, cleaning jag and worm, a handmade patch knife, hunting knife, priming horn, powder horn and a hard case. Think about what you could win here. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity to own a piece of NMLRA history. On top of that by purchasing tickets you will be helping to make our beloved Walter Cline accessible to all Americans.

Save your lunch money and buy some tickets, we need your help to make this work.

Thank you and I’ll see you at the Hall

Benjaman Quearry

gunmakershall@gmail.com