ROSS CARTER UPDATE
After spending 50 days in the Burn Unit of St. Johns Hospital in Springfield, Missouri, Ross Carter and Diane Hammond have returned home to Harrison, Arkansas, with continuing treatment on an outpatient basis. Carter is a well-respected gunsmith we consult on a regular basis.
One of the ways in which money is being raised to help Carter and Hammond get back on their feet is by donation of custom guns by renowned gunsmiths for raffle. One such gun was a Kimber Gold Match tuned by Richard Heinie. This is a special-edition model that was originally donated for raffle at the first Factory Gun Nationals run by Dick Metcalf of PASA Park. The raffle winner, Roger Eckstine, a contributing editor to Gun Tests, decided to raffle off his prize to benefit Carter and Hammond. He raffled off 100 tickets at $20 each and sold out within eight days of the first sale. All the proceeds went directly to Carter and Hammond.
Drawing for the prize gun was held on August 11 at the first Texas Single Stack Classic held at the BlackHawk Range in San Antonio. River City Shooters Match Director Leo Ochoa pulled the name of Winston Freeman of Chalmette, Louisiana, from the barrel of tickets. A second prize of a three-videotape instructional set donated by Matt Burkett was also raffled. Mike Tilley held the winning number.
Three more benefit raffles by Wilson Combat in association with Para Ordnance, (800) 955-4856, Benny Hills Triangle Shooting Sports, (361) 241-1091, and Dawson Precision, (512) 260-2011, are also in progress. To all those who participate, thank you for your support.
Other donations can be made to the Ross Carter and Diane Hammond Relief Fund, Acct. #12089737, Arkansas National Bank, P.O. Box 699, Bentonville, AR 72712, (507) 271-2800.
———-
“A.D.” BY LOBBYIST
Congressman Bob Barr and lobbyist Bruce Widener were handling Wideners Model 1908 Colt semi-auto at his home when it accidentally fired. Neither man is sure how the trigger was pulled and Widener, who admits to making the mistake of leaving a round in the chamber after removing the magazine, says he is glad the muzzle was pointed in a direction where the accident resulted only in a damaged glass door, but otherwise caused no harm. Barr serves on the National Rifle Associations Board of Directors. The New York Times reported the accidental discharge, with reporter Adam Clymer quoting the NRAs three basic rules of firearms safety in examining how the accident might have been prevented. Its the first time I recollect those time-honored safety rules being published by a major newspaper.
-Todd Woodard
