May 2025

Fellow shotgun enthusiasts,

It saddens us to share this information, but we felt it was important to maintain transparency with our membership and to promote a full and robust discussion to protect the integrity and function of not only our club but of all clubs functioning from within the Josephine County Sportsman Association (JCSA).

Earlier this year, JCSA demanded all sub-clubs hand over all of their club monies to JCSA or risk being shut down. After several months of attempted (but ignored) discussion, both the Sporting Clays and Trap & Skeet clubs have elected to take legal action against JCSA and we wanted to provide a detailed summary to our members to ensure a full and factual account of the timeline and our efforts was available for review.

As of now, we await the response of JCSA to our attorneys most recent letter demanding JCSA cease and desist all attempts to reorganize all sub-club funds without first making a proper proposal to all JCSA members to modify the By-laws (Article XVIII). Our hope is that the JCSA Board of Directors will take this opportunity to reapproach this effort by engaging in meaningful discussions about their goals and work collaboratively with the entire JCSA membership to bring about positive change.

We will provide additional updates as we know them. Please feel free to share this summary with any club member. If others are interested in staying up to date, please encourage them to sign up for our club newsletter, here: RVSC Newsletter Signup and to follow our Facebook page, here: RVSC Facebook.

MARCH: Rogue Valley Sporting Clays (RVSC) and Trap & Skeet (T&S) both sought clarification on the legality and reasoning behind this directive during the JCSA Board Meeting. Their questions were dismissed without response, and no further inquiries were permitted. In response to this disregard for transparency and potential legal violations, Bill Sumners resigned as the President of JCSA, citing concerns over legal exposure related to potential violations of DOJ regulations governing 501(c)(4) organizations. Larry Sheeley was appointed as Interim President.

MARCH (Continued): In an effort to protect the interests of their members, RVSC and T&S submitted their concerns in writing to be formally included in the minutes. They made it clear that, due to their fiduciary responsibility to sub club members, they could not comply with the demand without understanding the basis for such a drastic measure, which would dismantle over 40 years of financial precedent and appeared to be a significant change to the JCSA By-Laws without following the due process to do so.

To read the Letter of Concerns submitted to JCSA click here

PUNISHMENT: As a direct consequence of raising these concerns, both sub clubs were informed by Larry Sheeley that they would face “punishment for non-compliance.” The Board indicated that they would decide on these punitive actions at the upcoming meeting, with implications that both clubs may be temporarily barred from club activities during the peak shotgun sports season.

APRIL & MAY: In fear for their continued operations, both RVSC and TS secured legal representation and had issued a Cease and Desist letter to the JCSA BOD in a final attempt to stop an out of control JCSA BOD from dismantling the entire financial structure and integrity of our gun clubs and doing so in direct violation of its own By-Laws.

ATTORNEY FINDINGS

According to the attorney's review of the JCSA By-Laws, there are at least five (5) items within the current JCSA By-laws that establish the right of the sub-clubs to maintain and control their own club financial assets:

To read the full Cease & Desist letter click here.

ASSESSMENT

The JCSA Board’s increasingly aggressive stance towards the sub clubs—particularly those standing up for financial integrity and adherence to the JCSA By-Laws—raises serious questions. The refusal to engage in meaningful discussions only fuels suspicions that the parent club is in financial distress, potentially stemming from its own poor management practices. Over the years, the JCSA Board has failed to implement growth strategies such as promoting the sub clubs, expanding registered shoots, developing education programs, or introducing revenue-generating initiatives. Instead, it has relied heavily on raising facility fees, which has failed to attract new members or improve the club's financial health.

Moreover, the JCSA Executive Committee and Board of Directors are severely understaffed, with key positions (President, Executive Vice President, and Director at Large) currently vacant. There has been no effort to form a nominating committee to recruit experienced leaders, nor has there been adequate communication to the membership about these critical vacancies. In fact, a recent “Special Membership Meeting” held on April 5th to formally appoint Larry Sheeley as the President was poorly communicated, with only a brief posting on the website 10 days prior. Fortunately, due to efforts from sub clubs, the membership mobilized, and Larry Sheeley’s appointment was voted down.

This pattern of behavior is not new. It reflects an ongoing failure in leadership, with repeated violations of JCSA’s written policies and procedures. The JCSA governing documents clearly mandate the establishment of a nominating committee prior to annual elections, a requirement the current board has consistently ignored. Furthermore, questions surrounding the legitimacy of recent elections only deepen concerns about the validity of the current leadership.

RECOMMENDED NEXT STEPS

The JCSA is at a critical crossroads, with a few potential paths forward:

1. Continue under the current unorganized and ineffective regime, which has been marked by threatening and bully-like behavior, questionable financial tactics, lack of transparency, and a poor management plan without any real facility growth or development. This path will likely continue to drive membership declines and financial instability.
2. Install new management by demanding the formation of a Nominating Committee to recruit and elect a new Executive Committee and Board this coming November. This new leadership must be dedicated to supporting sub clubs, fostering growth, and developing initiatives that will attract new visitors and members, ultimately driving the club’s long-term success.
3. Conduct a full financial audit of the JCSA. Since the handover of the facility by the county, it is unclear whether federal and state financial regulations have been met. The current treasurer has suggested that our organizations have been operating in violation of IRS law. Conflicts of interest appear to be present in current JCSA projects, and deep concerns over financial stability have been exposed. Lets make sure we are sound and stable.
4. Honor the by-Laws. Article XVIII: Amendments to the By-Laws clearly states that should the JCSA BOD desire to make amendments to the by-laws, they are to follow a specific process that includes providing ample notice and voting to and by the full membership.

The future of JCSA depends on making the right choice—one that prioritizes accountability, transparency, and a commitment to sustainable growth for all clubs operating within JCSA. Let’s take a stand for the integrity of the club and its members.

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