DUBUQUE RIFLE AND PISTOL CLUB

DUBUQUE RIFLE AND PISTOL CLUB. Organized during the winter of 1917-1918 the local club was originally composed of draft registrants for WORLD WAR I. The organization was called the Liberty Rifle Club, but changed its name to avoid confusion with other similarly named groups. The club was associated with the National Rifle Association and had as its goal the teaching of fundamentals of rifle marksmanship to prospective members of the armed forces. (1)

In 1943 the club was again teaching young men the skills of shooting on Tuesday nights at the range belonging to the YOUNG MEN'S CHRISTIAN ASSOCIATION (Y.M.C.A.). Most of the enrollees were high school seniors who signed up for six two-hour classes. Those who completed the course, passed a written examination, and had a passing score in firing received a certificate of graduation from the National Rifle Association. (2)

Members of the club provided their own rifles for the students. A small charge was made to cover the costs of targets, range expense and ammunition. (3)

In 1960 a program of firing army qualification courses in rifle and pistol, City League Matches and Inter-Club matches was planned. (4)

Two members of the club won medals in 1976. Their shooting lasted four months in the Hawkeye Conference which involved eleven rifle and sixteen pistol teams from across Iowa with eight stages of shooting taking place at individual club sites and the results being compared. In rifle competition, Craig Stockel won a first-place in the unclassified division for shooters in their first tournament. (5)

The 1968 Dubuque City Directory listed 480 Iowa.

---

Source:

1. Forsyth, Glenn. "Rifle Technique Taught," Telegraph-Herald, December 5, 1943, p. 20

2. Ibid.

3. Ibid.

4. "Rifle-Pistol Club Elects Officers," Telegraph-Herald, January 13, 1960, p. 6

5. "Dubuquers Win in Rifle Shoot," Telegraph Herald, April 25, 1976, p. 15