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Hernando Today

Shoot 'em up on the Fourth

HT photo by BOB EAST III

Ashley Coulombe from Canada fires Craig Russell's Heckler & Koch HK 21 machine gun Saturday during the Hernando Sportsmans Club Machine Gun Shoot.

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By TONY HOLT

Hernando Today

Published: July 4, 2009

Updated:

CHASSAHOWITZKA - They wore earplugs and had to scream over machine gun fire, but that didn't stop a couple of gung ho firearms enthusiasts from swapping a few jokes.

"Is this what July 4 is all about?" one guy screamed to another.

"If I heard (Thomas) Jefferson correctly, he said do this every 4th of July!" he answered.

Seconds later, someone fired off 100 rounds from a custom-made, chopped-down, .223-caliber HK53K.

The 4-inch barrel did nothing to muffle the sound. It made the AK-47 sound like party poppers by comparison.

The dozens of spectators cheered and applauded after the shooter finished firing.

Three times per year - and on every Fourth of July - the Hernando Sportsmans Club hosts a Machine Gun Shoot.

More than 100 yards down range were a couple of battered cars, with computers and other old, broken electronics equipment lined up on top of them.

"There are more spectators, less shooters this year," said club president Randi Rickert.

He guessed there were up to 1,500 people at the range.

One of the major draws was a GE Gatling machine gun (known as a Minigun). People were in awe of the sight and power of a weapon that fired 600 rounds in a single burst - and more than 6,000 per minute.

"If you're going to have a big gun, you'd better have a proper mount for it," joked Rickert. The military often mounts it on a helicopter or light aircraft. On Saturday, the gun club mounted it on an RV.

Dan Flannery trains police officers on firearm safety and defense. He was one of many who oversaw the firing range at the Hernando Sportsmans Club.

He pointed to all the machine guns laid out in front of him, from the Word War II-era British Sten to the AK-74, a .22-caliber machine gun that derives from the AK-47.

"People are very safety conscious, very patriotic," Flannery said of the group attending the shoot Saturday. "They're supportive of everything U.S. and the Constitution."

It wasn't just American-born citizens firing rounds at the beat-down cars.

Martin Roos is from Holland.

He was visiting a former colleague who currently lives in Florida. When he was invited to the gun range he didn't have to think about a response.

"It was perfect," he said after firing rounds from the AK-47. "It was my first time shooing automatic. You can't shoot automatic in Holland ... It's been on my wish list for many years."

He kept his concentration. He remained steady as he leaned forward and aimed the rifle down range.

Roos kept smiling for several minutes after he laid down the rifle on the table and stepped away from the firing line.

"It was something of an adrenaline rush," he said.

Bob Fraser was one of the hundreds of spectators standing behind the line. He drank a soda and puffed on a cigarette. He didn't need to feel a rifle in his hand to get a charge out of being on the range.

"It's fun. You get to see automatic weapons in action, man," he said. "It definitely gets your blood going, especially when he shoots that Minigun."

Reporter Tony Holt can be reached at 352-544-5283 or wholt@hernandotoday.com.

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