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GOP to host skeet shoot fundraiser
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The Newton County GOP is hosting a skeet shoot and barbecue banquet dinner March 23 at the South River Gun Club to support gun rights and revive its scholarship fund.

The event is designed for the entire family and will include a relaxed skeet shoot competition starting at 9 a.m., as well as a silent auction, concessions, local and state politicians, firearms training and demonstrations and gun and ammunition vendors throughout the day. The barbecue banquet dinner will begin at 5 p.m. and will feature speakers and a live auction.

The cost of the skeet shoot is $100 and includes dinner and two rounds of shooting; ammunition is sold separately. The cost of the dinner by itself is $25. The other events are free to attend; South River Gun Club is located at 5202 Ga. Highway 212 North, Covington.

Part of the proceeds will be given to candidates who support gun rights, while part of the proceeds will go to the local GOP's scholarship fund for graduating seniors.

"This is a critical election year and there's hasn't been a big drive at the local, district or state level to focus on and support conservative candidates," said William Perugino, the event's organizer. "We want to preserve 2nd amendment rights and enforce the Constitution on issues like the Keystone Pipeline, Obamacare, religious rights and the Rural Council."

Perugino said he hopes to make the skeet shoot an annual event. The shoot will not be a formal, by-the-book competition, he said. The top four scorers will receive trophies, and, in the case of a tie, there will be shoot off where shooters will have to shoot all doubles.

Event attendees will also be able to pay to shoot trap. Officials are hoping for 300 people to enter the skeet shoot competition.

There will be several attractions, including professional shooting demonstrations by Heckler and Koch and Fabrique Nationale shooters.

There will also be a cowboy-type of competition where shooters in period dress, shooting black powder weapons, will compete in contests measured by speed and accuracy. The South River club has a western town already built where it hosts national competitions.

Two professional shooting groups will have defensive pistol competitions where people shoot at silhouettes of men, attempting to identify and shoot dangerous targets and avoid hitting civilian targets.

Georgiacarry.com is a co-sponsor of the event and the National Rifle Association is supporting the event.
Several vendors will be on hand to sell various firearms, shooting gear and outdoor equipment.

Local GOP Chairwoman Delia Fleming said it's important to get a conservative in the White House because a number of U.S. Supreme Court positions could come open during the next term.

"That's very big. We want to help preserve and enforce the Constitution; hopefully, not recreate it," she said.