From Pine Technical College

You might have attended to find an antique shotgun. You might have attended to find a one hundred dollar .22.

You may have been looking for that one special piece to fill that hole in your firearms collection.

Regardless of the reason, Pine Technical Collegeís Gun Show was the place to find what you were looking for on Feb. 25-26. Hosted for the 23rd year by the PTC Gunsmithing Department, it is an annual soiree.

The annual Gun Show is organized by the student Shooterís Association.

The association is made up of gunsmithing students and was established to promote competitive and social shooting sports.

Over the years they have helped to support the college by paying for the Trap and Skeet team to attend the American Collegiate International Union National Clay Target Championship, by hosting the all school spring shooting sports event, by purchasing and donating tools for the Gunsmithing Department and donating books and videos for the Learning Resource Center and by administering and operating the Gun Show.

The students manage all of the logistics of the event. The students also volunteer to build parts of a custom rifle each year to be raffled at the show.

This yearís, a .270 deer rifle, went to Loni Brouwer, the daughter of one of the students in the gunsmithing program.

Any funds gained from the event, such as that earned from the raffle, are in turn used to support the gunsmithing program.

Matt Bolf, a PTC Gunsmithing instructor who has over 25 years of industry experience and is the Shooterís Association advisor, said, ìEach year the students work hard to make this event a success. This year was no exception. Over 2600 people attended the 2006 show to see the goods on display by over 200 vendors.î

The gunsmithing program has been at Pine Technical College since 1980 where it began with few students in a 30 x 30 room.

Today, the program enrolls over 60 students and has a full manual and CNC machine shop, bluing and heat treating facilities and a stocked vault with attached tool crib.

Dave Defenbaugh, an instructor in the program since its inception and the originator of the Gun Show, said, ìThis show is a great way to bring our students together with people that work in their field, a face to face opportunity. The show has occurred for 23 years and is a part of Pine Technical Collegeís history.

This event is an opportunity for students to become a part of that history and for community members to visit the college and remain informed of the progress we make.î

President Robert Musgrove said, ìThere is no other annual event the college hosts that brings as many people into our facility. We appreciate the support of the vendors and the members of the community that attend.î

He added, ìGunsmithing programs are rare in the United States. At Pine Technical College we are dedicated to our technical programs and the opportunities they create.

The Gun Show is the perfect venue to bring these together- learning and industry.

We are proud to have gunsmithing as a program of distinction, and we support the annual Gun Show. We appreciate how well it presents and represents the college.î