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Volume 44, JAN/FEB 2007 Issue
I am pleased to announce that Ray Walters, aka Smith n’ Jones, has been promoted to the position of Editor of SHOOT! Magazine. Though I will remain as Editor-in-Chief, Smith n’ Jones will be taking on a good portion of my workload. He will be more involved in editing, determining article priorities, answering letters and emails, including the “Letters to the Editor” page, as well as writing the editorial each issue. He will also have an important role in looking at the direction the magazine takes in the future in terms of content, layout, page count, and advertising. Please provide him your support, including suggestions and ideas.
Smith n’ Jones has been with the magazine from its inception in July of 1999 and contributed four articles to the first issue, Volume 1 October/November 1999. He came on board full-time with the magazine in 2003 as an associate editor, the events manager, and a copy editor. He was raised on guns, hunting, and has a deep respect for our country, our rights – especially the Second Amendment - and his Christian heritage. He is a retired Battalion Chief with the Boise Fire Department, holds NRA certifications for training in personal protection (concealed carry – CCW), rifle, pistol, and home firearm safety. He has also taught gun safety classes to children in schools. Cowboy action shooting is his passion and he also holds a few CAS titles including a third place finish at EOT 2006 and eighth at Winter Range 2006 in his class (Classic Cowboy), and he finished eighth in the cowboy fast draw Nationals 2006. His wife, Marshals Lady, also actively competes in cowboy action shooting and was the first Ladies champion at the cowboy fast draw Nationals in 2004. Hunting season finds Smith n’ Jones out shooting a Sharps, a Winchester 1876, or some of the replica firearms we receive for testing. He has been one of my closest advisors and a special friend over the years, and I welcome him to this position. He has the highest integrity, is strongly concerned about the shooters viewpoint, and dedicated to the shooting sports.
We are planning to expand into a number of areas over the next few years such as a poetry book by Boston John Doucette, a book on Mounted Shooting by Mark Quigley, Western short stories and novels, and our first Junior Shooters special edition should be available this summer. Two Junior Shooters special editions are planned for each year starting in 2008 and we are also looking at starting another magazine sometime in 2008 or 2009. All of these will require more of my time and additional resources. Not to worry though, the heart of Shoot Magazine Corporation is SHOOT! Magazine and SHOOT! Magazine will always be our primary focus. I will still be directly involved. We will continue to strive to bring you the best in Western-action shooting and all the guns and gear that are associated with it. |
