Helderberg Rod and Gun Club fires shots against SAFE Act

The Enterprise — Marcello Iaia

One shot: Ronald Bernhard, a member of the Helderberg Rod and Gun Club Inc. in Knox, fires his shotgun into the fog of the club’s shooting range. He called it a “freedom shot,” which he and a dozen members fired at noon. The demonstration was called “A Shot Heard ’Round New York State,” called for by the Springville Field and Stream Club Inc. in Erie County. Gun clubs across the state fired shots in opposition to the Secure Ammunition and Firearms Enforcement (SAFE) Act passed one year ago. The event’s title comes from “the shot heard ’round the world,” a line from Ralph Waldo Emerson’s poem Concord Hymn referring to the start of the American Revolutionary War.

The Enterprise — Marcello Iaia

Posing for posterity: Robert Furnia smiles at Ronald Bernhard as they pose with their guns and fellow club members at the Helderberg Rod and Gun Club Inc. on Jan. 11. They and gun clubs around the state marked the day with gun shots in solidarity against the state’s gun-control legislation passed last year. Bernhard said many club members aren’t hunters, but shoot for sport. “Even people that don’t own a gun should be concerned about what’s happening to the constitution,” said Bernhard, who gave commands as a range safety officer on Sunday.