(a) Encouragement of all shooting sports; and

(b) The education of the members and the general public concerning the safe operation of firearms.

(a) A member must be of legal age.

(b) A member must be eligible under Montana law to own a firearm.

(c) A member may not have been adjudicated as mentally ill or mentally disabled.

(a) Candidates for membership shall request, receive, and fill out an application, which shall be returned with the proper membership fee to the Secretary.

(a) To members of the National Rifle Association (NRA):

(b) To nonmembers of the NRA:

(a) No meeting shall be held unless at least ten (10) days notice has been given of such meeting to the membership and unless a quorum is present. A quorum shall be considered as the presence of ten (10) members in good standing, at least one (1) of whom shall be an officer of the organization.

(b) All members shall pay dues in the amount set by the membership each year to the Treasurer on or before the 1st day of April of each year. This amount is not refundable.

(c) The Butte Gun Club shall hold an annual meeting each year between April 1st and May 31st of each year.

(d) Any new member who joins the Butte Gun Club between January 1st and March 1st and pays his dues shall be considered paid in full for the following year.

(e) The Board of Directors is authorized to schedule additional meetings each year as necessary to complete Club business and are encouraged to schedule at least three (3) meetings yearly.

(f) A membership year for dues purposes begins on April 1st and ends on March 31st of each year.

(a) President: Shall be the first officer of the organization and shall be in charge during all meetings and activities unless he/she delegates said authority. The President shall preside at all meetings. The President shall have all the authority granted by law and may sign any document or check for the organization. The President shall only vote in the event of a tie. The President is a member, ex-officio, of all committees and shall perform such other duties, which usually pertain to his/her office.

(b) Vice President: Shall be the second officer of the organization and shall assume all the duties and responsibilities of the President should the President be unavailable or resign. All Club property shall be in the control of the Vice President. The Vice President shall inventory all Club property and supplies once each year prior to the annual meeting.

(c) Treasurer: Shall be responsible for maintaining the books, funds, assets, and accounts of the organization, and may engage in any lawful activity to perform said duty in a proper manner. The Treasurer shall have all the authority granted by law and may sign any document or check for the organization. The Treasurer shall be required to make an accounting of the funds of the organization at each meeting.

(d) Secretary: Shall be responsible for keeping the minutes of the meetings of the organization, and for maintaining all nonfinancial records of the organization. The Secretary shall have all the authority granted by the law and may sign any document that requires the signature of the Secretary. The Secretary shall receive all of the applications and fees from the membership and shall remit them to the Treasurer. The Secretary shall notify members of Club meetings, notify the Executive Committee of all meetings, and send yearly reports to the NRA. The Secretary shall see that taxes, fire insurance, liability insurance, and bond insurance are paid each year. The Secretary shall keep charge of the corporate seal and affix attesting to official documents on behalf of the corporation, and apply to the NRA for match dates. The Secretary shall file a copy of the Club By-laws with the NRA. The Secretary shall provide a copy of these By-laws to all new members and to existing members upon request.

(e) Executive Officer: Shall be the fifth officer of the organization, and shall be responsible for the ranges and competitions and the maintenance of all property and equipment of the organization. The Executive Officer shall have all the authority granted by law and may sign any document of the organization.

(a) The Board of Directors shall appoint a five (5) member nominating committee at the annual meeting who will consider members for inclusion on a slate of officers to be proposed for election at the next annual meeting.

(b) Open nominations shall be held at the annual meeting of the Club.

(c) Only members in good standing can be nominated, and only by members in good standing. A member may not nominate or second himself/herself for any office.

(d) Before a member can be nominated for any office, he/she must have been a member in good standing for at least three (3) consecutive years.

(e) A member must be current in his dues to be considered a member in good standing.

(f) The nominations shall be taken in order of President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, Executive Officer.

(g) The President shall ensure that the nominations are not closed until any member in good standing interested in running for election has had an opportunity to be named.

(h) Elections shall be held at the annual meeting.

(i) Election of officers shall be by majority vote of the members in good standing attending the meeting at which the election is held.

(j) Election of officers shall be by secret written ballot unless that requirement is waived by all of the members in good standing present at the time of the election.

(k) No proxy votes are allowed.

(l) A member in good standing may submit a sealed written ballot to any officer, in the event he/she cannot attend the meetings. Said ballots shall be signed and dated.

(m) Officers may be elected for consecutive terms of office, not to exceed two (2) terms.

(n) A term of office for Board members is from annual meeting, to annual meeting, a period of approximately one (1) year.

(o) The officers elected shall assume office immediately upon conclusion of the annual meeting at which they are elected.

(p) In the event of a vacancy during any term of office, the President’s position will automatically be filled by the Vice President. All other vacancies shall be filled by appointment by the Board of Directors.

(a) The members may organize subgroups within the Butte Gun Club made up of members of the Gun Club to organize, support, sponsor, and operate shooting clubs dedicated to the ownership, use, and competition of various types of firearms. Any subgroup so organized shall be subject to these By-laws and the control of the Board of Directors.

(b) No member or guest may consume any alcoholic beverage on Club property at any time when a loaded firearm is present on the Club property, or an unloaded firearm is not securely put away and all shooting is complete.

(c) Alcohol may be consumed on the property, subject to the terms of paragraph (b), at a Club-sponsored event with written approval of the Board of Directors.

(d) Without the approval of the membership, the Board of Directors shall not expend more than fifty percent (50%) of the Club funds, excluding grants received for specific projects. A vote to exceed the fifty percent (50%) limit shall take place at a regularly scheduled meeting after notice to the members of the meeting and the proposed expenditure in accordance with the By-laws.

(e) A member in good standing may extend range privileges to no more than two (2) guests at any one (1) time. That member shall be present with his/her guest(s), shall actively supervise his/her guest(s), and shall be responsible for their compliance with all range rules.

(f) A nonmember may only be invited to a Club range three (3) times a year and shall be encouraged to join the Butte Gun Club.

(g) Any member of the Butte Gun Club whose conduct on the range or any other Club property that is not in compliance with Gun Club rules, is dangerous, or otherwise harmful to the Club shall forfeit his/her membership rights upon decision by a majority vote of the Board of Directors. Prior to the vote of the Board of Directors, the offending member shall be given two (2) weeks written notice of his/her offense and be given a fair hearing by the Board of Directors. During any notice period, the offending member’s right to use any Club property shall be temporarily suspended pending the hearing. A member whose rights are forfeited may require the Board of Directors to call a special meeting of the membership to appeal the Board of Directors’s decision. The cost of notice for the appeal meeting shall be paid by the offending member prior to the notice of hearing. A two-thirds vote of the members present at the special meeting shall be required to reverse the decision of the Board of Directors. If the decision of the Board of Directors is reversed, the member shall be reinstated and reimbursed for the costs of the notice.

(h) The Board of Directors is empowered to seek corporate or government grants to improve Butte Gun Club property, when said grant does not require unreasonable restrictions or conditions on the Club as a part of the grant.

(i) Roberts Rules of Order shall govern in matters not covered by these By-laws.

(j) The recall of a Board of Directors member may be set for a vote of the membership upon receipt of a recall petition signed by at least twenty-five percent (25%) of the membership in good standing. Upon receipt of a proper petition, the Secretary shall notify the membership of a special meeting to review the recall. The special meeting shall be set upon ten (10) days notice, but no longer than twenty-one (21) days after receipt of the recall petition. A two-thirds vote of the membership present shall be necessary to recall the officer. In the event the office is recalled, nominations and election shall follow immediately at the same hearing and require simple majority vote of the members present.

(k) All records of the Club, including membership lists and expenditures shall be present at any regularly scheduled meeting of the Club.

(l) The Board of Directors may adopt rules and regulations for the use of the range or other Club property as it deems necessary for the safe and equitable use of the property.