Dates Set for 2009 Gunsmith Career Fair

Gunsmithing is an art you never stop learning. And it’s not an art that’s easily learned, even if you’re fortunate enough to be hired for a lengthy apprenticeship under the supervision of a successful master. For many future gunsmiths, attending a resident school often blazes the trail; while others take the rockier path of reading books, watching videos, or taking a correspondence course.

In times past (and to this day in some elite European schools), firstday students arrived in class to find a set of drawings, a block of steel, and a handful of files on each work bench. Each student was required to use those files and drawings to transform the steel block into a firearm receiver. Those succeeding at this challenge stood a chance of graduating from the school, and those graduating with honors stood a chance of being hired by an outfit like Purdy & Sons or Holland & Holland.

At Purdy, for example, the new employee would apprentice for seven years as a maker of either stocks, or locks, or barrels. Even after earning a permanent position, no individual gunsmith would ever be permitted to construct and assemble a complete "Purdy Best" from the ground up. And that remains true to this day. As far as I have been able to determine, resident schools in the U. S. no longer welcome their new students with drawings, files, and a block of steel.

Overall curriculums have expanded and typically require about two years to complete. As students approach graduation, all of these schools strive to place students in their chosen profession, which for the most part has meant making phone calls and writing letters on a student’s behalf. There was no program established to bring prospective gunsmith and prospective employer together’ not, at least, until 2007.

The spring of 2007 was when Frank and Pete Brownell, top execs of Brownells Inc., held the first Gunsmiths "Job Fair" at their Montezuma, Iowa, headquarters. It drew 30 students and eight "vendors" (another term for prospective employers). The second annual Job Fair, held earlier this year, drew three or four times as many job seekers and three or four times as many vendors.

The basic idea was to create a com- The 2009 event, scheduled for April 17 and 18 in Altoona, Iowa, promises to be an even larger event. mon ground upon which students and graduates of resident schools as well as practicing gunsmiths who were seeking employment could network with businesses and other organizations, including some law-enforcement agencies. This is still the main focus of the event, but Frank Brownell

says they intend to expand the event to include providing gun-shop owners and working gunsmiths with education and ideas on expanding and growing their businesses. The advantages to this one-on-one meeting are numerous. For instance, a student soon to graduate would be able to determine what an employer required in the way of qualifications and thus could amend his curriculum to better meet those qualifications.

A graduate student would be able to directly approach a number of vendors in a single location, determine which would be most likely to offer him a job, and immediately fill out an application. The faculty of resident schools can gain other networking advantages from attending the Job Fair. Their instructors can move from vendor to vendor, explore their needs and their requirements, and are able to tailor their curriculums toward fulfilling both.

Something else that both students and instructors discovered at the last Job Fair is that some organizations’ the National Shooting Sports Foundation is one’have allocated scholarship money to assist deserving students attend a resident gunsmithing program.

For a practicing gunsmith, rather than simply casting about for "new opportunities" or "broader horizons," this event provides a means of networking with many vendors to find the best match between his existing skills and what, specifically, a vendor might be seeking. I personally know of a few who are seeking to escape the restrictions of the one-man shop in these tight times by linking up with a company and starting to draw a steady paycheck. Does networking work?

Judging from the number of applications filled out on the spot at the last event, yes. Judging by Brownells’ realization that they needed a much larger space next time around, yes. For the 2009 event to be held this April 17th and 18th, they’ve changed the name to "Gunsmith Career Fair," and booked Meadows Events and Conference Center at Prairie Meadows Racetrack and Casino in Altoona, Iowa.

This modern facility, with restaurants and hotels close by, is right off Interstate 80 a short distance from the Des Moines Airport. Beyond the networking, the event features several seminars. One I found particularly interesting last year paired an NRA representative and ATF inspector on the podium. A lively discussion ensued, with most attendees soaking it up like a sponge.

Many brows became furrowed when the inspector tried to answer my question about where gunsmithing stops and 2009 Gunsmith Career Fair Participants Businesses/Organizations Ahlmans American Pistolsmiths Guild Ballard Rifle & Cartridge Co. Caesar Guerini USA, LLC Caspian Arms Cylinder & Slide DPMS E. Arthur Brown Co.

Ed Brown Products Forster Precision Products Gander Mountain H-S Precision Iowa DCI Crime Lab Les Baer Custom Nowlin Manufacturing Power Custom Remington STI International Sinclair International Spragues Sports, Inc. Springfield Armory Custom Shop Turnbull Restoration U. S. Army Marksmanship Unit Volquartsen Custom Wichita Arms Wilson Combat Schools Colorado School of Trades Montgomery Community College Murray State Junior College Pine Tech College Trinidad State Junior College manufacturing begins.

I’d made the request because the language in the regulations is so vague that ATF has elected to leave its interpretation up to the inspecting individual. Let’s say there are 1,000 such individuals on the ATF staff. According to my math, that means there are at least that many interpretations. No wonder an increasing number of gunsmiths are having to secure a manufacturer’s license in order to avoid facing shut down, a fine, imprisonment, or all three.

Do you suppose it’s possible ATF is being purposely vague about defining gunsmithing vs. manufacturing due to some form of top-to-bottom pressure applied by the revenuers?

Could be, since manufacturers must collect and pay excise taxes on their sold merchandise. (I’m still waiting for a black chopper to land on my lawn because I raised that question.) Even though the ATF agent didn’t have a very good answer to my question, I found a pretty good answer in the April/May issue of Shot Business, and I’ll paraphrase it for you: If you, the gunsmith, perform work on a firearm that has been requested by a customer, you are not manufacturing.

If you build or work on guns with the sole objective being to sell them later, you’re manufacturing. In the latter case, you must have a manufacturer’s license, collect excise taxes, and file quarterly reports on those taxes. Getting back to the 2009 Career Fair, a list of some of the schools and vendors who will be present appears at left.

If you’re a gunsmithing student, a practicing gunsmith, a gunshop owner, or a vendor interested in attending the pat rc ie Group-rate accom e made for registrants, and at least one breakfast, a lunch, and a wrap-up evening banquet will be provided at no charge. Frank and Pete Brownell deserve our sincere thanks and congratulations on the success of the first two events. I’m sure the one this April will be even better. I

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