Article I - NAME & ADDRESS

Section 1. The name of the corporation shall be "Ye Connecticut Gun Guild, Inc": (Guild).

Section 2 The principal address of the Guild shall be Post Office Box 373, Windsor, Connecticut 06095, or such other place in Connecticut as may be designated from time to time by majority vote of the Board of Directors of the Guild.

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Article II - PURPOSE

Section 1 An important purpose of the Guild is to establish and maintain in Connecticut a permanent organization for the promotion of friendship among, and for the mutual benefit of, persons interested in the collection, preservation, and use of arms and accessories.

Section 2 Another important purpose of the Guild is to take a united stand in opposing legislation or regulation at any level of government which may be injurious to the collection, preservation, possession, or use of firearms by responsible collectors, shooters, sportsmen, and other firearms owners.

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Article III - MEMBERSHIP

Section 1 Adult membership shall be open to all persons of good repute who are at least eighteen years of age and not prohibited by Federal law from purchasing or possessing a firearm. If and while age is the only reason for the prohibition, the prohibition shall be ignored for purposes of membership. Applications for membership may be made only by invitation and shall be made on the Guilds application form. The application shall be signed by the applicant and by at least two members in good standing who are not conditional members. By signing an application a member certifies that the applicant is of honorable character and reputation. A completed application shall be accompanied by the initiation fee and the dues for the current calendar year and delivered in person or by mail to the Guild's Secretary. The amount of the initiation fee and the amount of the dues shall both be as determined by the Board of Directors.

Section 2 Junior memberships are provided for in Section 8 of this Article

Section 3. The President shall appoint a Membership Chairman and may appoint a Membership Committee, each to serve at the pleasure of the president during his tenure of office. The Membership Chairman, in consultation with the Membership Committee If there be one, shall ascertain the character and reputation of the applicant for membership and recommend acceptance or rejection of the applicant. A majority vote of the Board of Directors shall be necessary to accept or reject any applicant for membership.

Section 4 All applications received by the Secretary and found to be complete shall be forwarded to the Membership Chairman, or to the President, and the initiation fee and the dues shall be delivered or mailed to the Treasurer.

Section 5. Any member who (1) engages, within or without the Guild, (a) in conduct unworthy of a member of the Guild, or (b) in conduct injurious to the Guild or to its purposes, or (c) in conduct tending to injure the good name of the Guild, or to disturb its well-being, or to hamper it in its work, or (2) fails to comply with Guild rules and regulations, shall be subject to such disciplinary action, including fines, as is deemed by the Board of Directors after having given the member an opportunity to be heard in his defense to be appropriate and suitable for the nature and extent of the offense. A decision of the Board of Directors under this section; (1) requires a two-thirds vote to expel from membership and a majority vote to impose any other penalty, and (2) may be appealed to a membership meeting solely on the record. A two-thirds vote of the Guild membership present and voting shall be required to overturn a decision of the Board.

Section 6 There shall be four classes of adult members. No adult member shall be denied the privilege of being heard on any question or of voting or of holding office solely because of his class of membership.

Section 7. The four classes of adult members shall be as follows:

(1) Any adult member (other than a Life Member or Honorary Member) who has not completed at least twelve months of continuous membership shall be considered to be a conditional member, unless his period of continuous membership commenced before 1982. The membership of any conditional member may be terminated at any time, with or without cause, by a two-thirds vote of the Board of Directors present and voting.

(2) Except in the case of a Life Member or an Honorary Member, any adult whose period of Continuous membership Commenced before 1982 and any adult member who has completed at least twelve months of continuous membership shall be considered to be a regular member.

(3) Honorary Membership may be bestowed upon any person, whether or not already a member, in recognition of that person's outstandingly meritorious personal efforts in the legislative or public relations areas to safeguard and further the collection, preservation, and use of firearms by responsible collectors, Shooters, and sportsmen. An Honorary Member shall automatically also be a Life Member. No Honorary Membership may be terminated except for cause or by resignation or death. No Honorary Membership may be bestowed except by a two-thirds vote of the Board of Directors present and voting followed by approval at a meeting of members by at least two-thirds of the members present and voting.

(4) A Life Membership

(I) may be bestowed upon any member by a two-thirds vote of the Board of Directors present and voting followed by approval at a meeting of members by at least two-thirds of the members present and voting, and may be terminated only for cause or by resignation or death;

(II) shall be bestowed automatically, without vote of Directors or members, upon any member who is at least sixty-five years of age and has completed either fifteen consecutive years of membership or a total of twenty years of membership;

(III) shall be bestowed automatically, without vote of Directors or members, upon any member who shall have served as President of the Guild for at least one full term.

Section 8.

(a) Junior membership shall be open to each Individual who has attained the age of twelve years but not the age of eighteen years and furnishes the written permission of his parent or guardian. Applicants for Junior membership must be sponsored by an adult member of the Guild who has been an adult member in good standing for a period of at least twelve months prior to the date of the application for junior membership.

(b) Applications for junior membership shall be made upon forms provided for adult membership. The applicant shall indicate thereon that he is applying for junior membership stating his present age and his birth date.

(c) Junior applicants need not Submit letters of recommendation or endorsements. However, the sponsoring adult member shall sign the application of the junior applicant as sponsor.

(d) Sponsoring members shall be fully responsible and accountable for the acts and conduct of their sponsored junior members at Guild meetings and during the course of Guild sponsored activities

(e) Junior members shall be entitled to all privileges of adult members except as otherwise provided in this Section 8, but shall not be entitled to vote or to receive newsletters or other communications from the Guild, nor shall a junior member be entitled to hold any Guild office.

(f) Every member of the Guild, adult and junior, shall Observe all federal, state and local laws and regulations and Guild rules during Guild meetings and at any Guild sponsored activity.

(g) Junior members may attend any scheduled Guild meeting but must be accompanied by an adult member of the Guild. Any adult member who so accompanies a junior member shall be responsible and accountable for the conduct and activities of the junior member at all times.

(h) When a junior member reaches his 18th birthday, he shall automatically become eligible for adult membership. He shall pay an initiation fee and the balance of the regular dues for the year of application (being credited with his junior membership dues for that year). Should the junior member become eligible for adult membership during the last quarter of the calendar year, the balance of the regular dues for the year of eligibility need not be paid. However, dues for adult membership must be paid when due for the next and successive calendar years should he become an adult member. The Board of Directors shall approve thin membership unless the membership committee Shows cause why adult membership should not be approved.

(i) The dues for junior membership shall be paid on a calendar year basis in an amount to be determined from time to time by the Board of Directors.

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Article IV - DUES

Section 1 No dues Shall be required of any Honorary or Life Member. Hence, this Article IV(4) shall not apply with regard to them.

Section2 Membership dues shall be as established from time to time by the Board of Directors, and shall be due and payable on a Calendar year basis.

Section3 No individual shall be considered to be in good standing who is delinquent in the payment of dues. Anyone whose current year's dues are not paid by March 31st of that year Shall be dropped as a member on such March 31st, except that the Board of Directors may grant dispensation when it deems the circumstances justify Such action

Section 4 Any individual who has been dropped as a member for non-payment of dues may be reinstated to membership upon payment in the same calendar year in which he was dropped of one hundred fifty percent of the annual dues. Otherwise, such individual may again be considered for membership only under the terms applicable to new applicants for membership.

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Article V - DIRECTORS & OFFICERS

Section 1 The control of the Guild and the regulation and management of the Guilds activities, property, and affairs Shall rest with the Guild's Board of Directors. The Board shall be subject to instructions given to it by vote of the Guild's membership. Also, no action of the Board Shall Conflict with action taken by vote of the Guild's membership.

Section 2 The officers of the Guild shall consist of a President, a Vice President, a Secretary, and a Treasurer The Offices of Secretary and Treasurer may. but need not, be held by one individual. Each officer shall be deemed to be a director of the Guild for purposes of voting at meetings of the Board of Directors, but not for the purpose of determining a quorum of the Board. The Board of Directors of the Guild shall be seven in number (not counting officers). Three non-officers shall be elected as directors of the Guild each year for a two year term. The outgoing President shall be the seventh member of the Board and shall serve for a one-year term, except that if an incumbent President is elected to succeed himself, the term of the last outgoing President Shall be extended accordingly.

Section 3 in the event of the resignation, death, inability to act, or vacancy of any office for any reason, the President shall fill each such officer or director vacancy for the unexpired portion of the term.

Section 4 Meetings of the Board of Directors shall be held on the call of the President or on the request of a least three Directors, and shall be conducted with a minimum of formality.

Section 5 A majority of the Directors shall constitute a quorum.

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Article VI - DUTIES

Section 1 The President shall be the chief executive officer of the Guild, shall preside with voice and vote at all meetings of the members and at all meetings of the Board of Directors, shall appoint and dissolve committees, (and shall be an exofficio member of all committees except the nominating committee) and shall perform such other duties as are assigned to him by these Bylaws, by the Board of Directors, or are usual and customary to the office of President and chief executive officer of a corporation.

Section 2 The Vice President Shall perform the duties of the President at meetings in the absence of the President, and shall perform such other duties as may be assigned to him by the President or by the Board of Directors.

Section 3. The Secretary shall take and keep minutes of meetings of members and minutes of meetings of the Board of Directors and shall perform such other duties as may be assigned to him by the President or by the Board of Directors. The Secretary shall be paid a salary in an amount determined from time to time by the Board of Directors, except that any salary in excess of Five Hundred Dollars per year shall require approval by a majority vote of the Board of Directors present and voting followed by a majority vote of members present and voting at a meeting of members.

Section 4 The Treasurer shall have custody of the funds of the Guild, shall keep books and records showing money received and expended, and shall perform Such other duties as may be assigned to him by the President or by the Board of Directors. The books and records shall be audited at least once a year by one or more auditors authorized for the purpose by the Board of Directors. The Treasurer, with the approval of the President or the Board of Directors, may authorize specific individuals (e. g., Show Committee Chairmen) to establish and maintain financial accounts for particular endeavors (e. g., shows) authorized by the Board of Directors; and Such individuals shall be accountable to the Treasurer and to the Board of Directors with respect to Such separate financial accounts The Treasurer shall be paid a salary in an amount determined from time to time by the Board of Directors, except that any salary in excess of Five Hundred Dollars per year shall require approval by a majority vote of the Board of Directors present and voting followed by a majority vote of members present and voting at a meeting of members.

Section 5 No later than three months prior to an annual meeting the President shall appoint a Nominating Committee of five members (3), only one of whom shall be an Officer or Director. The Nominating Committee Chairman shall be the Officer or Director member. No later than one month prior to the annual meeting, the Nominating Committee shall publish to the membership a recommended slate of officer and director candidates who have agreed, if elected, to serve for the ensuing calendar year in the case of officer candidates and for the ensuing two calendar years in the case of director candidates. Additional nominations may be made from the floor at the annual meeting and shall be considered only if seconded. No individual may be nominated for the office of President or Vice President unless he has Served previously as an officer or director for at least twelve months. No individual may be nominated for the office of Director unless he has been a member of the Guild for at least twelve months prior to the nomination. When two or more candidates for the same office are nominated, the vote for that office shall be taken by secret ballot and the candidate receiving more than half of the votes cast for the office shall be elected; if none of the candidates for the same office receives more than half of the votes cast for the office, there shall be a run-off election by Secret ballot with only the two top vote getters as candidates. Tellers for any secret balloting shall be chosen by the President.

Section 6. Upon leaving office, an officer or director shall promptly transfer to his successor in office or to the Board, as the case may be, all Property and records of the Guild in his possession or control. Upon his failure to do so, he shall be subject to such disciplinary action as in the discretion of the Board is deemed appropriate and Suitable for the nature and extent of the offense.

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Article VII - MEETINGS

Section 1 meetings of members shall be held on the first Friday (Wednesday) of each month

Section 2 The annual meeting of members shall be held on the first Friday (Wednesday) in November. This shall also be the meeting for elections. The officers and directors elected at the annual meeting shall be inducted into office at the close of the December meeting of the Guild.

Section 3 The time and place of membership meetings shall he determined by the Board of Directors.

Section 4 A meeting which normally would be held on a legal holiday, the day after a holiday or at the beginning of a holiday weekend may be postponed for a week

 

Section 5 The Board of Directors may authorize the President to change the meeting date to one not specified above whenever such change is deemed to be necessary because of an emergency situation or to be in the best interests of the Guild.

Section 6 Ten members shall constitute a Quorum for any meeting under this Article

Section 7. All meetings shall be conducted with a minimum of formality.

Section 8. Roberts Rules of Order shall be operative when the Bylaws are silent.

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Article VIII - CHANGES

Section 1. The Guild's Bylaws may be amended, or repealed and new Bylaws adopted, from time to time by the affirmative vote of at least three-fourths of the Directors present and voting, followed by the affirmative vote of at least three-fourths of the members present and voting at any meeting of members.

Section 2. A proposal for a change in Bylaws may be made by any member by petition in writing to the Secretary. The Secretary shall bring the proposal to a meeting of the Board of Directors. If approved by the affirmative vote of at least three-fourths of the Directors present and voting, the proposal shall be presented for a vote at a meeting of members and shall be adopted only by the affirmative vote of at least three-fourths of the members present and voting on the question of adoption.

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NOTE: HIGHLITED FIELDS REPRESENT CHANGES ADOPTED AFTER May 6th 1988