I wanted to take a moment to respond the vicious attack Mr. Kevin Quinlan has brought upon myself and Atlanta Conservation Club, on this forum. Those of you who have stated you would like to hear both sides of the story exhibit great wisdom! Here it is:
To put it simply, Mr. Quinlan is a liar and miscreant that has a sense of entitlement larger than any room he could occupy.
Mr. Quinlan contacted me last month in reference to taking the Utah Course at Indy Gun Safety. He immediately introduced himself as a disabled veteran, which I found odd as it was not pertinent to the discussion. He asked a few questions and then stated he could not sit in one place for long periods of time, and would occasionally have to stand in the back of the room. I told him that would not be a problem. In my 25 years of teaching and being former military myself, I often instruct students in long courses to stand in the back of the room if they get sleepy. So Mr. Quinlan's assertion that he could "tell" I was irritated at him doing so is simply false, as it happens in classes all the time, and I encourage it. Mr. Quinlan is a liar.
As the Director of Safety of Atlanta Conservation Club, and a member of the Board of Directors I am familiar with the new member process as I am an integral part of that process. Mr. Quinlan called me to set up a required safety check. I was out of town on vacation when he called (My mother had been in the hospital with pneumonia) and I was not able to return his call until I returned. But prior to that he had called the membership coordinator and began complaining that we were discriminating against him because he was a disabled veteran. I got a call from the membership director asking me to contact him. But before I could, he called me again and left a message stating: "I am a Marine Corps veteran, so I don't know what training you're going to give me that the Marine Corps hasn't." Clearly, his attitude was all wrong about our safety program, and felt his status entitled him to a pass on what we require of everyone else! (In other words he requested to be treated differently than other new members, while claiming we were treating him differently than other new members!)
I called Mr. Quinlan back and informed him that we require the safety check of all new members, but that his Utah course through Indy Gun Safety met the requirements so it was a moot point anyway. Little did I know he had sent a nasty email to the ACC membership director demanding his money back and stating he did not want to be a member of the club. ACC obliged him and gave him a full refund.
SO LET'S BE CLEAR: Mr. Quinlan withdrew his own application, and stated he did not want to be a member of the club!
Mr. Quinlan then posted a series of lies, (threatening multiple times to sue ACC) in an auction on Armslist, in a desperate attempt to attack ACC, just as he has done here. In the interim, since he had threatened and insulted us, the BOD voted 6-0 to NOT accept his application. I made the motion, and included, that if Mr. Quinlan got his attitude right and did not take additional adverse action against the club, that he be allowed to reapply in 6 months. (Even though he called us "pieces of $%&#" on Armslist! That was my "measure of thanks" to his service: Giving him the chance go get his $@#% in a stack!)
ACC membership requires that the prospective member view a free online orientation presentation, pass a written online quiz about the presentation, complete a brief safe gun handling check, and participate in two club events by working them or shooting as a participant. Mr. Quinlan's membership was in the bag! All he had left to do was to show up at two events and mingle with the members. But all he wanted to do was cause trouble. We never mentioned his disability. Only HE did... by reminding us over and over that he was a disable veteran. Mr. Quinlan never tried to explain why he could not do these things OR how it was he wanted us to accommodate him other than just foregoing all of the requirements of membership.
I'd also like to point out that Jeff and I never spoke about Mr. Quinlan's membership other than to try to get him IN! So it is a complete fabrication that "I got to him" (Jeff) first.
The assertion that my company (Indy Gun Safety) would have anything to do with discrimination against the disabled is ridiculous. I have gone out of my way to accommodate all sorts of disabilities in teaching my courses including teaching firearm and CPR & First Aid courses to the deaf, and personally pushing students in wheel chairs around the range at ACC. Do you have any CLUE as to the dedication to professional education and work it takes to teach a class through an interpreter? I have no obligation to do so. I do it because I love seeing ANYONE who wants to defend themselves or exercise their second amendment rights achieve that goal. It warms my heart beyond explanation.
Mr. Quinlan, this will be your only warning from me to cease and desist your conduct of slander against my business and myself. If you dare even respond to this thread I will unleash a fury of legal action against you the likes of which your small mind cannot possibly comprehend. You are a liar Mr. Quinlan. Your conduct is unbecoming of the Marine Corps, and a slap to all the brave men and women who serve or have served, and have sacrificed to protect our way of life.
Randall DeWitt
President/CEO
Safety Specialists Inc.
NRA Instructor/ Training Counselor
Indiana Bail and Fugitive Recovery Agent
Imagine the mud thrown around if I was a .500 shooter?
