Sophomore Cody Mohr is lying on his back in a "T" position on the floor. He is covered in green, black and white threads, only his face and lower torso visible. Senior Aaron Falk sits over him and threads the colored yarn through the netting, slowly crafting a gillie suit.
All told, there are over 20 guns within the residence. They're not sure where to begin and after a short debate a decision is made - they'll start grabbing guns from junior Kamil Stasiulewicz's room and work their way around the house. The guys rush up and down the stairs grabbing their firearms, checking to see if they're empty, and lay them out, actions open, on Falk's gillie suit in the middle of the living room floor. The collection includes five shotguns, 10 rifles and one muzzleloader.
The guys pick up the guns and examine them. They're careful not to flag one another, keeping the gun's barrel pointed away from anyone standing in the crowded room. Senior Mark Yassay and Falk watch cautiously before Marsh sets a gun down. The action isn't open and Falk notices. Within moments the problem is fixed. Falk, Yassay and senior Michael Black said safe handling is the first thing to learn when using guns.
"You just have to teach them how to shoot and handle guns and people will get used to them," Black said.
"They're not weapons, they're tools," Yassay said.
Falk points out his Springfield 1903, a model he said was used in World Wars I and II. This particular gun, he said, saw combat in WWI before receiving modifications and updates over the years since. He and junior Mike Marsh point to a model 1891 Mosin-Negant. Marsh said the Mosin-Negant is another World War I-era gun which has undergone sportorization, a process where old military rifles are modified for sport use.
The 17 Hornady Magnum Rimfire rifle's body has a wooden polish and a hole built into its butt for the shooter's thumb to fit through. Falk said it is outfitted with a Barska varmint scope which adjusts for bullet drop at different ranges.
Marsh sets an orange clay pigeon next to the rifle with a single bullet hole through the middle. He said Yassay shot the target at 250 yards, two and a half football fields away.
"Instead of a class ring, my parents bought me that shotgun," Mohr said, pointing to an all-black shotgun. "I was happy."
It's a Charles Daly 12 gauge shotgun. The company producing it, Charles Daly, recently went out of business, spelling bad news for Mohr, who said the gun may need a new firing pin.
Falk said he and his housemates shoot at least two or three times a month. Today is the first time the guys have collectively laid out their weapons.
"Most of these are hunting rifles or targeting rifles," Falk said.
There's one rifle which stands out - the AR-15 semi-automatic. Falk, Mohr and Marsh said the AR-15 is the current standard for NATO forces and the U.S. Armed Forces. It belongs to Stasiulewicz, who got it because he's joining the Marines. It's a house favorite to shoot.
"That's for shooting for fun," Falk said. "Put a scope on it and it can become a varmint rifle."
"We can shoot coons with that," Marsh said. "I like raccoons because I think they're cute," senior Justin Dailey said.
The conversation moves to shooting with shotguns.
"I shot doves with a 4-10," Falk said.
"I think doves are cute too," Dailey said. "Justin is just a big baby," Black said.
Falk said his grandpa's preferred game was always waterfowl. He said they'd occasionally go out and shoot groundhogs on an Indian Reservation in North Dakota. Dailey's father has collected shotguns for as long as he can remember.
"We only hunt animals that are vermin and are legal to shoot," Marsh said.
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