Dear ABANA members,

Spring is in the air and the season of conferences and meets will be well underway as you are reading this letter. Many conferences are scheduled, offering great opportunities to learn new techniques, see a demonstrator that you missed in the past, or renew friendships and make new ones in the fraternity of blacksmithing. Check out the Calendar of Events in this issue, in your chapter newsletter, and on our web site, and attend as many as your time and budget permit.

Unfortunately, much time in the past month has been taken up with addressing anvil shoots that are proposed by a small number of ABANA chapters. Since 1997, anvil shoots have been banned at ABANA functions, and this includes chapter events and conferences. This policy was reinforced at the 2000 Board meeting in LaCrosse, Wisconsin. The minutes of that meeting and all Board motions are posted on the web site, have been made available to all the chapters, and are available from the Central Office. This prohibition was not enforced in the past by Board action, but now it must be.

The ABANA Board cannot find liability insurance specific for anvil shooting, and cannot find positive evidence that such insurance has ever existed, nor has proof of insurance been demonstrated to ABANA. ABANA would be legally liable if it does not enforce its policy on anvil shoots and if harm of any kind occurs, that liability would cripple and could ruin ABANA. ABANA simply cannot accept the liability that anvil shooting presents — an activity that it cannot control and might not even be aware of. The unacceptable legal jeopardy that anvil shooting exposes ABANA to in the present day and age forced the Board to prohibit anvil shoots at any ABANA function, including chapter functions.

One of the Board’s legal responsibilities is to enforce the policies of ABANA. Organizations live or die by following (or not) their bylaws, procedures and policies. When they joined ABANA all chapters agreed to “... .abide by the applicable ABANA bylaws and other structured operating procedures.” (Article 111-A, Section 2, f) The Board, representing the membership of ABANA, asks nothing more than for all chapters to follow these bylaws, motions and procedures, including the motions of 1997 and 2000, and not hold anvil shoots at chapter events. If the membership and officers of an ABANA chapter feel that anvil shooting is more important than their relationship with ABANA and they wish to accept the risk, the chapter is free to leave our organization and hold any activity that they see fit, and we will wish them well and hold no ill feeling toward them. However, if a chapter holds an anvil shoot at any chapter event, then based on their failure to abide by the ABANA bylaws and the unacceptable risk their actions pose to ABANA, the chapter will be removed from the roll of ABANA chapters effective the moment the fuse is lit.

This is a serious, somber decision, and one that has not been made without due consideration of all the possible effects. But to do anything less is to fail the membership of ABANA and fail in our responsibilities as a Board of Directors. I respectfully but strongly urge all chapters and their membership, both those who are ABANA members and those who are not, to seriously consider the issues that are at stake for ABANA and your chapter, and not hold anvil shoots. Thanks.

On to more positive topics. ABANA’s membership is growing, now with over 5000 members, reflecting strong and steady growth that bodes well for our future. The Board elections are rapidly approaching, and the election information is listed elsewhere in this issue. Reread my letter in the last Anvil’s Ring for my thoughts on serving on the Board and the skills the members need to serve ABANA.

The Boy Scouts of America have re-written the Metalworking merit badge and blacksmithing is included again in the national Scout program. This merit badge will be an excellent introduction to blacksmithing for countless numbers of Scouts. More information will be in the next issue, as the requirements have not yet been made public.

The 2002 Conference is coming together and promises much for all. Watch the web site for more information. Finally, if you are not a member of one of the 60 ABANA chapters, please consider joining one close to you. In numbers there is strength, and in that strength lies the future of blacksmithing.

Safe and productive forging.

Doug Learn, President