"Angry Angus" starts his draw

They 'fought' the law and won!

On a crisp September morning, law enforcement officers from Lorain and Huron counties took a trip back in time to challenge some old time gunfighters to a little friendly competition to benefit the Ohio Search Dog Association at the Third Annual Cops & Cowboys Benefit Shootout. OFCC was pleased to be one of the day's sponsors.

The event was broken into four stages, each consisting of a scenario such as a jailbreak or just a gunfight with the bad guys. Each stage was rotated through by the three "posses" of cowboys and cops. Timers were employed to keep score, with time penalties assessed for misses. Each stage required a shotgun, rifle, and pistol to be employed to complete the action. The cowboys from the Firelands Peacemakers chapter of the Single Action Shooting Society used their period correct firearms, while the law enforcement participants competed with their duty weapons.

Fifty-three shooters of all ages participated in the fun, and eras ranging from the civil war to the old west were represented. About a dozen representatives from law enforcement groups in Lorain and Huron counties included police departments, sheriff's departments, and at least one from a federal agency.

A sheriff's deputy takes aim

A wide variety of firearms were utilized by each group, ranging from black powder shotguns to lever action carbine rifles, to MP-5s. The cowboys were adept at keeping pace with their single action, pre-1900 firearms to the LEO's semi-automatics.

Also in attendance was a local boy scout troop who worked to pick up spent brass. Three politicians were on hand to lend their support, including Huron County Sheriff Dick Sutherland, Lorain County Commissioner candidate Rita Canfield, and OFCC endorsed candidate for the 58th District, Representative Dan White.

After the day's shooting activities were over, cover band Rudy and the Illusions entertained the crowd; and were even joined by event coordinator Ken Wilson (aka Johnny Shiloh) singing lead on a rendition of Elvis' "Love Me Tender."

At the end of the day, the top cowboy, Crossdraw, finished all four stages with a cumulative time of 75 seconds . That edged out Fred Grossman of the Lodi police department, who had a time of 107 seconds, giving the cowboys an unofficial "win". Scores were for fun only, and the real winners were the fine folks from the Ohio Search Dog Association. Between entry fees and the hotdog lunches sold, estimates held that nearly $3,000 was raised to help the search and rescue team.

The Ohio Search Dog Association were grateful to everyone who helped raise money for this event	Civil War era shooters joined forces with the cowboys from the old West
A cowboy breaks uncuffs himself to stop a jailbreak	One of the law enforcement competitors gets ready to stop the jailbreak
This young shooter prepares to cock her revolver	Another young shooter fires his rifle
Smoke fills the air from a black powder pistol	An LEO experiences a failure with his firearm
This prairie matron is defending the homestead	A spent shell flies in the heat of battle
The Confederate army turned out for the competition
Johnny Shiloh addresses the participants	Representative Dan White poses with Johnny Shiloh