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<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>This is what I wrote to them:</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
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<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Greetings</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>I am Lord Duncan MacNamara, Captain of the Iron
Lotus... and I have an interesting request to make of you.
The Baron/Baroness is one of the people I like to gain permission
from, and I preferr to attain permission for these things in advance... rather
than "sneaking by" so to speak, like some people do. My group is a nautical
one... we promote knowledge of seafaring life and early piracy. One of the most
visible things people think of when they hear the word pirate or sailor, are
Cannons. We have a few small scale signal cannons that we bring with us to
events. We don't fire them off carelessly, nor do we fire them off without
permission. We have certain proceedures that are followedwhen doing a "cannon
firing demonstration, and we have the proper safety equipment handy in case
something goes wrong (I haven't had a single accident in 10 years of
dealing with Pyrodex).</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Here are the facts about my Cannons:</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>1. They fire a black-powder substitute, Pyrodex,
which is safer to handle and doesn't require a permit to use... That being said,
I am fully legal.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>2. They do NOT fire a projectile of any kind.
They are strictly signal cannons, to fire a blank load ONLY.</FONT> <FONT
face=Arial size=2>They do fire a piece of tissue-paper wadding about 6-10 feet,
which is closely watched to make sure it doesn't catch the grass on fire. Once
again, I haven't had a single accident in my 10 years of
experience.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>3. We keep the proper fire-safety equipment within
reasonable reach in case a spark tries to start a fire, although it has never
happened. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>4. Only myself and my Master Gunner (who are both
over 21) are allowed to load or fire these cannons, and they are not loaded
until we are ready to fire. If you see us carrying a cannon around, you can be
assured that it's unloaded. We do not let the general public fire these cannons
under any circumstances.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>5. In addition to this, there are strict loading
and firing proceedures that we follow to the letter. I have around 10 years of
experience with black powder and black powder substitute-firing
weapons.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>6. When doing a Cannon Firing Demonstration, I
treat it almost like an Archery function. There's a "firing line" that the
cannons are arranged on, and a "public" line, 15-20 feet back, that the general
public is not allowed to cross. They are fired downrange at the archery range or
near it, since that is the safest logical place. We are camping on the
backside of the wagon circle, which is right next to the archery range. If we
ever fire them "in camp", we have a portable range setup that we use. they
aren't fired carelessly.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Also, our services as Cannoneers are available to
signal other things as well if so wished, such as the start of the Tourneys and
such... or to start court off with a bang (yes, I know... terrible pun there...)
Most people this has been suggested to so far in the past have thought it was a
neat Idea. I would be willing to signal whatever the barony wishes us to, or
not... either way on that. However, I would request permission from you, that if
I attain the proper permission from the other people I have to, that me and my
crew can do a cannon firing demonstration at the archery field after the archers
are finished with it, and be allowed to fire our smaller cannons at our camp
range for our crew meeting (the smaller cannons I'm referring to are less loud
than a standard black cat firecracker, while the biggest one we have is .50
caliber and very loud.) Once again, we're camping on the backside of the wagons,
so we're right near the archery range already as well. If allowed, I will work
it out on the schedule to whenever you will allow, and I have my own heralds who
are willing to announce it when it's time, so that we don't pull from the
Baronial workforce.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>I would greatly appreciate your permission on this,
and will be similarly emailing the other people I have to attain permission
from.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Thanks for your time,</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>In Service,</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Lord Duncan MacNamara</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Captain of the Iron
Lotus</FONT></DIV></FONT></DIV></FONT></DIV></BODY></HTML>