The following members of the Charleston Rifle Club hereby sign this petition to condemn the rejection of an African American for membership.

It is beyond dispute that the applicant fulfilled the requirements of the clubs bylaws for membership. (Article V Section 1. - male, American citizen, 21 years of age or older, and of good moral character). As a US Naval Academy graduate and retired veteran naval physician, his patriotism and good moral character were never questioned or impugned by anyone during the nominating process. There was no challenge to his qualifications. Instead, his application for membership was denied based on the color of his skin. No other reason has been given and no other reason makes sense.

As a private club, the Charleston Rifle Club can choose to exclude people based on their race, but the vast majority of the Charleston Rifle Club’s members find that to be an abhorrent and immoral choice and inconsistent with what we believe the club is.

Furthermore, we believe that this action is supported by a tiny fraction of the club's membership. The current system allows for this small group to control the membership process. Six members, out of more than 800, can alone choose to exclude a prospective member. This minority, against the will of the majority, has chosen to make the club a race-based organization. This threatens the reputation of the club and the reputation of its members. It also jeopardizes the club's affiliations with countless outside organizations with which the club has for years endeavored to assist in social and charitable efforts.

We, the undersigned, hereby demand that the Club leadership immediately and publicly condemn this practice, and actively seek to right this wrong