Editor's Report

Ronald J. "Buck" Kliebert
July 11, 1969 — November 15, 2024

Buck passed away Friday, November 15th, 2024, at his home surrounded by family after a year-long battle with cancer. Born to Ronald and Patricia (Accardo) Kliebert in Baton Rouge, LA, Buck was an avid outdoorsman, with a joy for fishing, hunting, target shooting, being out in nature, and riding his motorcycle. He was a very passionate sound engineer and a talented piping designer. He was an exceptional cook and loved to come up with his own delicious recipes. Buck was not only known for his work ethic and dedication; he was known to many as a generous, caring man who loved deeply and was always willing to lend a helping hand to whoever needed one. 

He is survived by his wife of 29 years, Deanna (Bowen) Kliebert; daughter, Ashlyn (Kliebert) Pierce and husband Shawn; son, Ryan Kliebert; three grandchildren, Aubreigh and Cooper Gauthreaux and Carter Pierce; father, Ronald John Kliebert; and brother, Erik Christopher “Chris” Kliebert and wife Lorrie. 

Buck is now reunited with those who preceded him in death: his mother, Patricia (Accardo) Kliebert; maternal grandparents, Michel and Florence (Louque) Accardo; and paternal grandparents, Benoit and Armance (Chenier) Kliebert. 

Services were held on Tuesday, November 26th at Immaculate Conception Catholic Church.

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Stories from the Field

LDWF Supports Black Bear Conservation and Military Veterans

The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) and Governor Jeff Landry announced in a press conference on December 9 a conservation partnership between LDWF and Healing Road Foundation to support black bear conservation and military veterans in the Sportsman’s Paradise. Through this partnership agreement, the Healing Road Foundation was able to raffle a Louisiana black bear harvest permit for the 2024 season to a Louisiana military veteran.

The Healing Road Foundation is a veteran-founded and managed organization dedicated to providing life-changing outdoor experiences to wounded veterans, survivors and their children to help reconnect families and lead them on a path to rehabilitation and healing. Through partnering with the Healing Road Foundation, LDWF is able to give back to those who have served our country and advance black bear management efforts to provide more hunting opportunities to sportsmen of Louisiana.

Louisiana is currently holding its first black bear hunt in more than 35 years after recovery of the species in 2016. The season, in which 10 hunting permits have been distributed, will conclude Dec. 22 in Bear Management Area 4, which includes Tensas, Madison, East Carroll and West Carroll parishes and portions of Richland, Franklin, and Catahoula parishes.

“Today is another huge win for Louisiana’s hunters, sportsmen, conservationists, and veterans. Louisiana has a proven track record when it comes to species conservation! Thank you to Secretary Madison Sheahan and the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, as well as the Healing Road Foundation, for your hard work in making this Louisiana hunting tradition a reality again,” said Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry.

“Being able to hunt in the Sportsman’s Paradise is a freedom we can only enjoy because of those who have served and sacrificed for our country,” said LDWF Secretary Madison Sheahan. “It is an honor and privilege to partner with the Healing Road Foundation to provide this exciting hunting opportunity to not just a sportsman in Louisiana, but a military veteran who has served our country with pride.”

“Healing Road Foundation is proud to be a partner with the LDWF in the Louisiana Black Bear conservation program,’’ the Foundation said. “It is at the heart of our core mission of providing life-changing outdoor experiences for wounded veterans, survivors, and their children. We strive to be a national leader in relationship rehabilitation and healing for wounded veterans and their families through experiencing nature and its conservation for future generations of Americans.’’

LDWF would like to thank Louisiana State Representative Neil Riser, R-Columbia, for a provision in his legislation on black bear conservation last spring which allowed LDWF to conduct a search for a partner like Healing Road Foundation.

All black bear lottery fees and license revenue, including that of the auctioned permit, will be reinvested directly into the Louisiana Black Bear Program. These funds will assist LDWF biologists in continuing to conduct bear management operations such as annual live trapping and radio-collaring of bears, winter den checks to monitor reproductive rates, and non-invasive hair sampling to monitor range expansion.

The Louisiana black bear is one of the state’s most recent conservation success stories. The animal was listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act in 1992. Thanks to the collaborative efforts of many stakeholders to monitor black bear population numbers, restore habitat and protect the bear for the long term, it was removed from the list in 2016.

For more information on Healing Road Foundation

For more information on the management of the Louisiana black bear

For more information on the Louisiana black bear

For more information on the black bear hunting lottery

Agents Arrest Convicted Felon for Firearm Possession and Taking a Bear During a Closed Season

Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries enforcement agents arrested a subject for alleged firearm and hunting violations in Concordia Parish.

Agents arrested Christopher Buck, 30, of Lafayette, for illegal possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and taking a bear during a closed season.

Agents arrested Buck on the Richard K. Yancey Wildlife Management Area (WMA) at 2:30 p.m. on Nov. 29 after finding him in possession of a shotgun and being a convicted felon. Agents booked him into the Concordia Parish Jail.

Agents were then notified on Dec. 1 about a dead black bear found on the Richard K. Yancey (WMA). The necropsy of the bear determined the bear was shot with buckshot.

Agents went to the Concordia Parish Jail to interview Buck about the shot black bear on the WMA and he admitted to agents that he shot the bear around noon on Nov. 29.

Illegal possession of a firearm by a convicted felon brings a $1,000 to $5,000 fine and five to 20 years in jail. Taking a bear during a closed season carries a $900 to $950 fine and up to 120 days in jail.

Buck could also face civil restitution totaling $10,000 for the replacement value of the illegally taken bear.

Agents involved in the case are Sgt. Cole Cupit, Agent Andrew Lemoine and Lt. Chad Watts. LDWF Veterinarian Rusty Berry performed the necropsy on the bear.

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Eyes on the Anti-Gunners

The Terrors of a Wrongful ATF Raid

from The Second Amendment Foundation

by Lee Williams

Mark “Choppa” Manley is a gun owner, a gun collector and a Second Amendment advocate who has more than 70 legally owned firearms stored in a gun safe at his Baltimore home.

All of his firearms comply with both federal law and the laws of Maryland. He is always very careful about that.

Manley works as an intervention specialist for his local school district. His day begins early and ends late, usually around 7 p.m., because he also coaches girls’ flag football.

Manley and his wife, who did not want her first name used in this story, get up early for their jobs. For them, Nov. 21 began just like any other workday.

“The morning of the raid started just like any other morning,” Manley told the Second Amendment Foundation’s Investigative Journalism Project.

“My wife went downstairs around 4:30 a.m. to make coffee,” he said. “I was sitting on the side of the bed, getting myself together.”

“Mark, there’s someone outside the house!” his wife yelled. She saw people moving around in their front yard.

Manley grabbed a handgun and looked out the window. He could see ATF agents making “tactical movements” all over his front yard.

“I could see agents crouching down with long guns,” he told SAF.

Manley checked his home security system’s monitor and saw more agents taking tactical positions in his backyard. He put down his pistol and quickly woke his two daughters, but not his 15-year-old son who was sleeping in the basement.

“I looked out the window again and could tell they were going to bust down our door,” Manley said. “I yelled ‘Hello! We are up here.’ All of a sudden, a bomb went off. My wife screamed. She followed right behind me on our way out, but she was disoriented. She was in pure shock.”

As the family walked out through their front door, they saw dozens of heavily armed ATF agents.

“I got my arms up and I’m walking down the steps. When I got to the bottom I turned around and saw that the agents had rifles pointed at my daughters,” Manley said. “I have young kids. They had guns pointed at my children. It was a pretty emotional moment for me. I was about to lose control. I yelled ‘You have guns on my f—ing children!’ They lowered their weapons.”

Manely and his 17-year-old daughter were each handcuffed. His wife and children were moved to the rear of a SWAT van. It was 20 degrees outside, and they were only wearing pajamas.

“I would like you to take the handcuffs off my daughter,” Manley’s wife told the ATF agents. “Why did you handcuff my husband? He complied with everything you asked for.”

The family then overheard ATF agents talking about their 15-year-old son, who was flash-banged in his basement bedroom.

“My son loves the basement,” Manley said. “He has his own place, but they busted down his door, threw a grenade and 14 agents ran into his room, guns drawn and threatening to shoot him. He was woken by surprise. They busted down the glass door to his room and had guns drawn. We were relieved to see him when they brought him out.”

“They brought our son out as we were ready to get back inside the house,” Manley’s wife said. “It was a half-hour later.”

Manley started thinking about his neighbors. He and his family had only moved into their home three months ago. Their neighborhood is predominantly white.

“For us to be the only black family on the block – the ATF just assumed they would find something in our home,” his wife said.  

Next, the ATF agents brought police canines and their handlers into the home.

“The dogs ransacked our house,” Manley said. “They defecated everywhere – even on my daughter’s bed. This was completely uncalled for.”

Meanwhile, Manley said a host of ATF agents “ransacked” his home.

“They threatened to blow up my gun safe,” Manley said. “I don’t have anything to hide, so I told them I’d open the safe. They uncuffed me and told me ‘Don’t try to run.’ Where was I gonna run to? My family was right there.”

Manley unlocked his gun safe and slowly swung open the door.

“They were all standing around waiting and hoping,” he said. “This was their moment, they thought. They started pulling out rifles and shotguns, but everything was registered and Maryland-compliant. ‘We got nothing here,’ one of them said.”

One ATF agent, who had told Manley’s wife he was the lead investigator, asked her later via a phone text for dimensions and other information about the doors and windows his team had destroyed, which he promised to replace.

“I didn’t want to talk to them,” she said. “I didn’t reply. They had just waged war on us.”

Aftermath

The Manley family was never told, at least officially, why they were mistakenly targeted by the ATF.

“I have done nothing illegal. I don’t sell guns. I don’t own any machine guns,” Manley said.

“The search warrant said he is a felon,” Mrs. Manley said. “It said he is a felon in possession of firearms.”

“I don’t have any felony record,” Manley said.

Their home was terribly damaged in the raid. It needs new floors in the living room and in their son’s bedroom because of the flash-bang grenades, and their front and rear doors still remain shattered. The police canine feces the family cleaned up themselves.

The agents asked Manley why “someone would make up stuff about you?”

“Are you kidding me?” Manley said. “I made it out of the inner city and poverty. People who are still there know me and envy what I’ve become. I do all of the giving back, but there is still hate and jealousy. Someone must have gotten caught with something and said, ‘Mark’s got all kinds of guns.’ To this day we just don’t know. Someone must have gotten caught and said some lies. It was all too easy for them to kick down my doors.”

Manley and his family have started a Go Fund Me page, which so far has raised more than $18,000. They are also speaking with several attorneys.

Neither Toni M. Crosby, the Special Agent in Charge of ATF’s Baltimore Field Division, nor Katherine Rottman, the office’s Public Information Officer, returned calls or emails Thursday afternoon:

“Thank you for contacting the ATF Baltimore Field Division. This inbox is not actively monitored but we are in receipt of your email and a member of our team will follow up with you,” the email reply states.

Said Manley: “Would this happen if I was white? Probably, but I feel like more of a target because I am black, but I don’t want to. I was targeted because I am such a strong supporter of the Second Amendment. I am heavily armed. I’m a black man, but me being a black man doesn’t help my case. They put me in the worst position as the man of the house. It was all just horrific, man.”

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News from the LSA

The LSA has received a very generous grant from the NRA in the amount of $2339.00 to help defer the cost of modernization of our website and enterprise software. The NRA offers States Associations the opportunity to apply annually for funds that assist with the mission of the States Associations. This program is specifically designed to support such projects as purchasing office equipment, paying for staff, printing a newsletter, building/enhancing a website and other expenses.

State Associations serve a critical role as the state-level delivery system for NRA programs and legislative information. The NRA depends on State Associations to promote firearms and the Second Amendment within their states and motivate NRA-affiliated clubs and grassroots volunteers to activate their programs in their local communities. Each of the 50 States should have an NRA-affiliated Association, which operate separately from the NRA, but are affiliated with and recognized by the NRA.

Your Louisiana Shooting Association was incorporated in 1969 and has been proudly serving the citizens of our great State for 55 years!

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Garand Raffle for Junior Shooters

Get your 2025 M1 Garand Raffle Tickets!

Tickets for the 2024 M1 Garand Raffle to Support Junior Shooting programs in the State are now available. The drawing will be held October 18, 2025. Winner need not be present to win.

All donations stay here in Louisiana and are spent solely on Junior Shooting programs.

Buy Raffle Tickets

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Future Events

The LSA maintains a calendar of events that may be of interest to gun owners, shooting competitors, and friends of the Second Amendment. To see a list of events, visit our Meeting/Events Information page.

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Join, Renew, or Donate

As you are no doubt aware, the LSA has a new enterprise system for maintaining our membership files and records. If you are confused on how to join or renew, follow this simple checklist below.

If you would like to donate to the LSA, please click here.

If you would like to donate to the Junior Shooting Fund, please click here.

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