A Coronavirus update from pre64win.com

Hello to all of our fellow pre-64 Model 70 enthusiasts.  

I hope this Campfire post finds you healthy and your family not directly impacted by the Coronavirus pandemic. We are all safe and healthy here at pre64win.com, but are deeply concerned by the situation around us. I am praying that lives will be spared, that our country can get back to work soon, and that our economy will recover quickly.

I am writing from my home in Washington State where we have seen greater impact from the virus than many places in the US. The first known case of Coronavirus in the US occurred in a town just 10 miles from here and the pre64win.com shop is located just 6 miles from a nursing home which has tragically become the epicenter of the outbreak here in Washington.

For over 2 weeks, the county we live in, as well as our two neighboring counties, have been under strong guidance from the governor for businesses to close to the public and for all people to avoid any unnecessary trips into public places. Restaurants, city parks and other public gathering places have all been closed by order of the governor.  Today the entire state was placed on "shelter in place" orders, meaning the entire state is under mandatory lockdown orders, making it illegal to be in any public gathering, except under specific circumstances.

Thankfully, shooting, hunting and most things which involve a rifle
all comply with the rules our state has adopted for "social" distancing"

The mountains, wilderness and rural areas remain exempt from the state lockdown order, which offers some welcome reprieve from being confined to home.  Regardless, we find ourselves in a truly unprecedented situation. 

With all church services suspended, the members of our church are staying in touch online

We are taking several actions to keep pre64win.com employees and customers safe from the Coronavirus.  In compliance with the guidance of public health officials, the pre64win.com shop is now closed to the public.  We will only be conducting business through our online storefront until it is safe to reopen.  Only two employees will remain working in our main shop in Woodinville WA to process and ship orders - myself and one other.  So far we are keeping up with your orders, but if there is any small delay in shipping we trust you will understand.  Our master gunsmith continues working in our custom rifle shop in Arlington WA, so we do not anticipate any delays for custom rifles which are currently on order.

Last Friday a wonderful older customer who is lives in the eastern part of our state ordered two beautiful Featherweight rifles for his collection.  He normally visits our shop when he does business with us, but we did not want him traveling to this western part of Washington where there are nearly 2000 confirmed cases of Coronavirus.  Instead, my wife and I offered to take the 3 hour drive and deliver the rifles in person.  We are confident this was safe, as we have been isolating from the public for nearly 3 weeks.  What a good day it was to drive through the Cascade mountains and be reminded of the goodness of our God to have placed us in this beautiful state and to have blessed us with this gem of a man to be our friend!

Our good friend Harold received free in-person delivery of his new rifles

While we are not able to offer door-to-door in-person delivery for every customer, we do want to extend a special shipping offer to all our customers.  Shipping to US addresses on all pre64win.com orders over $100 will be free through at least the end of April.  You can access this discount by using the code "OUTBREAK" at checkout, or by accessing our store using the button below.

If you are stuck at home due to the virus like we are, if nothing else, hopefully this post helps to break up the monotony of your day.  If you still enjoy the freedom to safely leave your home, please take extra care to keep yourself and those you meet with healthy.  I also encourage you to join me in praying for our country and for the world.  Our leaders need wisdom, our healthcare workers need protective gear.  Our hospitals need the vital equipment used to save the lives of those who are sick.  And people need to regulate their behavior to slow the rate of infections in order to keep from overwhelming our healthcare system with more patients than it can care for.  The challenges are daunting and we are doing our best best to help our community by complying with the requests being made of us.  I do not in any way discount the advice of experts or the guidance we are receiving from  government officials, but I have placed my trust in someone far more able to help.  I am trusting God for our safety and for our ultimate deliverance from this very challenging situation.  I encourage every person to do the same.

Warm regards from Washington, 

Justin Hale
Owner and CEO of pre64win.com