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8 August 2023
WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) – An internal audit is out on Wichita’s Old Cowtown Museum, and its policies on gun safety are “unsatisfactory,” according to the report’s rating. It was conducted between 2021 and June 2023 to ensure the safety of volunteers and staff. The report shows not all policies being followed are properly documented.
During a Roaring ’20s event on Sept. 18, 2020, reenactors portraying police and bootleggers staged a shootout around 9 p.m. Shotgun pellets hit a 24-year-old reenactor in the head, face and upper body. The victim had surgery and survived. The man who fired the shot was accused of using live ammunition and was charged with aggravated battery. He pleaded no contest and was given probation.
The report showed nine high-risk issues and one medium-risk issue.
HIGH RISK
Ammunition inventory: The report said the inventory should be completed on the blank ammunition cabinet to verify that the ammo has not been tampered with and has not been removed or deemed missing.
Gun inspections: The report said that ensuring guns are properly inspected resides with the executive director. Further, the executive director did not implement proper training or procedures to ensure personally owned firearms were in good working condition. The lack of direction required staff to determine what should be included in a gun inspection for each volunteer prior to entrance into the events.
911 calls: The audit found that calls to 911 are not being made consistently for each gunfire event that is held at Cowtown. Per the policy, 911 will be notified to report reenactment gunfire.
Wichita Police Department approval for gunfire: The report said that proper approvals are not being obtained by Cowtown staff for events involving gunfire. Per the policy, a firing license (approval from WPD) is required to report reenactment gunfire.
Participant listing – training: The audit claims that lists provided by staff were not all-encompassing of the individuals that volunteered to participate in the events. Staff should be tracking the list of volunteers that attended the trainings to verify that they all signed a waiver.
Insufficient documentation for volunteer requirements: The report says an insufficient amount of documentation is being retained to track that volunteers have completed the requirements to be an authorized gunfight reenactor at Old Cowtown Museum.
Missing signed waivers: The audit said that there were: completed waivers missing, signature pages of waivers missing, incomplete list of gunfighters to compare waivers to, text messages instead of signed waivers accepted by Cowtown staff, and a waiver for the LLC signed, but not individual waivers for each volunteer that participated under the LLC.
Missing signatures on sign-in forms: The report also said there are missing signatures for the volunteers on the sign-in forms. The forms have times that the individual signed in but no signature next to the name.
Volunteer training card not required to enter event: The report said staff did not require the volunteers to present their training cards upon entry into events, or they did not verify on the sign-in form that the volunteers presented the card prior to entry.
MEDIUM RISK
Forged signatures: There were two instances in 2023 when the sign-in sheets appear to have forged signatures for one of the volunteers. The two signatures do not match the volunteer’s other signatures.
The report went on to reveal an action plan and how management plans to implement the procedures. To read the full report, click here.