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BARRINGTON Business gives supplies to Marines Renaissance Firearms replaces malfunctioning equipment just before deployment

Portsmouth Herald - 7/8/2017

BARRINGTON - When a Marine sniper squad experienced malfunctioning equipment just days before deploying to the Middle East, Capt. Devon St. Cyr knew exactly where to turn.

St. Cyr, of the First Battalion, Fifth Marine Regiment, used to work at Renaissance Firearms before joining the Marines. His Marine Expeditionary Unit has been training for deployment for about a year, he said, when the snipers recently ran into trouble with malfunctioning equipment.

"Due to the time condensed environment we're dealing with, we were having some issues finding replacements," St. Cyr said on Wednesday, a day before deploying for seven months to the Pacific and the Middle East.

St. Cyr, of Gilmanton, said he called Ernie Shipman, owner of Renaissance Firearms in Barrington.

"Without batting an eye, they sent us a big box full of equipment," St. Cyr said. "We gave it to the guys that day and they went out training with good results. Renaissance stepped up quickly without hesitation."

"We have a soft spot for the Marine Corps," Shipman said Friday.

Although St. Cyr wouldn't specifically say what was sent over to them, Shipman said it was about $1,000 worth of rifle magazines.

"They were deploying and they needed something," Shipman said. "They didn't have time to go through the channels, so I'm like, I'll just donate some mags to them."

Shipman said St. Cyr worked for him for a few years while St. Cyr was attending the University of New Hampshire. He said he expects St. Cyr to work with him again at Renaissance Firearms next year.

"He's like a son to me," Shipman said. "If he would call for something, I would say, 'How much do you need?'"

Shipman said this was the first time he's donated anything to the military, but he's donated to other groups including the Boy Scouts, the National Rifle Association and other organizations.

Several Marines sent Shipman a photo thanking Renaissance Firearms.

The donation comes about a year after Renaissance Firearms moved to its new location along Calef Highway on Route 125 in Barrington. On Father's Day last year, a six-alarm blaze destroyed two buildings in downtown Gonic, and damaged the building that housed Shipman's firearms business. Several families were forced from their homes and Phagans Bar and Grill was destroyed. The building that was home to Renaissance Firearms will likely be condemned, according to Shipman. The other two buildings involved in the fire have already been razed.

The move to Barrington has been nothing but positive, Shipman said.

"It's been very good," he said, adding the space is roughly 40 percent bigger with more warehouse space and plenty of parking. He's even increased his staff from six to 10, he said. "We've been able to buy more inventory, and because of that, we're buying in larger quantities and we're driving the prices down because we're getting better deals from our suppliers. It's a win-win for everybody."

Shipman's other business, Renaissance Signs, remains in its same location in downtown Gonic.