Gun Clubs and Dues

[johnvid]

There are several gun clubs in my area. Most need a reference from two members and they require work time or extra dues.
I just discovered an Ohio division of wildlife range 1/2 hour from my home. Their anual permit is $24.00. They are set up with 25, 50, and 100 yard ranges. Each range has 20 stations. This is where I'll do my rifle shooting.

 

[Mad Man]

PS: Guys that don't want to do work weekends and such:

Somebody's got to do it and those 5 or 6 somebody's get tired of being the work force for the rest of the club. Especially since the "complainers" are usually the ones that don't show up and lend a hand. We have lives too.

(Sorry for the rant. The guys complaining about work requirements hit a REAL raw nerve with that one)

Guys who think that the work requirements are no big deal hit a raw nerve, too.

As I've pointed out, the ranges so far away that many of us barely have time to go use them, much less take time from our busy lives to go work. I would like to join gun clubs to relieve stress, not add to it with another obligation.

I can join a health club about the same amount of money -- yet they don't require members to show up several times a year to clean and maintain the place. Why is that? I would think that the maintenance requirements of a club with an actual building, machines, an HVAC system, pool, hot tub, etc., would be greater than a nearly empty piece of land with a gate and some target stands.

How many country clubs require the golfers to mow the grass and pull weeds?

I think the work requirement is just another example of a gun culture that's stuck about 30 - 40 years in the past. If they want to keep it a "good ol' boys network," fine.

But the gun culture is not going to survive if we fail to attract new members -- and the people we need to attract are urbanites and suburbanites with other obligations. They are probably going to be turned off if told they have to drive one hour each way to work, and decide that taking up shooting is just not worth it.

God knows I don't like many of the people in my clubs. I sure as hell don't want to spend any time with them.

Hopefully, there are enough people here that some of us can think of some new ways to do things -- rather than the "this is the way it's always been done" mentality I keep encountering.

 

[TrapperReady]

Ours is $40/year for a family membership. No work requirement.

 

[grislyatoms]

$120 a year.

 

[oldfella]

We have four ranges nearby - 4 miles; 15 miles; 20 miles; and 30 miles from my house. The closest one is a military installation- $10 yearly dues: pistol, rifle ans shotgun (skeet). The other two ranges charge $5 an hour, but don't clock you; and the last one is in a field in the middle of nowhere, charges $5 all day... if no one is around, you just leave the 5 bucks in a mail box.

 

[mainmech48]

Our club is a small one with rather limited facilities: rifle range to 200 yds, pistol range to 100yds, and a trap range. There is a covered bench with six stations at the 100 yd. point of the rifle range.

Dues are $25/year and all maintenance work is done by the members. While most of it seems to get done by the same 10-15 of us, places where one can go to shoot are hard enough to come by around here that most folks appreciate having one enough to clean up after themselves and show up to help out at least occasionally.

We have an informal match every Sunday morning with handgun falling plates, HP rifle, .22 rifles, and trap rotating each week. In the Fall there are Turkey Shoots every couple of weeks.

While we don't have a formal Range Officer around all of the time, we don't tolerate slobs or unsafe practices. Like a lot of ranges we're threatened by encroaching development and recognize that our best hope for survival lies in making sure that the only thing that leaves our range is noise. ANYONE observed placing targets less than 18" above the ground or farther than 5' in front of the base of the berm, using 'exploding' targets like 'tannerite', or shooting where their bullets aren't directly impacting the berm may be reported by name (any member must produce his card when asked by anyone else on the range) or license plate number to the club officers. Members are responsible for the conduct of their guests at all times. If inquiry and investigation determines that violation of posted safety or range rules has been the case (and pleading ignorance is no excuse; they're posted prominently all over the place) that person's card and key will be pulled. Gross misconduct may be reported directly to the county Sheriff and violators are subject to arrest on the spot.

While those rules might seem too Draconian for some, they're dictated by the realities of some incidents in the past and where our range is situated. We just can't tolerate behavior that places our neighbors safety and our club's existance at risk - period.

 

[Average Guy]

confinedbythecurtain

Any gun clubs in the Los Angeles/Orange County area? It might save me some money.

Outdoor: http://www.dmrpc.org/ (Caution: site in desperate need of a real Web designer)

Indoor: The Firing-Line, Huntington Beach http://www.sportshooter.com/socal/Firing-Line/index.htm

Many more: http://www.sportshooter.com/socal/wheretoshoot.htm

 

[LynnMassGuy]

Danvers Fish and Game.

$100 and 8 hours work a year. Most people I know have not done the 8 hours. I'd be glad to, I just have no idea what to do. Immediate family shoots free. Non-family guests pay $10 a head. The only thing that sucks is if you like to shoot in the evening you have to shoot indoors(no magnum calibers, no jacketed bullets) or use the outdoor range on Tues evening in the summer.

 

[ken w.]

GUN CLUB DUES

I'm the president of our club and I've had to raies the dues 3 times in the past 5 years just to pay the taxes and NRA insurance.The club dues are $100.00.There are non enforced work days-1 per month and you are to show up at half of them.Next year I'm going to push for a work day fee of $25.00 that you can work off.Out of 50 members 4 do everything.I'm sure it's the usual rant about work days,but I have no life anymore because of this club.I have to mow the 5 acres of grass every week.I haven't mowed the grass in over a month and at the next meting I want to hear the members complain about it so I can at least get someone else to help.:banghead:

 

[Sheldon]

I had turned in the membership form for the San Gabriel Valley Gun Club (Southern Ca.) about 5 years ago and this past May I got a letter saying my chance had come up to join........$500 initiation plus $200 yearly dues, for a first year fee total of $700. They did not include anything explaining what the benifits of membership or anything like that. I go there once or twice a month (used to go weekly) nowadays and could not justify joining. I guess it's pay as you go for me.....about $8 a day.

The West End Gun Club in Fontana charges $120 a year plus a signup fee of an additional $100.

Burro Canyon Range charges $120 a year with no initiation fee.

 

[BlkHawk73]

I've often wondered if those that moan and complain about "work days" at thier respective club/range would be willing to give an extra $80 - $100/yr to pay others to do the required work. I kinda like the idea about having a plan where-by members would need to pay a fee rather than not donate some time.
I don't put in the time I used to at the range myself. Trying to finish some of my own home projects is time consuming enough. Spending time with my 3yo son keeps me from the range as it is for shooting (my choice) so it's lkel he'd also keep me from a work time there. Yaeh, maybe adding a bit to the membership as an "extra" would get more to help out at their club but some would rather toss the extra $. I guess, either way the club benifits. then again, it keeps those same folks doing all the work. After all, it's a membership so their should be mebers taking responsibility.

 

[Mad Man]

I've often wondered if those that moan and complain about "work days" at thier respective club/range would be willing to give an extra $80 - $100/yr to pay others to do the required work. I kinda like the idea about having a plan where-by members would need to pay a fee rather than not donate some time.

Yes, and I do.

I think it would be better if gun clubs offered discounts on membership fees for work done, rather than charge extra fees for not meeting one's work requirement.

The money and time are the same, but the psychology of it is completely different. All it would take is a simple change in marketing. But as I stated earlier, I believe much of the gun club culture is stuck about 40 years in the past, which is why more clubs don't take that approach.

The first approach wouldn't be such a turn off for so many people. This was my situation for many years, because I was completely unaware that I could forgo work days and pay a penalty charge. It was usually in the fine print of the membership application, which I never read because I stopped when I got to the part about "work bond" -- which was usually at the top.

I only joined a gun club 3 years ago when I found one that discounted membership dues for volunteer hours -- and I wasn't even aware of that at the time. I just liked that they didn't require work days. The discount was a bonus.

 

[B27]

$300 a year.
We hire a staff to maintain the club.
We also have a caretaker/rangemaster that lives in a house on club grounds right beside the clubhouse to watch over the place.
it is just too big and holds too many state and regional matches to rely on members showing up for work parties.

I consider it a bargain for the facilities I have unlimited use of 365 days a year from 9:00AM to dark.

I have even arranged my work schedule so I have Mondays off to go there and frequently have the whole place pretty much to myself.

www.southrivergunclub.com

 

[keyhole]

Ken W

I hear you on that. When we started, I spent a lot of money, and time on getting things up and running. Now, ( almost 8 years later ), it does pay me when I mow the grass.

Dues are 50.00 yearly, ( 65.00 first time ) must be NRA, as we maintain 100%, and insurance because we are affiliated. Open ranges, 200 yard rifle, 25 yard pistol, and skeet range under developement. Can shoot on all 3 at the same time, as they sit side by side, and have berms built up nicely.
Work days are another matter, but hate to have to charge members extra because they may not work. Have a lot of varied backgrounds, professional, to retired, and not always enough time to get out there to play, much less work. I know of some members who just go out there to enjoy the scenery, and watch the critters.( deer, turkey, etc.,.)

www.bonecreekgunclub.com

 

[COK]

$200 to join then , $175 per year – includes indoor and outdoor ranges, archery, club house and snack bar open for lunch and special events.

 

[md2lgyk]

Our club recently modified the work requirement policy to allow people to "buy out" of actually working. It's $25 per hour. There are also numerous exemptions available for disabled, elderly, retired military/LEO, etc.

Interestingly, our work requirement wasn't instituted because nobody was doing any work. We are a fairly small club (around 200 members) and our ranges are private. A few years back while I was still on the Board of Directors, we had several incidents of somebody shooting up the target markers and doing other damage. Since we're not open to the public, the obvious conclusion was that a member (or members) were doing it. Our reasoning for the work requirement was that if members had some "sweat equity" in the facilities they might take better care of them.

The other reason for the work requirement (as well as the meeting and match requirements) is that our membership is limited for insurance reasons and range size, and we always have a waiting list. We felt it was unfair for somebody to keep a membership without ever participating in anything while others were waiting, sometimes for 2 or 3 years.