why is joining a gun/shooting club so complicated?

Status
Not open for further replies.
I know what you mean, the public range here is only a 25m pistol range, the only other place to shoot here in Fredericksburg is this fishing and gun club, here's what you have to go through to get into it.
Potential Member Checklist:

1. Complete Application.
2. Potential Member and Sponsor must sign application.
3. Write check to Fredericksburg Rod & Gun club for $300.00 initiation fee.
4. Mail completed application and check to the Membership Chairman at the address listed above.
5. Have sponsor meet you at the next regularly scheduled Board of Directors Meeting. Do not attend the meeting without your sponsor. The membership chairman will e-mail you the date and time to be present.
Click to expand...
There is the one on the Marine base that my dad could get me into probably (he's retired Marine Corps) that has 7-300m rifle and 1000m rifle range with pistol and trap shooting also. But that's also a 40 minute drive, if the traffic's bad, even more than that. Be a great place to shoot a .50 or some other long range rifle if you had one though.
 
I guess I'm just lucky. There is a nice range maintained by the Missouri Department of Conservation not 20 miles from my house. They have a pistol section and 50 & 100 yard rifle ranges.
 
Paying half-hour rental fees would make me a poor man. I'm at my club a lot. Probably 30-40 hours a month.


I also enjoy the camaraderie of my friends and fellow members. I don't get that at a range I have to go shoot at which is run as a for-profit business.



To each his own, I guess.
 
My club's pretty laid back. $55 a year to join, but you need a member to vouch for your character to get in. That makes shooting $2 a trip instead of $10. Club raises money through raffles, competition entrance fees, etc. The club also collects a lot of brass from public shooters who don't reload, and uses that as the carrot to get target holders made and entice ROs to spend an afternoon watching people shoot.
 
My club has a limit on the number of members, and a limit on the number of "lifers".... The latter have no work hour responsibilities, although we (I'm one) generally take on about anything that comes up that fits our schedules.

In my case, I have health problems that keep me from keeping appointments. Any work has to be "if I can get there".... So, I went for a life membership. That put some cash into the club (it wasn't easy for me, but they take installments), and I can still use the facilities. (Cost me a lot more in new toys once I started seriously collecting/shooting again. But we don't tell the wife about that.)

The bare minimum membership is under $100/year, but you do have to buy into the land - about $400 (payable in installments), plus some work hours. If you can't work, you can pay them off with cash.

Sponsorship and attending a couple of meetings are required, but sponsorship is probably the hardest, and one of our local gun shops will set up anybody who asks with a member who's willing to "check 'em out". (By then we usually know if they're "legal" at least.) The dealer also gives club members a discount.

The club is quite old - maybe 70 years - so a lot of the basic work is done (although we finally got a toilet in the range area after only talking about it for about 20 years. At least the six years I've been a member :).) Ongoing expenses mean ongoing costs, and raffles & such don't quite cut it.

Guess the short answer is that yes, you have to work at it a bit, but no, it's not all that hard. The tough part is in finding a club you'd like to join, getting a visit, and then getting a sponsor. The former may be the hardest.... Our indoor range, for example, is "no magnums", and "no rifles", with the exception of .22's, and some pistol-caliber (i.e., .44Spl or smaller) rifles. If you don't like to shoot outdoors (we have a great outdoor range), you may have a problem with that. Indoor range hours are roughly 1000 to 0000, and everybody's got a key. Outdoors is about 1000 to dark, with some "under the lights" time in the fall and spring.

Keeping membership down around 500 is our key - it's manageable, and you rarely have to stand in line for anything. We also tend to know each other, at least by sight.

Beats sticking dollar bills in G-Strings :D, and may be a better skill. Not to mention my wife not minding it.... (She won't come inside, although she did watch our promo DVD once. Nobody seems to have watched it, but it was fun making it.)

Regards,
 
It sounds like some of you need to move to the SF Bay area. I belong to three clubs with annual fees from $25 (sells reloading components to members for 6% over cost) to $72 (leases land from Bay Area Regional Parks).
Click to expand...

That's really great, but most of my guns are illegal in California.
 
Over here it’s usually quite easy to join a club - I am lucky enough to have two clubs within 10 miles of my home . In fact if you want your guns solely for target practice it’s often a requirement to obtain a Firearms Certificate. Usually you have to serve a probationary period of 6 months before becoming a full member. Fees are typically approx 100 pounds per year.

I am a member of two ranges: one indoor and the other outdoor. The indoor club only caters for .22 shooting on 25 yard ranges whist the outdoor range caters for Centrefire and Black Powder shooting on 25 and 50 yards.

Both clubs are very friendly and often hold open days to increase membership and promote shooting as a safe, competitive and disciplined sport.

I also have access to a 100 yard range approx 20 mile away where the only requirement is that you hold a Firearms Certificate. The fee is only 10 pounds for the day.
 
With all due respect to the guys out there that have worked hard and long for their respective ranges and have paid the dues and taken the time and volunteered to be range officers and went to board meetings and sponsored shoots and worked to get certain things at your club that no other clubs have and sacrificed what precious little shooting time anyone really has anymore to try and further a cause that is bigger than yourself but........

I tend to think the gun club has gotten a little bit carried away with its own politics. Every year when board elections come up there is always voting drama. People get nominated who dont want to run but when they get elected they think they are top dog. The highest members in the club often times get carried away with the little bit of authority that is granted them because this is the most authority and responsiblity they have had in their entire lives. Unfortunately there is less responsibilty undertaken than anything else. Then there comes a time when they feel they have to justify their existence a little more by enacting rules that make the club more "exclusive" like you think your gun range is Augusta National.

I also think Gun Clubs in general are trying to protect themselves by not letting liabilities join their club. Hence the references. I think when guns become less fashionable again (think pre Obama) the Gun Clubs are going to have to loosen their standards once again for the sake of a little income. They can afford to be picky when so many shooters who had never touched a gun before 2 years ago want a place for their new found hobby. I can respect the fact that there is probably a little bit of resentment in long time members having their range overrun by bandwagoners.

Ranting aside, it should be noted that since there is a board and there is a voting membership that means that most of the policies handed down have been in part because the members agreed with the board. So if John the president says he wants to limit membership, Phil the VP can say sure lets make new members get references and lets put them on probation for 6 months where they will be our be our servants and spend very little time shooting until they have "put in their time". Then someone says yeah, "lets limit membership to 100 people and put the rest on a waiting list"

Soon enough you have Harvard Gun Club where the only way to get in is to be a legacy and donate X dollars now and again.

Having said all that I would gladly join a club (if it is not too much trouble for me) be a contributing member, voluteer my time, work my weekly hour or two or whatever it might be. I dont have a problem with that. I have a problem with so called, exclusiveness.

Sorry to bring politics out into the open on this discussion but I was tired with beating around the bush.
 
Last edited:
I belong to the

Most expensive club in my state, $150/year. As far as I am concerned, it is a bargain. We have a rifle range that goes out to 600 yards with firing points at differnet intervals. It has fifteen firing point with targets that are raised and lowered by others during matches. We have at least 8 IDPA bays. We have 9 regular Trap fields plus wobble trap and a sporting clays course. We have a 52 position Bullseye pistol range and an indoor pistol range. In addition to all that we also have 3 25 yard, 1 50 yard and a 100 yard covered utility ranges. We also have a range that is dedicated for Law enforcement and civilian training courses. We have several buildings on the land including a brand new Trap club house. With over 800 members it is amazing that this place isn't crowded all the time but it is rare that I can't get a range to myself for several hours at a time. By the way, I am heading there this morning.:evil:

Joining this club was a little problematic in that the rules weren't very clear, or I just didn't read them very well. It took me almost three months to get it done but was well worth it. Since joining a little over a year ago I have had to do nothing, though I have volunteered to build targets or cook at a shoot. At the last club that I belonged to their dues are up to $125 and they litteraly have about 1/5th of the facilities. I worked my butt of there for almost 15 years. I was a member of the board of directors for 5 years and started and ran the Cowboy action program there for 4 years and continued to help for 4 or 5 more. There were about 20-30 people who could be counted on to help and the rest did nothing. I showed up at almost every work party, usually with a truck full of tools, just so some guy who "just wanted to shoot" could get upset that we were in the way of his shooting. The few times I showed up to practice and there was a work party going on I just rolled up my sleeves and helped. These guys would generally get all huffy and leave.

I got very frustrated trying to improve the club that I was at. No matter how good my intentions there was always someone who disapproved. I got tired of attending BOD meetings that dragged on for hours and never really accomplished anything. I haven't been back there for almost two years and, while I wish them well, they continue to drive off the people who do the most. I also belong to another club that is much closer to my home but I only joined so that I could shoot my pistols there occassionaly. I might even let that membership expire because it is such a hole. The membership there is $50/yr plus work.

A club requires a lot of work and money. Clubs that keep there dues down generally depend on a volunteer work force to maintain and improve the facilities. Even when a club has a substantial income from dues, like the one I now belong to, volunteer labor or "work requirements " let the club use more of that money for improvements. You should also remember that with the political climate the way it is every club out there needs to be prepared to defend itself against litigious neighbors who move in and then try to shut the club down. A club without money in the bank for a legal defense fund could be out of business in a short period of time.

So, pay your dues, or don't. Help out, or don't. But don't whine when there are no more places to shoot.
 
Last edited:
When I applied at my local club, which operates a number of ranges that are only about a 10 minute drive from my apartment, I got referred by a buddy who I attended the police academy with. I ended up getting denied membership as they have a 1 year probation period, and I could only be around for the first 10 months due to my military deployment. Suffice to say, I still make the 40 minute drive to my nearest gun shop range.
 
I guess I'm just lucky. There is a nice range maintained by the Missouri Department of Conservation not 20 miles from my house. They have a pistol section and 50 & 100 yard rifle ranges.
Click to expand...

I love that also! Being from St. Louis, I could drive 20 min to a manned state range, pay $3/hour and shoot all I want OR I could drive 45 min to an unmanned state range and shoot for free!

Living in Alabama, I now have to drive to a national forest range (where you need a truck/SUV just to get to the range.
 
Earl

You rarely beat around the bush.:D You are right, some club officers act like they own the place. It is also true that some enact rules soley to justify their position, or so it seems. Unfortunately, the only time regular members get involved is during general elections, and most don't even bother then. The BOD at my last club, as well as my new club, always encourages new members to become involved by attending meetings and even to join the board. When new members join the board with lots of good ideas and intentions, they often get shut down by the "Old Guard". Add to this the complaints that you hear on the range from members who never show up to work and what you end up with is shear frustration. And, when the board does agree on something, and actually accomplishes something, it is inevitable taht a few will show up to ask why we spent money building a roof rather than improving the road or vise versa. You can't win.
 
By the way, all the clubs I belong to and most others in the SF Bay Area are open to public use. The only difference is that members get discounts and have say in club decisions.

Chabot is by far the largest for non-shotgun sports for public use.
 
well, i guess i will continue to be a pay per session guy then... i will never get in one.
Click to expand...

Your call of course, but at my club I had to pay an initiation fee, and the yearly dues, but as long as I shoot more than ten times per year. Which is easy if you count me and the wife going every month it more than pays for itself. So, do the math before blowing it off.

Now my range doesn't require me to volunteer, and I usually don't volunteer my time, but the several times a year that I deal with large (dishwasher & refrigerator size) boxes I do take them to be used on the target holder.
 
Having been an officer of a club and the silhouette program director for 15 years I can give you some insight into why clubs have strict rules and new member hurdles to jump over. The main reason is the apathy of members who want to have fun without any work or common sense. The damage to facilities by members w/o even any remorse is astounding. The cost of repair to targets and rails because of unthinking members led me to quit running the silhouette program. To heck with it, if they don't care enough to be responsible, I am not going to work my a$$ off so they can screw it up further. That my friends is why it cost so much and there are application regs!
 
I belong to a private club. It's a great place to shoot. There are pro's and con's to any club. I pay $175 a year. It was about $75 10 years ago. If you CHOOSE to do 10 hours of volunteer work the fee is halved. You must be a NRA member also.

I have had a few incidents with "old timers" there that think THEY own the range. I try to be courteous most of the time but there has been times when I told them to get bent. For the most part with the dues being HIGHER it keeps the Gangstas out of our club. It's a PRIVATE club for a reason.

I don't have anymore entitlement to use your bathroom in YOUR PRIVATE RESIDENCE then you have access at a PRIVATE club (gun, pool, knitting, whatever).

Rant over and life is not fair.
 
I recently joined a local club. 75 dollars a year. No required hours of work, but everybody helps. Nothing real fancy, 25, 50 yard pistol and a 200 yard rifle range. rap setup, if you like that. Indoor bathrooms in an airconditioned and heated clubhouse facility. Nice place to drink coffee, play cards, or clean a gun. Most of the members are 50+ years old, friendly, and like to talk and shoot. They also like to share guns and hang out. Its worth the work to have a nice place to shoot with nice people.
 
At the Club that I belong to, you also need to know somebody so you can have a sponsor. Your sponsor is responsible for your actions for the first year.

The Club only takes, as many members as there are openings. The membership is limited to some magic number.

At my Club, they only accept new members in April. You are able to send in your application any time before that but sooner the better. The spots fill up quick. When sending in the application a check for $160.00 is also needed to go with it. This is for application fees and the first year membership. After that, it’s $120.00 a year.

In April, when all the new members that are accepted, they have to attend a safety course, learn Club rules and they take a tour of all the ranges and get to ask all the questions of what they can and can not do.

It is pretty easy and not to time consuming. My only problem is the old Elmer Fudds that have not kept up with the current Club rules since they became a member back in 1957.:mad:

Whenever I do have problems with older Club members that are disrespectful and attempt to treat me in an ill fashion manner, I drop the Club President an email and it makes life a lot better. My Club is big on respect and they do enforce it. You just have to be willing to step up to the plate and take actions on it. ;)
 
I swore off of public shooting ranges after having to explain to various idiots that covering another person with the muzzle of a loaded weapon is an unwise practice.

I'll take internal politicking over ignorant and armed any day.

My current club is a 45 minute drive from my home, but the facility is one of the best I've seen. Rifle berms from 100-425 yards, and six pistol berms. The club itself has an active shooting community, running USPSA, High Power, Steel Prairie Dog, Silhouette, and Tactical Rifle matches monthly and weekly Steel Challenge matches. Since joining I've become the assistant match director for the tactical rifle matches and the USPSA shooters were kind enough to reimburse several members for RO training and certification from NROI.
 
Cause them's the rules. You either play by the rules, or you don't play. If you don't like them, you're free to go someplace, start your own club, and make your own rules.

Pretty simple it seems to me.
 
Plenty of internal politics in my club. I try to ignore it.... One of our very active members from an administrative standpoint (he's now "Sergeant At Arms") tells me all about it :)....

As long as things don't impact my use of the facility too much, it's like any other organization. There will be politics whenever a group gets past a certain size, or picks up a certain kind of member. (We had a guy who rose from "who's that" to "wants to be President" in less than a year, and quit when he couldn't get the office. Nice guy, but he didn't realize how long it would take to break that ceiling. Nothing racial or religious here - just "who the heck is that?" from a lot of older members.)

For the most part, I think the officers tend to be guys who want it, and some are more interested in the power than others.... I was a member of a computer-related group years back that tended to elect the guys who didn't show up for meetings. That worked fairly well :D....

IMHO, if it's a private group, you're going to have politics.

You're also going to have guys who are overboard on safety, or "what time the range opens" or about any other topic. I'm sure somebody's going to want to limit the number of flushes we can use in the new bathroom....

We also had a guy who complained when the folks using the rifle range were shooting low and leaving a lot of lead in the grass in front of the targets....

Yeah, fighting this takes time from shooting and other sports, but....

The downside is in finding a group you can tolerate, and working to keep it that way. I was lucky....

Regards,
 
The club to which I belong takes care to keep people who will be trouble out, and to remove those who turn out to be trouble.

A few years ago, a local doctor joined and was approved. One night he showed up to open shooting. The range officer noticed something wasn't right with the man, who subsequently dropped his firearm on the floor. Investigating, the range officer discovered that the doctor was highly intoxicated. He disarmed him, sent him home and called a board member.

The board of directors held an emergency meeting at which they voted to expel the doctor and refund his membership dues.

I don't think it was a week later that local news reported that a local doctor had been found passed out drunk in his car by the side of I-90. There was a loaded gun on the seat next to him. He did not possess an Ohio CHL or recognized equivalent. Do I need to say who that doctor was?

Keeping control of membership keeps the club and its members out of trouble. What would have happened if that doctor had accidentally shot himself or another member? I'll tell you. No club.

I belong to that club because it's SAFE. The last time I was on one of the local public ranges, within the space of five minutes I was swept by the guy in the stall next to me, then saw three guys wrestling over a loaded Remington 870 while yelling at each other in Serbo-Croatian.

I'll take the "hassle" of a private range any day.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top