Demise of a gun club

[NSP64]

I am a member at the highland pistol and rifle club in highland illinois. this will be my last year for membership. if I had not already paid my dues I would not have been a member this year.
membership is 100 dollars plus 36 dollars for maintenance fee, and you have to be a member of the nra.
Dues are due every may first. membership got you use of the outdoor range for free discount using the indoor range and discounts shooting trap and skeet.
I only use the outdoor range and I shoot there 15 times a year.
after everbody paid their dues, there were posters in the window announcing fee increases on everything. outdoor range usage will now cost members 1 dollar per use.
plus all the other discounts disappear. non members only pay 10 dollars per use for the outdoor range. so it will now be cheaper for me to just pay every time I go and go less often.
I see fewer people at the range when I go and this is how arrange dies.

[tubb_ooh_lard]

i have a public range near me that has been on shaky ground since it opened 3 years ago .

$5 per half hour to use the outdoor uncovered range

as i never got past the outdoor range price i have no idea what the indoor pistol/.22 range prices are

the club i am a member of is $60 a year for a working member ( 8 hours a year )
$150 for nonworking membership with no voting privilages

[Moondawg]

NSP64: The price for your club's membership seems quite reasonable. As for fee increases, you may have noticed that the price of everything has gone up: gasoline, fuel, groceries medical care, powder, primers etc. It's called inflation and government meddeling. There are a lot of places where people pay more for less.

[NSP64]

I think alot has to do with the older members only pay $25.00 a year in dues.
The cost of shooting trap and skeet is now the same for members and non- members. Negating any reason to be a member. I asked when I renewed my membership if membership was down. And he said yes

[NSP64]

I know alot of the older members are on fixed incomes. I for one, had to take a $16,000 annual cut in pay to get a job in the area. (driving 110 miles each way to work every day cuts into the increase in pay real quick).
Can't sell the house, due to economy. So, my membership is a luxury I can't afford now.
I would be better off leasing some hunting propery and shooting there.

[pergoman]

I belong to several gun clubs here in the state capitol region. The annual dues are $48-$85 depending on the club. Within 25 miles there are at least a dozen similar clubs. We get unlimited access to the indoor and outdoor ranges. We have electronic key cards to get on the property and into the buildings when we want. Members pay a slightly lower price for targets for trap, skeet, or sporting clays. My son's first year dues for the one club are $120 and $85 every year after that. Everyone 16 and older needs their own membership. Family dues cover kids under 16. I guess we got it pretty darn good here.

[Reloader06]

I feel for you. The range I belonged to closed down a few years ago due to complaints from the Yuppie McMansion crowd up canyon from the club. Half of old Hollywood used to make the trek out to this range. It didn't matter that the range was there first. The REAL problem was the club leased the land from the Corp of Engineers. Freaking weenies! The closest one is now a 45 min drive and they know they are almost the only game in town and dont care. LOUSY Range Officers. Way more interested in collecting brass than saftey. ARRRRGGGGHHHH!
With that said....... Support your local ranges. You never know whe they will disappear.

MHO

Matt

[williamwaco]

I know things are tough everywhere but the fees you are quoting are AMAZINGLY cheap.

Around here outdoor fees are around $15.00 per day per range. If I go to the 15 yard pistol range, that is $15.00. If I them move to the 25 yard range, that is $10.00 more. Then If I move down to the rifle range, that is ten dollars more. Plus $5.00 per gun for each gun over 3.

Most of the indoor ranges are in the range of $15.00 PER HOUR.

If I drive an hour one way I an get that down to $14.00 per day for outdoor ranges.


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[30calflash]

NSP64: The price for your club's membership seems quite reasonable. As for fee increases, you may have noticed that the price of everything has gone up: gasoline, fuel, groceries medical care, powder, primers etc. It's called inflation and government meddeling. There are a lot of places where people pay more for less.

Everything is going up in cost with the dollar dropping in value. THe prices you quoted are not exorbant. It can be a lot higher.

I've dropped out of a club due to my not using it, as in maybe 3 times a year. Big shotgun club and I'm not a shotgunner. I have good facilities at the other clubs I belong to for the shooting I do.

There is a commercial range in Ct that charges $25 per hour the first hour, $22 per every hour thereafter, outdoor range. They had to do it due to ongoing legal expenses by a neighbor that wants them shut down so they can develop their land. It will cost a lot more if your club has to deal with hazards like this.

[GREENCOUNTYPETE]

for a range in Illinois, your lucky they haven't shut them all down they only seem to be concerned with those within an hour of a Chicago suburb

what your getting isn't bad

100+36+15=151

I like to be able to go to the range when ever the mood strikes me , i have been known to load up the truck before church go to church then strait to the range as they are only a few miles form each other.

my former range , was 75 a year and you had to sell 50 dollars in raffle tickets or buy them yourself it is now 125 , and 50 dollars in raffle tickets and i think they may have added a work component it was a great range we were issued keys every spring when we paid our dues and could shoot during most daylight hours and i would still be a member if i hadn't moved 2 hours away

my dads range is up to about the same 125-175 a year, and you can only go when they have a range master running the rifle range which is about 4 hours on a Saturday afternoon , and not every week , and you can only load one cartridge at a time , no magazines , if you ask they will let you fill the cylinder on your revolver and fire them very slowly but only if you ask first and only to be sure it functions

i am lucky to have a range with such reasonable dues 35 a year but it is a very basic rock pit bring your own target holder , sand bags , seat , the benches are there , the firing line has a tin roof , i like it , i am grateful to have it and that i am a leader in our juniors program and have it be only 20 minute drive then next closest range is 40 minutes and costs 150-200 a year and several work days , they have a nice club house and more matches , but require sponsorship to get in as they have closed membership.

i was at a beautiful range complex about an hour and 20 minutes away home for some state certification training , membership was 350 a year and 40 hours work , and honestly if i lived closer like 15 minutes away like my brother does i would be begging someone to sponsor me to join that club , 30 dollars a month doesn't sound bad if you compare it to a gym membership.

the hole world seems to have gone pay to play , but most clubs are trying to keep dues reasonable , the nickle and dime stuff is kind of dumb , they would probably just do better to offer a non voting membership for 145 and have everyone join that wants to shoot

the dollar a day is probably more to see how much the range is used and to replace backer boards

[Olevern]

Wow, I belong to a local range which costs me $20.00 a year. Unlimited access except when they have an occasional benchrest match. No additional fees. I shoot there when I want to interact with other shooters (only find them there in good weather on weekends, thru the week you have the place to yourself). I have my own range for testing and just playin with the toys in the back pasture. I feel for ya'all.

[NSP64]

yup, its a shotgun range also.
if any event is going on you cant use the range.

[Love Life]

Come on out to Nevada. Plenty of middle of nowhere to shoot what ever you want!!

[Janoosh]

That range in Conn wouldn't be the Blue Trail Range, would it? OK...... Sit down now, NY prices. First range I joined, indoor pistol in Mt Vernon,NY open 10-9, $250 per year. 50 ft indoor, no reloads. 1986. Next range (club) $450 to join, $125 per year. 100yds, bianchi plates at 25yds. Trap range, 80 acres, hunting allowed 1 month per year. Ranges open 9- 5, 9-7 summer. Where else are you gonna go?

[johnly]

The dues from my club just went from $120 to $170 per year. It's 12 miles from home and has it all trap, skeet, sporting clays, indoor 22, outdoor pistol, action pistol, BP, and multiple rifle ranges out to 600 yds. I just look at it like it's 50 cents a day.

John

[sargenv]

$50/year, $60 one time initiation.. we have a 5 bay action line that has matches all but 2 or 3 sundays a year. 4 combination trap/skeet ranges. a 25 yard line, a 100 yard line and a 200 yard line fully equipped with a 12 position "pit" system.. Member fee is $5/day, non-members $10/day.. all about 20 miles from SF...

[JeffinNZ]

It's still pretty cheap compared to other clubs. Any of the local golf courses here would be 3 times my annual shooting sub.

[NSP64]

Im not saying its expensive.
I am more mad about the sneaky way they went about it. Raising all the memners users fees AFTER the due date for renewal. If they would have notified us ahead of time, I am pretty sure the membership numbers would have dropped like a rock.
Then all the old members rates would have been raised.

[Janoosh]

We had to stop our "senior discount". With the advent of modern medicine, more members were living past the age of 65. It went from @20 SR members in 1985 to over 100 today. It was creating a lot of animosity. We let family members (wife,children under 21, grand children) shoot for free. No guest fee for them. .$125 per yeae package deal. Trap is extra.

[btroj]

My club does has a senior membership but it requires both a specific age and I beleive 10 or 20 years of continuous membership before you qualify. That doesn't bother me much.
I pay 120 dollars a year, pay a 5 dollar guest fee if i take an adult other than my wife.

Yes, that is how a club dies, not thru fee increases but thru apathy of the members. You can go cheap and let it die or you can look towards the future and realize that without the increased income the range will die and you won't have a place to shoot.

Most of us are lucky to have a well equipped, well managed place to shoot. We all need to decide how much that is worth to us. I might complain but I would certainly be willing to pay double what I do annually in fees because of the quality of the club and range.

[30calflash]

Im not saying its expensive.
I am more mad about the sneaky way they went about it. Raising all the memners users fees AFTER the due date for renewal. If they would have notified us ahead of time, I am pretty sure the membership numbers would have dropped like a rock.
Then all the old members rates would have been raised.

This happens when folks aren't involved in club business, like going to meetings. Most of this probably passed at a meeting with little interest from more than a few non board members present.

+1 on what btroj said re: apathy. It will be run according to those doing the running. Just like our government. If you want things different you have to get involved.

If the club bylaws state that club business is run at meetings with Roberts Rules for conduct of the meeting and the board passed the measure on it's own as opposed to vote by the members at a regular meeting you can bring the matter to the floor at a regular meeting, to be voted on by the members. A 2/3 majority can veto/override the board's decision.

Not trying to start trouble from afar, just saying what might be the case.

[Freightman]

Talk about lucky $75 a year and $10 extra if you do not want to work on a work day. eight miles from home and I can take as many guest as I can be responsible for, with no fee. I also have unlimited access to three pistol ranges and two rifle ranges. The only range I can't use is the indoor pistol range as it is for matches only. I prefer outdoor ranges anyhow and the weather here isn't bad enough any more that there are very few days I cant use the range.
Anyhow that is where I get all my lead for free so I do not really pay anything.
The membership limit is 375 and we have a two year waiting list, the only people who drop out ether move or die.

[Rex]

Dues in my club are free. I wander 1 1/2 miles over the hill and the first natural berm is 25 yards off of the road, the second, a sand hill, is 55 yards from the road and turning to the left gets you 100 yards. Longer if you want to stretch out a ways. Us country hicks don't have it so bad.

[bobthenailer]

I belong to 3 gun clubs currently ! and im glad there here ! the dues rang from $25.00 the one thats more of a bar than a gunclub and the range faclites are only marginal, it has always had lots of money in the bank for the past 40 years and the other 2 who have no bar but to finance the clubs expenses, there run from dues and money from shooting events held at the club they are both are either just making it or are just barely comfortable. dues are $40.00 and $60.00 at those two.
I am currently VP at the ones thats just making it weve been struggling for many years after the DCM matches were shut down due to someone putting a trailer directictly behind and up the hill above our 200 yard backstop , they complained about bullets hitting the trailer after we told them about the danger before putting it there ! we are currently only having NRA BE 22lr 50' matches and 4 H club for junior shooting , in june we will be trying to get our version of ruger RF challange going called family fun rimfire to try to bring in some more money, and shooters
We only have 41 members with less than 1/4 particpating in our current shooting events .
As with any club only a handfull of people do the work ! and either by shooting in club matches , doing some work , or donations or all three is the way they make there money to operate , we almost went belly up in the previous 2 years there was not enough money to pay property insurance, but there is some new blood & renued enthusamem from our members for the this year and were making slow progress but its postive weve now have insurance, donated 8 truck loads of stone for our road & parking lot and bought a used 2004 cub cadet 1045 rider mower as well as alot of other improvemts.

[mikes2]

nsp64,,,dont know if your aware but theres another range near you, in mascoutah. dues are alittle more expensive but they have a 200 yard range. last i heard they had a monthly surcharge to help cover legal fees. im surprised more clubs dont have that problem.

[Swampman]

Most of the local ranges are too high for me.

[contender1]

A bit of a different thought process.

I currently own a private gun range. It is leased one day a month by a local gun club to hold USPSA matches there. It is not open to the public, nor are gun club members allowed to use the range at their will.

However,, as I am the owner, and I'm the sole person liable for all safety & actions there, I make the decisions.

I chose to not open my range to the general public due to added insurance expenses, damages caused to the facilities by irresponsible people, theft of range equipment, no range officers available to work, to name a few reasons.
Now, as for why a gun range/club dies.
One poster above hit the nail on the head. About 1/4th of the members do all the work while 3/4ths of the members do not do anything to help the club grow. When they are asked to "build a stage for a match" they have excuses. They do not help set-up, nor tear-down. Yet, many of these same folks complain about the stages, or try & do things "their way" w/o regards to the folks who did the work.

I DO allow a few club members whom I have known for a long time, who have shown they work, and RESPECT my property, the free use of my range from time to time. One club member comes & sets up 2 out of the 5 stages for a match. He plans his day to work, then target plink a bit. He's a certified Chief Range Officer, and his work is appreciated, so he has range priviliges.

So, those of you who see a problem with gun range fees, or restrictions, or whatever,, ask yourself; "What am I doing to help the club grow & be better?"

I see clubs who have a mandatory requirement of work time for members. Many of the same clubs have an exclusion from that if a person "pays more money." While money is definately needed, so is a lot of work.

If my range ever gets to the point of having the club members who wish the use of my range there will be serious requirements of WORK required. And for the folks who can't (or won't) work,,, then the cash amount will be substantial.

NRA membership is required by the local club. I think it's a good idea. Why? Well, the NRA isn't perfect,, yet it IS the MAIN organization that the politicians worry about when gun rights are discussed. They have the oldest & strongest voice fighting for ALL gun owners & the Second Amendment. Ypur right to keep & bear arms should be worth the extra $35 a year, or better yet, a life membership.

All of this is put out for everyone to use as things to think about. I'm on the other side of most folks position in that I own my range. So, remember,, LIABILITY is a huge responsibility.

(BTW; Just a few days ago, at a nearby public indoor range,, a self proclaimed "gunsmith" had a gun blow up in his face. He was injured, but not life threatened. He had been "restoring" an old Italian rifle, and it blew up on his 6th round. He is on video, and the only warning was the hard to close bolt. Now, consider what could have happened if he had been killed & the family decided to sue. Win lose or draw,, the gun range would spend big bucks to defend themselves.)

[wallenba]

Same rules around here. Must join NRA, this should be OK with us, because the insurance you get with NRA helps the clubs offset their insurance. We also have to join the MUCC (Mich, United Conservation club) Then annual dues, plus 20 hours service per year or $8 per hour ($160). Must attend meetings, vote, be active in club affairs and have a sponsor.
Whew...I just want to shoot. Add it all up, and I'm not saving any money, and it is almost as far to drive!

State DNR facilities...$4.00, stay all day.

[Charlie Two Tracks]

Our local gun club went under this year. It was an indoor range above the downtown stores. You could only shoot there after the stores closed at 5:00 pm. The range and club had been there for many decades. The building finally came up for sale and the club couldn't find another location. The building is in need of major repair and is just too expensive for to buy and fix up. I haven't shot yet this year and I'm not quite sure what I'm going to do. It's not like it used to be around here. Gun control is really taking a toll here in Illinois. I'll figure something out but it gets harder each year.

[Geraldo]

I currently pay $10 per day to use a state range. Private ranges around here are much more expensive.

Where I used to live I belonged to two ranges, one for around $100 a year, and I believe the second one was a bit cheaper. My belief was that I should join every club/range I could afford or look forward to the day when there would be no place for me to shoot.

I understand NSP's financial problem, but I would still recommend that anyone who can afford to join a club or range (or more than one) do so.

[35isit]

I belong to a club with a cap of 390 annual members and 60 life members. Dues are $75.00 yr + $75.00 one time initiation + must be a NRA member. Luckily I am a Life Member of the club and NRA so my membership costs me nothing now.

There are no guests allowed at our club. All our matches and activities are open to the public. That's our way of keeping damage to a minimum.