26 Years Old!!!!
I created the FOP Range Inc on January 1, 1996. The last 26 years have not been easy but we are still here making a great place available for our members to shoot.
We have been through some tough times like when the F4 hit us and now Covid stupidity. Try running a hot dog stand with your hot dogs costing as much as T-bone steaks. You aren't going to sell very many. Other places have collapsed under the financial stress this causes. We are debt free and getting by on less. Its what you do when things aren't working out. With that said, we are here to stay, aren't going anywhere, and look forward to getting back to the normal we all enjoyed before Covid.
I had to restructure our membership offerings. There are now 12 different ways to get in here as a member. All are definitely affordable on a blue collar budget. There is now a monthly payment option on all memberships. There are 2 tiers of membership. Tier 1 costs less but has a $10 range use fee when you come out. Tier 2 has no range use fee but is $100 more. Don't want or need the place for a year? There is a Trial Membership that runs for a month and costs less than any other place you can shoot in the area. Change your mind and want to join? The Trial Membership fee is applied towards your first year's membership costs.
All annual memberships are now sold directly through the range’s web site on our JOIN HERE page. All memberships are on a recurring billing setup. It’s how the rest of the world runs membership based organizations. Over 8000 businesses use the service we are using. It works well and will make managing our membership base much easier and efficient.
COVID 19...
COVID19 sucks! We are dealing with the economic impact of covid and have had to make changes to how the range operates to be able to survive. I created a two tier membership system. Tier 1 costs the same as membership here for the last 20 years but has a range use fee and Tier 2 are $100 more per year but have no range use fee. When the mask and social distancing order expired April 10, we opened all our shooting spaces up for members to use. Mask use is up to you. Social distancing is up to you. We disinfect all common areas and wear PPE while helping you. The small confined space we call our office is employee only and all business is handled at the service window. Cash is not exchanged and all transactions are by card. We are doing what we can.
Range use is down 70%. Renewals are down 50%. Yet, we are still here. Why the low numbers at the range? Many lost jobs, got furloughed, had to make choices about spending money on entertainment and the cost of ammo is stupidly high. What ever the reason, the result is the same… 2020 and 2021 have been tough. It takes money to maintain what we have here. No other shooting facility has what we provide for you. No other range does it for less than we charge. When I opened in 1996, I wanted to be the “blue collar” range and have worked to keep us cheap. We still are. Your support is greatly appreciated. Take a look at the ton of improvements we have recently completed. We now have over 300 plates for you to shoot on our steel ranges. It’s a unique, well maintained, great place to take family and friends to shoot. We also just spent every penny the range made in 2021 on gravel and asphalt, maintaining the clean shooting environment everyone enjoys here.
Ammo is stupid expensive so shooting is not as affordable as it used to be. Covid caused supply problems for the raw materials for making ammo. The companies making ammo had to deal with covid outbreaks and shutdowns ordered by their government. Then there is the 7 million new gun owners this year who also created more demand for ammo. It all added up to make an ammo shortage. They just can’t make it fast enough. The law of supply and demand is real. Its why 9mm ammo is about $24 a box locally and nuts are paying up to $99 a box for it online in some parts of the country. It is getting better as most of the big box stores and better gun stores are still getting shipments in regularly. It doesn’t sit on a shelf very long and most places have limits on how much they will sell you. We do have ammo here are the range for less than you will find elsewhere. Do what I do, shoot a pile of 22 rimfire. 500 rounds of 22 is fun on all the ranges and won't break my budget. FYI... our 22 Rimfire Range is immensely popular and now has 260+ plates made just for 22's.
Yep. We have been providing a great place for our members to enjoy their guns for 26 years. The only time we closed for other than a major holiday was the 4 days COVID got us shut down in March 2020 and a few days in May of 2021 when the whole staff had covid. We are down 70% on range use and 60% down on renewals compared to this same time last year. A pile of our members have decided not to renew since this thing hit us in March 2020. Membership and use fees is how the range makes payroll and pays the bills. Your choice in supporting the FOP Range with your membership dollars is greatly appreciated and will ensure a place for you to enjoy for years to come.
We need your support. Ranges without enough capital to make ends meet close. When a range closes, it’s gone. Once it’s gone, you no longer have the option of going shooting there later in the year, next year or later. Please consider joining and maintaining a membership here or at any facility near you to help ensure a place to enjoy your firearms with friends and family for the next generation.