Knob Creek
NES Member
Have a LE Agency wanting to use our one of our ranges probably a couple days a month. For other clubs that are doing this what do you charge? Per person per day? Set fee for the range for the day? Or?
-
If you enjoy the forum please consider supporting it by signing up for a NES Membership The benefits pay for the membership many times over.
Charging LEOs to use Club Range
- Thread starter Knob Creek
- Start date
CrackPot
NES Member
As a member of a club that lets local LEO use it for qualification…
They are the worst people as a group I have ever seen. Zero weapon discipline. No concept of a cold range with everyone waving weapons and playing with ammo when people are down range. No muzzle discipline with hot weapons getting pointed EVERYWHERE. Brass left everywhere when they leave. Live ammo left everywhere when they leave.
I am clearly talking about them as a group. Lots of individuals know what they are doing and are members in good standing. But as a group they are horrible. I leave the range if they are on the property…
They are the worst people as a group I have ever seen. Zero weapon discipline. No concept of a cold range with everyone waving weapons and playing with ammo when people are down range. No muzzle discipline with hot weapons getting pointed EVERYWHERE. Brass left everywhere when they leave. Live ammo left everywhere when they leave.
I am clearly talking about them as a group. Lots of individuals know what they are doing and are members in good standing. But as a group they are horrible. I leave the range if they are on the property…
We charge a flat rate of $1000 per year. For that the department gets 4 access cards that the department can issue out to its officers to use our facilities to practice. It's in the contract that they must obey all club range rules that the members must adhere to while there on their own for practice. They also get up to 5 days a year to use the outdoor range for their qualifications. Those days must be requested 60 days in advance and can only be Monday to Friday 9am to 1pm.
We have a few departments that we have contracts with. We've only had one hiccup with officers telling members that they "have the range today" and telling them to leave so they could have the range for "swat" practice and drove a uparmored vehicle out on our range. They did not request the day 60 days in advance and just showed up. Their contract was killed immediately and the chief apologized.....seems the lieutenant in charge was a bit of a dickhead.
Other than that one incident we have had no issues and have contracts with probably 5 towns. The contracts are specific......they must police up brass and leave the range as they found it or they are charged $500. We have cameras for proof of what it looked like before and after. Never had a problem they always clean up.
Last edited:
SHOCKNAWE
NES Member
We used to bounce around to many different ranges during my days with the Sheriff's department, reason why we bounced? The members bitched about it and I didn't blame them, if I'm a paying member and can't use the range because a department with a much bigger budget than my club was tying it up I'd be pissed as well.
Did you put it to vote with club membership?
Did you put it to vote with club membership?
fencer
NES Member
Asaltweapon
NES Member
Nashoba was letting Acton use the range. Harvard was charging I believe.
I wonder if Groton will let the regular folk use their outdoor range? Westford had a nice range indoors at the station. I shot at the Lexington indoor range.
I wonder if Groton will let the regular folk use their outdoor range? Westford had a nice range indoors at the station. I shot at the Lexington indoor range.
rep308
NES Member
The local PD treated out range like crap, shot the heck out of it and left it dirty. Rather than raise a stink, we just said that "Insurance does not allow us to have non members on the range" and they moved on.
Chevy 2 65
NES Member
I have seen all that is mentioned above. DON'T do it.
If they want to use it, each of them can get a yearly membership like us regular people.
Why is that concept so hard?
They can buy armored vehicles and assault rifles but can't pay $200 per year per officer so they can practice?
steve8140
NES Member
I’ve been a member of clubs that allow LE use. As long as they use the range at off hours it’s not terrible. Like someone already said, Monday-Friday 9-1. But ultimately I also don’t believe they should have special treatment.
Weekends are typically busy with members and they should have the priority as individual paying members.
It’s good to have a somewhat friendly relationship with the local LE but it should be a mutual agreement.
As a side note, I think every club should be making accessible ranges for people to draw from a holster, work a sling rifle and shoot from different positions. Make some bays to benefit members to practice and double it so LE could use it when scheduled and it would also give you a place to bring in guest instructors to teach classes. The club will make some money and everybody wins.
Weekends are typically busy with members and they should have the priority as individual paying members.
It’s good to have a somewhat friendly relationship with the local LE but it should be a mutual agreement.
As a side note, I think every club should be making accessible ranges for people to draw from a holster, work a sling rifle and shoot from different positions. Make some bays to benefit members to practice and double it so LE could use it when scheduled and it would also give you a place to bring in guest instructors to teach classes. The club will make some money and everybody wins.
Having past experience at a club with LE agency rentals I would strongly advise against this.
The only exception I might consider making is the local PD that has jurisdiction.
That MIGHT get you some local goodwill, but as many found out it won’t stop them from coming in and shutting you down “ cause Covid”……..or from enforcing any state sponsored acts of suppression
Please, by all things that are Holy, don’t rent to something like a University PD (like BU or North Eastern) that reign over a gun free zone, or a town that is extremely unfriendly to gun owners.
The only exception I might consider making is the local PD that has jurisdiction.
That MIGHT get you some local goodwill, but as many found out it won’t stop them from coming in and shutting you down “ cause Covid”……..or from enforcing any state sponsored acts of suppression
Please, by all things that are Holy, don’t rent to something like a University PD (like BU or North Eastern) that reign over a gun free zone, or a town that is extremely unfriendly to gun owners.
Our club property straddles two solidly green towns. We let both PD's use the range a couple times per year, no fee. No issues and if they do quals at night they come on trap night when there is noise anyway. I haven't seen them leave brass near the firing line but there will be some down range. It's always decent 9mm, 40, and/or LC .223 so not a bad score if you want to pick it up.
Funny story. Kid #1 still at home and gets a knock at the door. Uniformed cop. He's thinking, OK Dad- what did you do now? LOL it was our local Sgt. who runs the training and he was dropping off a 5 gal bucket of 1X fired brass because I'm the e-board member responsible for the range and he knows I reload.
YRMV- depends on your situation and whether or not your local PD leans towards 'protect and serve' or 'respect muh authoritah!'.
Funny story. Kid #1 still at home and gets a knock at the door. Uniformed cop. He's thinking, OK Dad- what did you do now? LOL it was our local Sgt. who runs the training and he was dropping off a 5 gal bucket of 1X fired brass because I'm the e-board member responsible for the range and he knows I reload.
YRMV- depends on your situation and whether or not your local PD leans towards 'protect and serve' or 'respect muh authoritah!'.
MaverickNH
NES Member
Our town used to have a PD range East of and about 30 degree off parallel to SR114 in Southern NH but had to move as they shot a few cars. They moved to town property with the transfer station about 45 degree off the line of shooting but shot the buildings anyway. So, they now shoot indoors at commercial ranges.
Mark from MA
NES Member
- Joined
- Jun 4, 2008
- Messages
- 11,643
- Likes
- 11,865
We let our local PD use it, its a small force and we never had any issues. Maybe once a year at most, never on weekends, usually during mid week when no one is around. The goodwill that is generated is returned when some neighbors call about any BS. The PD has our backside big time.
We also rent it out to another member (retired PD) that does classes for a donation fee and he is generous with the donation, and also gives members that want to take the defensive pistol classes a good discount. Typically, there is always one range to use for members. So in general, most of the time its only the pistol range that is getting used. If it were both ranges on the weekend, I think there would be some flak.
We would not let any other PD use it, no matter what the cost. Especially if its a bigger town.....because of the buffoonery that would likely ensue from the above statements.
We also rent it out to another member (retired PD) that does classes for a donation fee and he is generous with the donation, and also gives members that want to take the defensive pistol classes a good discount. Typically, there is always one range to use for members. So in general, most of the time its only the pistol range that is getting used. If it were both ranges on the weekend, I think there would be some flak.
We would not let any other PD use it, no matter what the cost. Especially if its a bigger town.....because of the buffoonery that would likely ensue from the above statements.
Last edited:
Long ago I was a member of Boston Gun and Rifle and I forget which agency was there qualifying, but I saw everything that I needed to see in the first five minutes to know that I should promptly get the hell out of there if I didn't want to leave with any extra holes.
![[laugh]](/xen/styles/default/xenforo/smilies.vb/012.gif "Laugh [laugh]")
What about liability? If a cop has a ND and someone gets injured or killed, is it on the police department or on the club? Last thing we need is another incident that puts a club in danger of being shut down by local authorities. All it takes is one fool to do something stupid!
Dennis in MA
NES Member
- Joined
- Feb 12, 2007
- Messages
- 38,257
- Likes
- 33,173
Right after that indoor public range in Attleboro opened, I was there one afternoon. "You'll have to wait 5 min. They're just finishing inside." It was ATF or DEA or ABC or whatever.
While I waited, one guy was cleaning one of their guns in the ultrasonic - it was a full-auto M11. WTF??? LOL.
While I waited, one guy was cleaning one of their guns in the ultrasonic - it was a full-auto M11. WTF??? LOL.
- Joined
- Apr 25, 2018
- Messages
- 2,738
- Likes
- 4,716
What happens when someone on one of those police depts launches a round that goes outside of the club property? Who is going to take the hit and have a range closing issue? It won't be the PD it will be the club. Camp Curtis Guild's ranges were shut because of a Cop F*** UP.
- Joined
- Sep 10, 2009
- Messages
- 41,857
- Likes
- 79,509
What I don't get is with all the State Property out there, why don't they have their own shooting ranges (or two) in each county? Seems like a no-brainer... 
Probably don't want lead-contamination issues. Let the clubs worry about that...
Probably don't want lead-contamination issues. Let the clubs worry about that...
Isn't there a story about Mass Rifle almost getting shut down for stray bullets coming off the Suma range?
Something about someone from the state showing up for an inspection one morning to find a LEO firing a MP5 in front of the firing line.
Something about someone from the state showing up for an inspection one morning to find a LEO firing a MP5 in front of the firing line.
