Lower providence Rod and gun club

[BenFoo]

It seems you have an axe to grind and you have some half-facts. I don't know what the issue is, but I am not going to argue with you about it.

I don't know where you shoot now, and it is not my concern. I do hope that it offers you everything you want and need and that you get to continue enjoying the shooting sports.

Axe? Maybe a hatchet......axe nah


Sorry Im just not one for all the rules. Going shooting should be fun not worry about all the things associated with that club. Need safety, that i agree. Didnt mean to be a Debbie Downer.


I shoot on private land mostly now.


Have fun. Be safe.

[RFD298]

I will say this. LPRGC is two different clubs depending on the time of week. There is the weekend and nights established Gestapo tacticool crew (IDPA, USPCA etc) vs. the young buck tacticool I'm gonna shoot a 1000 rounds outta my AK Yo, vs. the I'm going to sight my deer rifle and shoot 6 rounds all day guys. The Young bucks may shoot a little rapid at times and the Gestapo boys will go out of their way to bust balls and point out to the young bucks that they are on video and threaten discipline at the drop of a dime. I have witnessed this personally.

Then there is the during the day midweek old guy crew which is real laid back but safe. They normally spend half the time bullsh!tting and half the time shooting. Can you guess when I do 95% of my shooting...

The membership fees did go up this year quite a bit from $116 to $150. The club should of better explained why it went up (Capital Improvements). I know people who said I'm not paying $150 to go shooting once every couple months and put up with the weekend Gestapo shenanigans and they walked away.

At its foundation it is still a good convenient club...

[joseywales]

As I understand it, there are about 30 new members at each monthly meeting for nearly a year now. The club used to offer a discount at the local gun show, but membership is growing briskly, so no real need to offer that anymore.

Most organizations are like a marriage, you get out of it what you put into it. If you join any of the programs, you will have a great time with a lot of nice people. I helped run the club challenge day and 99.9% of the all the folks that I ushered through were great. I met one knuckle head the entire day. Woman brought their sons to shoot and it was good spirited day, with lost of the gustapo around and no issue.

The club is very safety conscious and the guy who left last week's meeting on a gurney knows why. If you lose focus for one second, you limp for quite a while. I don't discipline folks, but while in a shop, run by a 30 year veteran gunsmith, I almost spoke up. I didn't, and 32 ACP round went flying through the shop. I saw the smith clear the gun improperly and almost forced him to check the chamber. bang. From now on, I will either speak up at a club/shop, or leave. I'm sure you're all nice fellows, but I can understand why some folks are overly sensitive about safety.

[Labman]

I
The membership fees did go up this year quite a bit from $116 to $150. The club should of better explained why it went up (Capital Improvements). ...

It has been announced at several meetings both before and after the vote on the dues increase that the increase was to help pay for improvements at the club. Specifically, we are going to enlarge and modernize the club house and double the size of the indoor range. A new ventilation system will be installed on the indoor ranges as well. This will be an expensive undertaking.

[iamtommyboy]

It has been announced at several meetings both before and after the vote on the dues increase that the increase was to help pay for improvements at the club. Specifically, we are going to enlarge and modernize the club house and double the size of the indoor range. A new ventilation system will be installed on the indoor ranges as well. This will be an expensive undertaking.

I was wondering what the significant increase was for as well, but I didn't make a stink because I am unable to attend meetings, so it is my fault that I am uninformed. I am glad to hear that things are going to be updated around the club. Are meeting notes/minutes available anywhere?

[Remington788]

I was wondering what the significant increase was for as well, but I didn't make a stink because I am unable to attend meetings, so it is my fault that I am uninformed. I am glad to hear that things are going to be updated around the club. Are meeting notes/minutes available anywhere?

It was discussed for probably 4 months leading up to the vote by the membership at the meeting (the by-laws require rate changes to be brought up several times before the final vote). Discussions were pretty lively around potential capital improvements. Lots of folks expressed their opinions.

Board Meeting minutes are not published (I don't think any organization published their minutes unless required by law). They are read at the General Meeting. I think if you contact a board member, you could get an appointment to read them. Bring coffee if you do, they turn out to be rather mundane. Stuff like authorizing the repair of a lawn mower and resolving scheduling conflicts.

[joseywales]

It has been announced at several meetings both before and after the vote on the dues increase that the increase was to help pay for improvements at the club. Specifically, we are going to enlarge and modernize the club house and double the size of the indoor range. A new ventilation system will be installed on the indoor ranges as well. This will be an expensive undertaking.

Don't confuse the topic with facts

BTW, the new HVAC system was a huge improvement.

As far as the minutes, the Newsletter covers the highlights of what went on at the previous meeting. Reading last month's letter, it sounds like there was a few idiots at the range lately. Honestly, I'd pay $500/year and close membership, just so I don't get my head blown off by some idiot sweeping the line. Think about it, less than $10 per week.

We are VERY fortunate to have a club in suburbia and the slightest infraction, where say a bullet flies off the property, etc., could end that club. Changes in local and national government are challenging enough and we don't need the bad press. The one thing most people lack, and club members are no exception, is personal skills. So they see someone sweeping the line with a 12 gauge and they don't respond well. Can't really blame and I bet the recipient won't soon forget the mistake they made.

Shooting on private property is ideal and can be more fun. No doubt about it. If you can find private property for $160 year, go for it and take me with you!

[iamtommyboy]

It was discussed for probably 4 months leading up to the vote by the membership at the meeting (the by-laws require rate changes to be brought up several times before the final vote). Discussions were pretty lively around potential capital improvements. Lots of folks expressed their opinions.

Board Meeting minutes are not published (I don't think any organization published their minutes unless required by law). They are read at the General Meeting. I think if you contact a board member, you could get an appointment to read them. Bring coffee if you do, they turn out to be rather mundane. Stuff like authorizing the repair of a lawn mower and resolving scheduling conflicts.

I figured they weren't published, but wanted to ask anyway. Unfortunately for me, I am all to familiar with the contents of meeting minutes! Coffee, maybe an IV of caffeine would surely help!. I wouldn't go so far as to ask for an appointment to look at them, was just curious if readily accessible. Thanks.

[RFD298]

It was discussed for probably 4 months leading up to the vote by the membership at the meeting (the by-laws require rate changes to be brought up several times before the final vote). Discussions were pretty lively around potential capital improvements. Lots of folks expressed their opinions.

Not everyone can attend meetings, some people work 2nd shift, or are seasonal. When the renewal came and the dues went up 29%. A simple, "Club dues have been increased due to capital improvement projects; for more information contact so and so or attend a monthly meeting", statement, might have saved thousands of dollars of revenue from members dropping their membership thinking the club was trying to gouge them or squeeze the working man financially out. I'm not worried, it is worth that and more to me but I do know someone who felt the club just wasn't worth $150. It is simple communication skills. It is what it is. I get my $150 worth out of the club, and I do appreciate the facilities and the convenience of LP to my house.

[joseywales]

This is not directed to anyone specific, or in this thread:

No club is perfect, but with everything that LPRGC offers; any member who feels they're being taken, for $12.50 per month, and decides to cancel, instead of inquiring about the higher fee, IMO, doesn't have enough sense to handle a firearm safely and I'll gladly waive goodbye. To make an assumption that a price increase is a royal screwing is bad enough, but to think that $12.50/month is out of line... My guess is these are the hunters who sight in once a year and maybe plink once in a while. Well, unfortunately, a club can't survive on them and it needs to offer archery, pistol, trap, etc., etc. This draw more members and it also costs more money.

There are clubs that only charge $15 per year. They are way west of Montgomery county and don't have anywhere near the facilities that LPRGC has.

I'm always seeking a better way to do things and will mention that things could be better communicated. However, LPRGC board members donate their free time to make things happen, so forgive them if they don't spoon feed the members. We're all adults. The info is out there, you just have to want it. If you don't want it bad enough, then you're not serious about shooting. If you're not serious about shooting, then your a safety risk and a liability. Thank you and enjoy your new club.