The following is a special from Huntingtonnews.net:

Chief Logan Shooting Range to be Dedicated

The Wildlife Resources Section of the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources (WVDNR) has completed construction of a shooting range at Chief Logan Wildlife Management Area (WMA) in Logan County. “The development of a shooting range in this region of Southern West Virginia has been one of our agency’s top priorities for several years,” noted WVDNR Director Frank Jezioro. “I’m confident this public shooting range facility will receive a great deal of use by the citizens of Logan and the surrounding counties.”

A special dedication of the Chief Logan Shooting Range is scheduled for Wednesday, Sept. 8, 2010, at 10 a.m. The ceremony will be held at the Chief Logan Recreation Center located .5 miles off U.S. Route 119.

The completed range has eight shooting benches with a covered shelter. Target frames are located at 25, 50 and 100 yards. Approximately one mile of access road was upgraded, and a parking area for 10 vehicles was constructed adjacent to the range. “This range will provide a safe and convenient location for hunters to ‘zero in’ their rifles,” Jezioro said. “Other shooting enthusiasts will enjoy these public facilities as well.”

The range complex has a parking space and bench accessible for physically challenged shooters. The total cost for the construction of the shooting range complex was approximately $70,000, and the range was constructed with assistance from the following businesses and organizations:

• The National Rifle Association of America (NRA) provided the WVDNR with a $25,000 grant to support construction of the shooting range.
• The Logan Area Chapter of the National Wild Turkey Federation (NWTF) provided a $1,000 grant to support construction of the range.
• Mine Lifeline, LLC donated equipment and an operator to assist in the grading of the access road and the shooting range site.
• Jaunt, Inc. donated equipment and stone for construction purposes.
• Logan County Mine Service, a subsidiary of Massey Energy, donated hydro-seeding services to re-vegetate sites disturbed during construction.
• West Virginia Paving donated pavement millings that were used to help stabilize the access road leading to the range.

Read the rest of the article.

The second Range Development & Operations Conference of 2010 is approaching fast – and the third (and final) conference isn't far behind. 

This weekend, Kara Schlifke, John Joines, and their faithful Range Development & Operations "faculty" are in Portland, Oregon. Participants are learning the fundamental aspects of building and maintaining a shooting facility. 

Attendees will receive a multidisciplinary perspective on major topics such as:

• Developing business and master plans
• Public hearings and zoning boards
• Environmental sound
• Insurance
• Lead on outdoor ranges and OSHA lead standards
• Range maintenance
• Range safety

Designed for range owners and operators of both existing and proposed range facilities, these conferences provide vital information.

There are a few spots remaining in San Antonio's October 9-13 session, but we're confident they will fill up in the near future. 

Interested? Contact Kara Schlifke soon! E-mail her at KSchlifke@nrahq.org or call 877-NRA-RANGE, or visit www.nrahq.org/shootingrange/development.asp.

Jack Giordano has been instructing at Range Development Conferences since 1999. An integral part of the team, Jack’s years of experience as a Port Authority Policeman in New York and New Jersey – and his countless NRA certifications – make students stop and listen. Teaching is not new to Giordano; he spent 14 years as an adjunct Firearms Instructor in the Port Authority Police Academy Firearms Training Unit. Giordano has completed Police Armorer training by Smith & Wesson, Remington, Colt and Ruger. Oh, and he's a Certified Chief Range Safety Officer Trainer, NRA Senior Training Counselor, and currently serves as Eastern Region Supervisor of the NRA Range Technical Team.

As a boy, he learned to target shoot. Target shooting led to hunting. Eventually, as a cop, Giordano tried his hand at competitive shooting, taking part in NY State Police Olympics. 

It's not a jump, then, to describe Giordano as an expert on everything about shooting and, more specifically, shooting ranges. 

As NRAblog learned at the first Range Development and Operations Conference of 2010, starting an indoor or outdoor shooting facility is a large undertaking. Giordano teaches courses titled “hooting Range Safety and Risk Management,” “Maintaining Safety during Law Enforcement Training,” and “Civilian and Law Enforcement Shared Ranges.”

As someone with firearms experience as both a civilian and a cop, Giordano moves easily between the two groups. He estimates about 30% of any given conference attendees are law enforcement. “There’s no difference (between cops and civililians). They need to hear about (range safety and operations),” he said. “They say, ‘oh it’s an NRA conference, and it’s not going to apply to us,’ but 100 percent of the time the law enforcement agency comes up and says we never thought we would learn as much as we learned.”

More...

The following is the story of one gun club's search to build a range for its members and how the NRA Foundation and Friends of NRA can help. From Brett Nachtigall of the Hot Springs Star:

Gun Club sets sights on new shooting range

Currently Hot Springs area hunters and shooting enthusiasts do not have a designated area in which they can sight in long-range rifles or shoot for recreation.

However, that does not mean those types of activities do not currently go on, as area firearms owners simply seek out any number of various public areas to do so within the Black Hills National Forest, on state-owned land atop Battle Mountain or along old Hwy. 79 near the Cheyenne River bridge or elsewhere.

The problem with that practice, according to members of the newly formed Fall River Gun Club, is that it is neither safe nor good for the environment to have such a wide variety of random locations throughout the area where people are discharging firearms.

The Fall River Gun Club (FRGC), which currently has 43 paid members, says they hope to change all of that by securing land and then acquiring grant funds to develop a shooting range that is not only safe and environmentally friendly, but open to the public in order to provide a recreational activity for area families to enjoy year round.

“What we are trying to do is put together an NRA (National Rifle Association) approved gun range,” said club Vice President Jeff Shannon at a recent FRGC meeting held at the American Legion in Hot Springs on March 30.

Read the rest of the article at the Hot Springs Star here.

The Reno-Tahoe Gun Club doesn’t exist. There are thoughts, ideas, and plans, but the only place you can really find the Reno-Tahoe Gun Club is in a roll of tattered blueprints in Steve Melson’s truck. And that’s exactly why he made the trip to Charlotte for the NRA Range Operations & Development seminar.

As it turns out, steps he took to improve his construction business led to the decision to build a range.

“We had a huge piece of land waiting for a structure,” explained Steve. “First we thought office building. But given the current financial climate, why jump into that mess. Plus the building would have barely made a mark on the land. Why not take advantage of the entire lot with a something we'd love - what the city really needs - a high-end gun club.”

Modeled after clubs in Dallas and Phoenix, plans for Reno-Tahoe include an 18,000 square foot facility with 20 lanes to start. Also on the agenda is a shooting house, a third-floor members lounge, and a 100 yard indoor shooting tunnel.

"Probably the coolest part, if we pull it off, is the location," said Steve. "We're planning to cut about 10,000 cubic feet of rock out of a mountain. That way we'll be far enough away from our neighbors and have a great view of Mount Rose."

But before going any further, Steve and his partners scheduled a trip to the Range Development Conference in Charlotte, North Carolina.

"We knew there was a lot of information that we didn't know," clarified Steve. "After a few more days here at the conference, we should be able to start with a solid foundation. Rule number one in the construction business."

“We’ve received a lot of good feedback,” Range Services Coordinator Kara Schlifke said.

“The NRA is putting the money where its mouth is,” Range Specialist John Joines said.

NRAblog overheard several conference attendees compliment instructors Bill Brice and Jack Giordano. “I really appreciated the parts where you “dummed it down” for us,” one participant told Brice. “A lot of us guys are new to the whole being organized thing.”

The week has been as successful as past conferences, Schlifke said. “This group is making good contacts amongst themselves, and are very comfortable and social,” Schlifke said, as a session was about to begin Wednesday afternoon.

Remember, 2010 has two more conferences on the docket! Don’t wait to register as spots can fill up quickly.

Texans Marty Groves and Linda Watson blend in with their fellow attendees at this weekend’s NRA Range Development and Operations Conference. Unlike many of their peers, however, this duo has one major roadblock crossed off their list: “We have an investor,” Watson said.

The Haslet, TX-based couple are NRA Certified Instructors who take their Second Amendment rights very seriously. Their training company, Crossfire Training offers students a wide variety of courses, and specializes in concealed carry classes, which they have been teaching since 2001.

“If you want to get a (Texas) Concealed Handgun License, and know nothing at all about handguns, we will take you from “beginner” to “licensed” in only two Saturday sessions,” they say on their website.

Groves has more than 30 years of experience reloading metallic cartridges, so we don’t blink when he gives his position as “Reloading Guru.” Groves works at Cabela’s in Fort Worth, and Watson works as a Network Analyst. “I work between six and seven days a week, balancing (my fulltime job) and all the courses we teach,” Watson said.

Before long, the pair will have their plan in place – Watson estimates the indoor facility will be up and running in the Fort Worth area in early 2011.

But for now, Groves and Watson are settling into Day Three of the first Range Development and Operations Conference of the year.

“The big reason we’re here is to learn how to make the business plan,” Watson said. “Our investor wants to see a business plan.”

More...

To get to the 2010 Range Development & Operations seminar here in Charlotte, North Carolina, some have traveled far and some traveled near. Pete from Cleveland, who works in law enforcement, bypassed eight hours in the car for two hours on a plane.

John from Southern Virginia, on the other hand, wasn’t about to pass up his three-hour drive. Especially since his primary duty for the day was to ride shotgun for the three lovely ladies that complete his operation.

“We ran a successful business for about ten years,” explained John. “Started making money, franchised a few stores, and sold the whole thing last year. Now we’re looking for something new.”

Like many here, something new means something completely and entirely new. But that doesn’t mean you can’t bring a little of the old with you.

“We brought along the same successful management team from our previous business,” said Ellen the financial guru. “Great bunch of people with a number of ideas that’ll make this a can’t-miss opportunity.”

Like most at the conference here in Charlotte, the group from Southern Virginia believes finding the right plot of land will be the tricky part. But then the real fun begins. John and the ladies are anxious to make their range a one-stop shop for every aspect of the shooting/outdoor life.

“We’ll start off with a regular range,” said John. “Moving targets, outdoor & indoor facilities, the whole shooting match. Then we’ll expand. A section for law enforcement training, a section for military training, an designated area for camping, maybe a lodge … it'll take some time but it’ll worth it.”

And there’ll even be something for the kids.

“My 24-year old daughter and her friends find regular targets boring,” smiled media guru El. “They like shooting the zombie targets. Go figure.”

Just two days in, it's obvious the folks in the NRA’s Range Services department have thrown a few of these conferences.

Range Services Specialist John Joines has been working with instructors and volunteers such as Bill Brice and Jack Giordano for years.

“We’re all friends,” Giordano told NRAblog. “We socialize after the day is over, and we go out train shopping.” (Stay tuned for more on Jack later in the week.)

Joines has a good feel for what attendees expect from each section of the conference – and he’s known for giving it to them straight: “We are getting older. We have to face that if we don’t get youth involved, tomorrow’s youth are going to be playing video games and this game is going to be over,” Joines told attendees during an hour-long session Sunday afternoon. “Firearms will be a thing of the past.”

“Don’t forget the women. If you can get the women to come to the range, the rest of the family comes to the range,” Joines added.

Above, attendees and volunteers alike are pictured at the Hilton here in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Today’s docket included courses such as Safety and Law Enforcement Training, Building Ranges on State Lands, Public Hearings, Range Maintenance, and Environmental Sound. Don’t go away – we will have more from the conference Monday. Attendees will be hearing from Joines, Brice, and Giordano, along with Jeff Hewitt, who will present on the topic of Insurance Solutions.

Carolyn and Dylan Bredengerd hail from North Augusta, SC, just a three-hour drive from the Range Development and Operations Conference happening in Charlotte, NC, this week.

Carolyn, a hairstylist, says fate stepped in to bring them to the conference. “I was on the NRA’s website, and came across (Range Services),” she said. “We couldn’t believe our luck when we realized (the location).”

“We’re in the info-gathering, pre-conceptual stage” of planning, Dylan said. The couple aim to bring an indoor range and retail facility to their community in South Carolina, but there's a twist – a special emphasis on family. “We want to open a safety-first, family friendly facility,” Carolyn said, noting that not all ranges have the right staff and image to attract families.

The couple, who have been married 12 years, began their relationship with guns just a few years ago. Dylan purchased a Ruger P345 for self-defense. “I told (Dylan) that if it was going to be in our home, I need to know how to use it,” Carolyn said. The two enjoy what Dylan refers to as “date nights” at an indoor range near their home where they rent Glock 9-milimeters, which Dylan says are “cheap to shoot” and “fun.” More...

Bill Brice is an instructor here at the NRA Range Development and Operations Conference. His section, the Business Plan, has more face time than any other. “Get used to me, because we’ll do two hours today, three hours Sunday, an hour Monday, and an hour Wednesday,” he told the packed classroom at the Hilton in Charlotte, North Carolina.

“You’re going to get your money’s worth.”

Brice’s first Power Point screen reads Developing the Business Plan: This is your future. Plan well.

Brice acknowledges that this part of the five-day conference is crucial. “I assure you that in looking down the road, you enhance your likelihood of survival with an effective business plan,” he said.

“I can’t guarantee what kind of reception you’re going to get (when asking for a loan),” Brice continued. “But we’re going to prepare you.”

Brice has a diverse background. He served in the 82nd Airborne for two years after graduating college. He transitioned to the Army Reserves for many years while establishing a career in banking. Brice retired from banking to focus on economic development, working for the city of Phoenix.

“Today I run a portfolio of commercial real estate loans – over 250 million dollars in outstanding loans – and the day to day management of that portfolio.”

This caliber of instructor is what attendees of the NRA Range Development and Operations Conference have come to expect. Don't miss out on your chance to learn from the best: two additional conferences are planned for 2010. Bringing an indoor or outdoor range to your community is not easy, but it is possible. For maximum results, attend a conference taught by NRA-certified experts. 

Tammy and Justin Bohn and three of their employees are attending this weekend’s NRA Range Development and Operations Conference in Charlotte, NC. The North Dakota-based couple were eager to tell NRAblog they have been blessed. “We have a very successful motorcycle dealership with 16 full-time employees,” Tammy said. (Check out their website: KTMhutt.com.) The couple are proud to have a close-knit staff at the dealership, including several nephews and other family members. “We even moved Aunt Linda up from Georgia to help with the store,” Tammy said.

Through casual conversation, the Bohns noticed their employees were interested in handgun shooting. “Almost all the guys own handguns,” Tammy said of her employees. Through a written survey of the store's customers, the Bohns learned something even more interesting: 70% of people who own motorcycles and dirt bikes shoot handguns.

The Bohns own property in Sturgis, South Dakota, and say the area lacks shooting ranges. “The Black Hills need an indoor shooting facility,” Tammy said, noting that “South Dakota is very pro business and pro gun.” (Read NRAblog’s coverage of South Dakota at this year's SHOT Show.)

In addition to serving the area’s residents, the range will be able to accommodate those who attend the Sturgis Rally. Tammy said. “Sturgis is heavy on visitors, seeing some 8,000 people in one six-week period.”

“We want to build a facility that is impressive,” Tammy continued, mentioning their ideal range would have an attached retail area with guns for sale and rent. “If we can get people to the range who are new to guns, we can educate them (on firearms).” More...

Things kicked off earlier today as NRA Range Engineer John Joines welcomed attendees to the 2010 Range Development and Operations Conference here in Charlotte, North Carolina. It's going to be a long week, but if the first two hours are any example then I'm sorry I'm going to miss the last couple of days.

First to speak was Jack Giordano, formerly of the Port Authority Police of New York and New Jersey. With an operating background in Emergency Services and Explosive Device Detection, Jack also posses a well-rounded knowledge in the field of range safety. He curretnly travels the country and provides expertise to those with and those developing a range of their own.

"The only goal is for all our bullets to stay within the designated areas of our facility."

The first Range Development & Operations Conference of 2010 is approaching fast – and the others aren't far behind. This weekend, the first range conference "graduating class of 2010" will meet in  Charlotte, NC. NRAblog will be on the scene to cover the first few days of action. Tune in for a taste of this five-day seminar.

NRA Range Development & Operations Conferences focus on fundamental aspects of building and maintaining a shooting facility. We've been told it's everything you could ever hope to learn -- and we plan on finding out! You don't want to miss our exclusive coverage of this Charlotte event. More...

One of the NRA's popular programs, the Range Development and Operations Conference, teaches participants all about what it takes to plan a shooting facility.

Experts from around the nation will gather to cover topics like business plans, dealing with zoning boards, OSHA guidelines, environmental sound, and range maintenance. No matter how much experience you have in the field, there's always something new to learn and master.

Their next conference is scheduled for March 20-24 in Charlotte, North Carolina. Only 25 spots remain.

Son Nguyen tells us that interested parties had better get a move on. "People who expect to register at the last minute will be disappointed," he said. "Seats are going fast, and the conferences are capped to keep the class sizes small."

To secure your spot, contact Kara Schlifke (KSchlifke@nrahq.org or 877-NRA-RANGE) and register now!