Syracuse.com - Safe Act spinoff: Local rod and gun clubs see spike in memberships

[HuntingNY-News]

A surprising number of new members are females, club officials said.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo's controversial SAFE Act that passed at the beginning of this year has had one favorable side effect on local rod and gun clubs across Central New York.

Memberships are up and the demographics of many of the new shooters may surprise some. They're women.

"Absolutely," said Dave Simmons, president of the Baldwinsville Rod and Gun Club. "We're seeing it across the board, with more females participating in our shotgun sports --skeet, trap shooting and sporting clays. And we're also seeing more women on the rifle and pistol ranges."

Simmons said the club held a hunter education club recently and the turnout of females eager to hunt was impressive.

"Some 30 to 40 percent of our attendees were women," he said.

Trap shooting score keeper Mike Raimondo of East Syracuse talks with Frank Kulas sr., and his kids, 18 year old Frank Jr., and 14 year old Kristie after their shoot at the Dewitt Rod and Gun Club. The Kulas are from Kirkville, Gary Walts | [email protected] 

Bill Parfitt, president of the Camillus Sportsmen's Club, said his club has maxed out at 800 members, and has a waiting list of more than 100.

"We could have 2,000 members if we wanted," he said. "We took 10 new applications just last weekend."

Parfitt said membership at his club started to rise before the Safe Act, which gave New York the toughest gun control laws in the nation.

He said prior to the start of President Barack Obama's presidency, the club's membership was hovering at a little more than 500. Once Obama got in office, he said, memberships started to rise as fear increased that the president would institute new gun control restrictions. The SAFE Act has added fuel to the fire, he added.

"The biggest proportion of these new members are women with hand guns," Parfitt said, adding that currently some 20 percent of his club's members are female. Many of the club's new members are signing up under family memberships, meaning both husband and wife are members.

The increased demand from pistol-packing members of his club, he added, has resulted in the club deciding to do some "range development.

"We're increasing the size of our outdoor pistol range," he said. "It's pretty old. We're improving it and adding some shooting stations."

Stephen Wowelko, president of the Onondaga County Federation of Sportsmen's Clubs, said members of the federation discussed the trend of increased membership at a recent meeting.

"Everyone I've talked to is seeing it. Many clubs have maxed out and have a waiting list," he said. "A lot of people have purchased firearms and now they want to learn how to safely use them. I don't know if you can associate the rise in memberships (directly with the SAFE Act), but I would say it's based on that, along with stuff coming out of Washington."

The Safe Act, coupled with the push nationally for more gun control, created a huge, unprecedented surge in the purchase of firearms and ammunition locally and elsewhere across the country this year - sometimes by individuals who have little or no experience with what they're buying.

In addition, although the requirement under the Safe Act for background checks for purchases of ammo doesn't kick in until the beginning of next year, customers continue to strip local stores of many ammunition supplies - specifically boxes of .22 rimfire bullets and up.

"Frankly, use of our rifle and pistol range is down," Simmons said. "I think people would come out and shoot more if they could find the ammunition."

So where are all these new gun owners going to learn how to shoot safely and properly? The rod and gun clubs, with their ranges, are a logical choice.

Shooting ranges, though, require expensive insurance policies to keep open. These clubs demand responsible firearm handling from members, knowing that one accident could shut them down. New members are schooled on safe firearm practices and range officers are constantly on the alert for irresponsible or dangerous behavior.

Ron Rosen, president of the Elbridge Rod and Gun Club, said he often takes a personal hand in orienting new members. They must have an existing member sponsor them before membership is granted. Range officials and club members are quick to point out problems. Repeated warnings will result in loss of membership - or in more drastic cases, a call to police.

"And they're not hesitant to come," he said.

Kurt Brown, president of the Syracuse Pistol Club, said last year his club's membership was around 400. Now, the club has 540 members. To join, members must have passed a pistol shooting safety course, possess a pistol permit and be members of the National Rifle Association, he said.

"People are looking for a place to shoot and we cater to pistol shooting," he said. "We're seeing an increase across the board -- particularly among females and older people, who have concerns about their personal safety.

"Many have the feeling that if they don't apply for a pistol permit now, the opportunity will disappear and they'll never have one," he said.

Rosen said at his club, as with many, membership spikes each year just before hunting season as hunters are looking for a safe place to sight in their guns.

This year, he said, club officials expect membership to climb to an all-time high of 1,000 members.

"Any more than that, it might be a problem," he said. "We'll discuss that (as a board) when we get there."

See a listing of local rod and gun clubs.

View the full article on The Syracuse Outdoors Blog