A shooting range may not immediately be thought of as an essential part of a community. But having a well-maintained place for safe shooting offers an alternative to shooting on public lands.

The Redmond Rod and Gun Club has offered this to the Central Oregon community for more than 50 years. It aims to expand its services at 9020 S Highway 97, a new site on nearly 250 acres between Redmond and Bend. That’s a big increase from about 60 acres at their current location.

“It’s important for a community to have a safe place to go to fire their firearms,” said Shawn Jewell, owner of R.E.A.C.T. Training Systems, who uses the Redmond Rod and Gun Club regularly. “And here, they can get training from a variety of people and practice safety.”

Without a shooting range community, enthusiasts can be found on public land, sighting down on targets out in the open — in space shared by other sport enthusiasts like dirt motorcyclists.

“One of our main purposes is to provide a safe alternative to people going out and shooting on public land,” said Kate Chandler, president of the High Desert Shooting Sports Foundation.

The High Desert Shooting Sports Foundation, which was created in 2014, owns the land and leases it to the club. The foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, benefiting club operations, and the club is a 501(c)(4) — both of which operate by means of an all-volunteer staff.

The foundation’s current focus is the purchase and funding of the new location and site construction. It will also offer services to the community after the gun club moves.

The club is still located east of Redmond, near the airport on state Highway 126. Chandler said that one of the foundation’s goals is to offer a free monthly class to the community on firearm safety.

“Going from an organization that had (two monthly bills) to a major monthly mortgage, we realized that we needed something more than the grants we had used in the past,” said Brian Ferry, youth programs director for the club.

Issues with location

Moving from the club’s current location has been in the works for nearly 10 years. Air traffic isn’t normally something that comes to mind when shooting firearms recreationally, but at the Redmond Rod and Gun Club, air traffic is among a number of potential hazards that have arisen because of the club’s proximity to the airport.

The club originally planned to move in the mid-2000s but decided to stay at its location after making improvements and having multiple volunteers certified as National Rifle Association range operators. In 2007, the county began to focus on the club’s location because of conflicts with public use of land around the club, as well as air traffic issues.

The club has since surveyed hundreds of potential sites around Central Oregon for a new location, including east of Bend near Millican, near Lower Bridge, and farther east of Redmond.

“I saw that we were going to lose what we had if we didn’t move,” Chandler said. “So we got involved and got done what needed to be done.”

The new site

The location between Bend and Redmond, which once was home to a shotgun shooting range, became available, and the club pounced on the opportunity. Its lease at the current location, which originally ended this summer, was extended by the county and will now end at the end of the year. This gives the club and foundation more time for construction at the new location.

“It gives us six more months to continue working at the location, and that really relieves some tension,” Ferry said.

The estimated total cost of the what is to become a regional shooting facility is around $5 million. This sum includes the cost of the property plus construction and improvements for 100-yard to 600-yard rifle lanes, an indoor range that can contain .50 caliber firearms, a cowboy action range, skeet and trap ranges and archery ranges, as well as amenity buildings and picnic areas, including a children’s area.

The club has also received a grant of $26,000 from the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife for the construction of the clay ranges. A site plan is currently under engineering review, and club members have volunteered to help out with construction preparation.

“With the new location, there will be more ranges, more opportunities to shoot, and more opportunity for learning, and I’m looking forward to it,” Jewell said.

The club plans to open at the new location on a limited basis this summer — which will cost about $400,000 to get moved to the new location — and transition between the two locations throughout the remainder of the year. Construction will continue during daily operation after that until they have reached their site plan goal, according to Chandler.

The foundation is perpetually looking for community partners for the project. Some 350,000 metric yards of fill are needed to construct the rifle lanes alone, which has already been started using the rubble from the Evergreen Rehabilitation Project. Being a 501(c)(3) also means donations to the foundation are tax deductible.

The club’s history

The Redmond Rod and Gun Club has been a part of the Redmond community for more than 50 years. It started as a group of shooting enthusiasts who enjoyed the fellowship of like-minded hobbyists and has evolved into one of Redmond’s largest nonprofit organizations. There are currently about 425 members who use the club’s rifle, pistol, trap and archery ranges.

“I like it. I’ve driven by a hundred times but have never stopped, but I love it,” said Chris Smith, from Redmond, who isn’t a club member but visit for the first time in February during a training class. “If I would have known all that was here I would have come here instead of driving 3 more miles to BLM.”

Redmond Police Department partners with the club to utilize the ranges for training, an arrangement which is expected to continue and possibly expand once the club moves. There are also many outside organizations that use the gun club, like the National Wild Turkey Federation, which holds its women’s program at the club.

The Oregon State Shooting Association’s state championship is scheduled to be sponsored and hosted by the gun club. The club hopes to host many events in the future to turn the range into a destination, according to Chandler.

“I’m all for it,” Smith said. “I grew up with guns, and whether it’s for recreation or self-defense, I think it’s important for people to be taught about guns.”

The club looks forward to continuing its evolution into a regional shooting location as it sets to work. The new location will expand upon what the club currently offers as well as securing a safe place for club operations in the future.

“When you get to meet families or people new to shooting and participate in their experience, that’s where the real payoff comes for me,” Ferry said. “And I know the same goes for the club and foundation as well.”

— Reporter: 541-548-2185

cbrown@redmondspokesman.com