Whenever I used to hear the word “membership”, I thought of only two things: “dues” or “privileges”. Membership may have privileges, but you gotta pay the dues. Since arriving at SharpShooters back in January, my word association with “membership” has changed completely. Now, all I think about when I hear the word “membership” is really awesome people. Our members are really awesome people, and since I joined SharpShooters, I’ve met a lot of really awesome people. I look forward to meeting our members every week. That’s a big part of why I tell people “this is the most fun gig I’ve ever had!”
What Does Membership Mean to Members?
That could be a bulleted list of “benefits” of being a member, but it’s different for everyone. To at least a few, it meant being able to buy the gun of their dreams because they were one of the first to know we had it in stock. To others, it’s the catalyst to a great hobby and a great way to improve something you love to do, much like a gym pool membership. And to others still, being a member means connecting with other like-minded people who share a love for guns and shooting.
How Does the Membership Process Work?
We hope it’s really easy. It certainly should be. You go to ssusa.co/memberships/ and click “Join Now” on the type of membership you want, fill out the form, and then we call you to welcome you to the family. You can pay for a month at a time or save a little money by paying for a year at a time.
Then the fun starts.
Members go to the front of the range check-in line (if they haven’t already made a 24-hour advance reservation) and don’t have to pay the normal $20 to shoot on the range. Ever. Members also get to rent any gun they want as many times as they want, also at no additional cost. Ever.
Now that we have ammo in the house, we’ve brought our full-auto firearms back out from the vault. Members can rent those at no charge as well. Just don’t do too many mag dumps 🙂 or it can get pricey.
What Does “Members First” Mean?
Well, ‘back in the day’ (February) when our shelves were bare, when we would get anything that resembled a gun in the store, we’d send out an email to “members first” to alert our members that we had a gun in the store. That gun would go to its new home very quickly.
That was then. Nowadays, our shelves are full of mostly common firearms. But when we get a unicorn in the store – like last week’s Sig MCX Rattler and MPX – we send out an email to our members first.
Same with ammo. When we get a bunch of ammo in, we make sure our members get first notice and first buying opportunity.
Are There Member Discounts?
Yes, members get 10% discount on everything in the store except firearms. That means 10% off ammo, gun bags, optics, accessories, and also training classes. Members also pay just $25 for an FFL transfer vs. the regular cost of $60.
What Else Can Members Do?
That last thing is becoming more and more important as more and more people seek to become their own protector and first responder. When you conceal carry, if you get into a situation in which you may need to use your firearm, you need to know, be trained on, and practice how to draw from your holster.
While anyone can take our concealed carry fundamentals class, only members can be certified to practice drawing from the holster on the range.
That policy always draws looks and questions. Why? Drawing from the holster is a dangerous act, if you’ve never been properly trained. Many people (not here!) have accidentally shot their foot, their hand, and other body parts trying to remove their gun from their holster and fire it as fast as they can. That’s where “slow is smooth and smooth is fast” is most aptly applied in the civilian firearm world today. It’s dangerous. So, we allow only members who have been trained and qualified by passing a shooting test to practice drawing from the holster on the range.
That’s What “Membership” Means at SharpShooters
Membership means that someone who is passionate about learning or improving their skill is invested and rewarded for that investment month after month as they progress and improve their craft. Whether you want to be the master at self defense, the best competitive shooter in the land, or take everyone’s money when your group of friends want to “make it interesting” at the range, we’d like the opportunity to help you move in that direction. We want to make it easier for you to practice and enjoy the sport of shooting.
