Sportsmen’s Club on target with COVID protocols

When you go to the Bainbridge Island Sportsmen’s Club you expect to learn about gun safety.

But they also hit the bull’s eye when it comes to COVID-19 safety.

After being closed for three months due to the coronavirus, the club came up with detailed plans to keep people safe. They have made videos that everyone watches before going to one of the three ranges.

“I’m proud to say that we’ve implemented probably the best COVID procedures of any similar organization in the state, as reported by many of our shooters,” said Byron Bush, club president.

While other facilities have seen a drop in membership during coronavirus restrictions, BISC has seen a surge with over 100 new membeers, “greater than any we’ve seen in years,” Bush said. “The recent situation with COVID has been a challenge for the club but we’re weathering the storm quite well.”

COVID measures

The club is open to members only right now, except on the archery range. Visitors register online, which is a new COVID process, for a time slot to use the archery, shotgun or pistol-caliber course. They started this reservation system because they did not want crowds gathering.

Before arriving, participants are asked to watch the videos that explain the entire process. Videos even explain how to clean the toilet after use, from the seat to the sink to the door handle. The clubhouse is not used, except for the restrooms.

Participants arrive five minutes early and wait in their cars until the volunteer Range Safety Officer (RSO) calls them in. Everyone’s temperature is taken, they must wear masks and stay a socially distanced 10 feet apart. Gloves are recommended.

They sign in and also sign a waiver. Hand sanitizer is available, and volunteers clean touch-point surfaces after every use.

Only a small number of users can be on each range at a time. “That makes it easier to social distance – which is the name of the game today,” the club’s Reed Martic says in one video.

Exact fees are charged so there is no exchange of money. Usage fees for non-members range from $8 to $15, when the public can use it.

The pistol range and shotgun trap range have recently seen improvements. On the gun courses participants are asked to have only the essentials: firearm, ammo, ear plugs and goggles, but not much else.

Once inside the pistol range, only three lanes are being used and each has its own fan so air circulates to keep smoke from guns away from shooters.

On the shotgun range, only stations 1, 3 and 5 are being used.

“It’s all designed for a safer environment during COVID, Martic says, also in the video.

The public can use the archery range four hours a week, four shooters per hour.

Community use

BISC was started in 1929 by hunters, fishers and conservationists. It moved to its current 16-acre location in 1939. Its goal is to promote gun safety, competition, hunting and self-defense. It also wants to promote outdoor activities, especially for youth.

But it’s much more than that. In non-coronavirus years, it provides community dinners for those in need during Thanksgiving and Christmas.

“Typically BISD volunteers prepare and serve meals for fifty to sixty people,” Bush said, adding this year due to COVID they donated $1,000 worth of turkeys to Helpline House instead. Its clubhouse also is used by different organizations, like the Scouts.

It’s getting harder all the time for police to find a place to practice shooting, and BISC provides that. It also provides scholarships for local youth, and its Huck Finn and Becky Thatcher Fishing Derby is always a big hit. It even offers various competitions, such as the Cowboy Fast Draw.

“BISC makes our island community safer by providing certified training in safe firearms storage and use for new as well as seasoned gun owners,” Bush said.

Membership

About 80 percent of the 324 members live on BI, with 14 percent in North Kitsap and the rest in surrounding areas. Many are women. About 20 “very active” volunteers run the facility, along with more than 25 who have reduced their availability due to COVID.

“Some RSO are older and have chosen not to expose themselves to the public,” Bush said.

They are always training volunteers for all kinds of positions. They recently held a free, three-hour pistol safety training course. They have up to 10 classes a month on shotgun instruction. And they have up to 12 hunter safety education classes a year. This year, due to the coronavirus, those were online.

Bush said the huge increase in new members is because people are looking for things to do outdoors.

They “have expressed gratitude that they can get out and practice their sport safely,” Bush said. Other reasons are they don’t have to spend three hours a day commuting so they have more time on their hands. And it’s something that’s “been on the back burner” that they want to get better at doing, Bush explained.

“One of my favorite statements about shooting is that it can be just like golf,” Bush said. “One day, you can shoot a one inch group (of shots) at 10 yards with their pistol, and the next day, you couldn’t hit the side of a barn. Many are motivated by competing with themselves to improve their shooting each time they visit.”

Bush said while there have been some issues between the club and the community in the past, they are working with a citizens group to work things out. He did say the club started 90 years ago when the island was “once an empty forest” and years later housing developments surrounded their facility.

“It’s called Sportsman Club Road,” he said of where the facility is located.

As for fitting in with the community, “As you can imagine it’s a huge focus for us,” he said, adding it’s rare they have shootings past 7 p.m.

He wants to ensure that the community knows, “Safety is our primary concern.”

He said visitors often come there with a new weapon that they have never used. They teach them how to use it safely. In particular, he said he recently helped an older couple for two hours learning about their new gun.

“It was Handgun Safety 101,” he said. “They seemed to relieved.”

Fast facts

The Bainbridge Island Sportsmen’s Club is located at 8203 Sportsman Club Rd. NE.

Annual memberships are $125 a person, or $150 a family. There are also various usage fees.