MYAKKA CITY, Fla. – Manatee Gun & Archery Club, one of Florida’s few 1,000-yard shooting ranges, is making some significant range improvements and technology upgrades to their outdoor shooting facility located in Myakka City, the club announced Thursday.
According to Chris Baden, the president of Manatee Gun & Archery Club, the club is currently in the process of expanding the pistol range from 15 stations to 30. Additionally, the pistol range will be extended to allow shooting at distances from 5 yards up to 25 yards. These improvements are scheduled to be finished before the end of May.
The club is also currently negotiating with a business development group for a long-term lease to establish a sporting clays and 5-stand venue on the property under Manatee Gun & Archery Club’s current outdoor firing range permit. This will bring an entirely new experience to the shooting opportunities at MGAC and make for a superb destination for competition and mainstream shotgun shooting sports.
“This has been a long time coming and we’re excited about the upgrades and improvements the club is making to become Florida’s top shooting destination,” Baden said. “If all goes well, we hope to have the sporting clays and 5-stand ranges operational and open to the public before the end of summer.”
The club has also implemented an online system for completion of the club’s liability waiver, which can be filled out and signed via the internet. They’re also in the process of making the membership application available and payable online and accessible by smartphone, tablet or computer. For visitors who may not be aware of the online feature, there are immediate plans to install a kiosk system at the clubhouse so shooters can fill out the form on-site, making the sign-in/check-in process fast, convenient and paperless.
Additionally, the club has started a new volunteer Range Safety Officer training program. The program provides discounted training for new volunteer range safety officers (RSO). The participants in the program must commit to volunteering at least four hours per month for one year. With the graduation of the upcoming second class, the club will have 27 new RSOs. This program is part of a long-term strategy to provide the necessary safety resources for the expansion that is currently underway.
Lastly, the club is now marketing an education and business conference facility, which has historically served as a training room. The space can accommodate as many as 50 people comfortably and is now equipped with a new air-conditioning system. Additional upgrades are underway including fiber-optic powered Internet and a multimedia display system for presentations and teleconferencing. The technology upgrades will now make the space highly useful to businesses groups and instructors to rent for their organization’s training needs. Anyone interested in the facility should contact the club’s manager, Angie Weldon, at [email protected].
About the Manatee Gun & Archery Club
Manatee Gun & Archery Club is a 501(c)(4 )non-profit organization dedicated to safe operation of firearms and archery activities. The club features outdoor shooting ranges, a 1,000-yard shooting range and is located in Myakka City, Florida, just minutes away from Sarasota. The ranges will now include: 25-yard pistol; 75-yard rifle/pistol; 100, 200, 300, 500, 600, & 1,000-yard ranges, 600-yard bench rest rifle and AREA 51 (police training/military, 3-Gun).
