Looking to join a club in the Durham region

[canadaman30]

Orono Fish and Hunt. I am in Whitby too. Very reasonable membership fee, only open Sundays and Wednesdays though,but that could change in the future with the new sound control initiatives. Great people there too.

I left Orono, after years as member. The hours are a joke, double the amount of members from a few years past, double the fee's from a few years past. Still only open 2 days and not 2 full days a week, good luck getting a bench to shoot off of unless your there Wednesday mid-day. As far as being open other days of the week, been requested to many times, answer is always the same.....no....good luck.

 

[JimDO]

There's definitely a lack of open clubs east of the city. Might be a good opportunity for some enterprising people to open a new range.

 

[Pepperpopper]

I have a PAL, and been at it over 40 years. But never bothered with the RPAL. I'd like to write the RPAL exam, get the license, get some guns, go shoot at Target with those guns; Go to CAS type shoots in either Ontario, or my other 2 month a year home, New Brunswick. How does one make that happen? I don't really want to join a club, and probably can't get into one around here, and I don't think any of the Durham clubs shoot CAS anyway.

I was looking at the RPAL book the other day, and noticed one of the questions was what is the maximum range for pistols, basically between 1500 and 2500 m. Wow! I would have thought that question would be of minimal utility since one can't really get permission to shoot pistols in the kind of circumstances where opening up at 45 degrees would seem all that likely. That must be some private range the CFOs have.

 

[godheadx]

I have a PAL, and been at it over 40 years. But never bothered with the RPAL. I'd like to write the RPAL exam, get the license, get some guns, go shoot at Target with those guns; Go to CAS type shoots in either Ontario, or my other 2 month a year home, New Brunswick. How does one make that happen? I don't really want to join a club, and probably can't get into one around here, and I don't think any of the Durham clubs shoot.

you absolutely need to join a club if you shoot restricteds there is no getting out of it at this present time,
CFO will not issue you an ATT without club membership. Sorry man, I originally thought I could do
That too =(

 

[wormwood777]

I'm getting really sick of trying to find a range. Who knew that finding a range would somehow end up being even more complicated than getting the PAL.

I have yet to actually shoot a gun. I guess I will go to Silverdale for the weekend with my non-restricted but I want to use my restricted too...

 

[alistair1]

I'm getting really sick of trying to find a range. Who knew that finding a range would somehow end up being even more complicated than getting the PAL.

I have yet to actually shoot a gun. I guess I will go to Silverdale for the weekend with my non-restricted but I want to use my restricted too...

I hear you man... I have a restricted for almost a month now and haven't shot it yet... I just admire it when I'm at home. There are no clubs around the GTA that are accepting new members...

 

[Pepperpopper]

you absolutely need to join a club if you shoot restricteds there is no getting out of it at this present time,
CFO will not issue you an ATT without club membership. Sorry man, I originally thought I could do
That too =(

I didn't think I could avoid it, but wasn't sure because of these walk in ranges. I think requiring people to join clubs is politically stupid, it just forces people to associate with people who for the most part are anti liberal, which I am not too sure why the libs think that is such a good idea. It is also a violation of the principle of freedom of association. Not that anyone cares. I have no desire to join a club or associate with other shooters. I have 3 kids and a wife I don't see enough of as it is. I shoot for the shooting. I like competing. Friends I already have. Must be some social program where the libs think we are just socially stunted and want some friends.

I hear Alistair below say he has the gun though, he just can't shoot it. I thought enjoying that status required one to be a "collector". If I get an RPAL, can I buy a gun and just fondle it? I'm OK with that for starters. Though why the government would allow that I have no idea. Can we start a club, teach gun safety, and not have a range or shoot?

 

[godheadx]

You can buy a few restricteds without being a club member, after a specific or unspecific number
Your transfers are going to be declined by the CFO.

You need a restricted to get an att.

also you have to do more safety training, supervised shoots, and some months later,
You"ll have an att.

I am at the point where I have completed all of that, plus 10 hours of volunteer work at the range,
So sometime in the next 1-6 weeks as a guesstimate I"ll be able to shot my unfurled handgun I
Bought almost 5 months ago...

Or you could just move west and get a province wide att in minutes....

The reason for this is that the ont CFO has an obscene amount of power over gun owners,
And can pretty much do anything he pleases including violating court orders.

 

[wormwood777]

I wasnt being cheap when I purchased my firearms but for some reason I refuse to pay out a bunch of money for a range membership. And theres always hidden fees like the insurance etc. And then I have to do probational shoots?

Looks like I'm gonna be a collector...

 

[godheadx]

I wasnt being cheap when I purchased my firearms but for some reason I refuse to pay out a bunch of money for a range membership. And theres always hidden fees like the insurance etc. And then I have to do probational shoots?

Looks like I'm gonna be a collector...

It's actually what the people who crafted the firearms act want,
You to give up! Don't! Cyclone on this board is fighting the range
Membership requirement and actually won, but the CFO got creative,
Check out the "action" and legalese forums

 

[Pepperpopper]

It's actually what the people who crafted the firearms act want,
You to give up! Don't! Cyclone on this board is fighting the range
Membership requirement and actually won, but the CFO got creative,
Check out the "action" and legalese forums

I've been in the sport since the 70s. They are getting the kind of people who most Canadians are comfortable with having guns to leave the sport, the bookish folks I knew back in then who shot air pistols in the Pan American games. Or the country hunter types, who have a long gun leaning against a wall, and don't pay any attention to what has been going on since 76. I even know of several people who ran major southern ontario gun businesses that got fed up. But what they are breeding is people who want to fight for gun rights.

I'm a tool user, to the extreme. Guns are another tool to me, not a political cause. We all have to be politically involved in the things that we love, but there is a difference between that and getting into shooting because you want a good political fight. The government has done a number of things that in the short run had functionality, but in the longer run are breeding major legal and political resistance.

 

[godheadx]

I agree with what your saying for the most part,
Except that even if you just want to shoot, you will get
Drawn into the political side, if you want to or not, by family,
Friends, coworkers, etc whom see what you are doing as evil,
And force you to defend yourself from them, same goes with
Hunting.

 

[Pepperpopper]

I agree with what your saying for the most part,
Except that even if you just want to shoot, you will get
Drawn into the political side, if you want to or not, by family,
Friends, coworkers, etc whom see what you are doing as evil,
And force you to defend yourself from them, same goes with
Hunting.

+1. I just don't bring it up. I'm not saying I wouldn't make the case if it came up, but I don't bring it up. I'm in my 50s, but somehow got born into an anti gun family. What are the odds back then! I just learned not to talk about it.

We had fun back then though. I often think I may be the last person to get an award from a Lieutenant Governor for school shooting. We had an indoor range at our highschool in downtown Toronto. Imagine that. 1975. Last year it was awarded.

 

[northern_iight]

well. Seems like everyone is in this problem with me. I applied the first day oshawa gun club allowed membership applications in april. No response for 2 months. I email them and they tell me they're full. Just my luck. Every other club isn't accepting members as well and the only places that are, cost an arm and a leg (targets sports, and galt).
My pistol has been in my safe since october. Never fired yet.
Still trying to figure things out but it looks like I'm gonna have to be even more diligent next year. Yes, I have given up on this year to ever shoot my pistol. Gonna bother every gun club when they're application process opens cause being the early bird still doesn't seem to cut it.

 

[john777]

well. Seems like everyone is in this problem with me. I applied the first day oshawa gun club allowed membership applications in april. No response for 2 months. I email them and they tell me they're full. Just my luck. Every other club isn't accepting members as well and the only places that are, cost an arm and a leg (targets sports, and galt).
My pistol has been in my safe since october. Never fired yet.
Still trying to figure things out but it looks like I'm gonna have to be even more diligent next year. Yes, I have given up on this year to ever shoot my pistol. Gonna bother every gun club when they're application process opens cause being the early bird still doesn't seem to cut it.

I'm sorry to hear about your troubles. It is hard enough to go through all the paper work and waiting for a RPAL! I didn't have any problems back in 2009 (or was it 2010?). I joined Target, then dumped Target for Oshawa and Marksmen Club. I became a full Oshawa member same day. They recognized my Target membership. When I paid Marksmen a visit, they let me join the same day too. I was lucky enough to visit on an orientation day for noobs. They recognized both my memberships. All I had to do with both clubs was just show that I know how to handle a gun safely and can shoot straight. Unfortunately, I let my Marksmen expire this year. I just don't shoot enough any more to belong to two clubs. I'm guessing you have, if you haven't tried Marksmen, give it a try. 24/7 is great! I can't see why Marksmen is 'full'. Maybe it's because I shoot odd hours. I'm usually the only one their. I feel like I own the place. It was very nice feeling! I only been to Oshawa once this year on a Wednesday and it was pretty busy at the rifle range but still finding no problems getting a bench.

Its crazy what's going on now. I'm also hearing it's hard to find gun powder. I'm glad I stocked up hard in that department. Before it was primers, now it's gun powder (or maybe it's everything).

Someone mentioned if there are other costs. I just know Oshawa and Marksmen have a one time initiation fee (probably a few hundred bucks). If you belong to Oshawa, they have their own insurance. Marksmen, you will need CSSA. It still might be handy to have CSSA if you belong to Oshawa.

 

[Tuco Pike]

So... whats the scoop now?