Membership Application Requirements

1. Candidates are required to sign a waiver of liability.

2. Candidates must be 21 years of age.

3. Candidates must complete New Member Orientation.

4. Membership shall not be denied to any person because of race, color, gender, age (21 years or older), religion, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, or physical disability.

5. Candidates must have the legal right to own and possess firearms. Any person who has a felony conviction or who has a misdemeanor conviction for domestic violence (and the conviction has not been pardoned or expunged AND rights to possess a firearm restored), is not eligible to become a member of Houston Arms Gun Club, LLC. Under federal law, that person is not legally allowed to possess a firearm and therefore is prohibited from joining.

6. Candidates must be a resident of the Houston Greater Metropolitan Area.

7. Candidates must complete a membership application and pay a non-refundable, one-time membership fee of $25.

8. Candidates must complete a firearm proficiency test comprised of accuracy, competency, and safety testing. If a candidate fails the test or indicates upon application for membership they have no experience or training in firearms, they will be required to complete a basic handgun course either with an instructor affiliated with the organization or an independent instructor (documentation of completed course is required) before taking/retaking the test. If a candidate fails the proficiency, they will be allowed up to 3 attempts to complete the testing in order to complete the membership process.

Organization Code of Conduct

- The organization will be governed by and its business affairs entrusted to an executive board in perpetuity, whose members founded and organized the Houston Arms Gun Club, LLC.  The executive board will appoint officers on a volunteer basis and specify their duties as needed. 

- In order to maintain active member status in the organization, members are required to pay monthly dues of $10 ($100 if paid in full yearly), attend each monthly meeting, and complete at least 3 firearms trainings per year under the instruction of a licensed/certified firearm instructor.

- Members who fail to pay dues or attend meetings for two consecutive meetings will be considered inactive until they bring dues current AND attend consecutive meetings. Members that do not complete 3 firearm training events in a year will be allowed to complete said training to reactivate their membership.

- Individuals found to be engaging in any threatening, terroristic, separatist, prejudiced, discriminatory and/or otherwise unlawful behavior, especially in the presence of firearms, will be subject to review by the executive board up to and including immediate termination of membership.

- In the event a dispute arises between members, we agree to in-house mediation of said dispute amongst the membership with an independent intermediary.  

- Members treat one another with dignity and respect at all times.

Range Rules

All members are expected to know, adhere to, and help enforce Range Rules. If you observe a violation of these Range Rules, please notify the Range Safety Officer and we will take corrective action. It is our goal to have a completely safe Range for you to enjoy every meet.

1. Safety is our first and most important rule – please be safe at all times!!!

2. Always keep the firearm pointed in a safe direction. All firearms should be pointed down range at all times – control your muzzle.

3. Always keep your finger off the trigger until ready to shoot.

4. Treat every firearm as if it is loaded.  Always keep the firearm unloaded until ready to use.

5. Eye and ear protection are required on the range.

6. Conduct yourself in a safe manner if touched by a hot casing.

7. Houston Arms Gun Club reserves the right to inspect all Firearms, Ammunition, and Range Bags at any time.

8. If you have a jammed or malfunctioning firearm, place the gun on the shooting bench with the muzzle pointed downrange. Then, ask range personnel for assistance. DO NOT BRING THE FIREARM TO THE RANGE PERSONNEL.

9. All firearms not in use on the firing line must be UNLOADED, with the ACTION OPEN, with MAGAZINE REMOVED or CYLINDER OPEN.

10. Do not hand a loaded firearm to another person. Place the firearm on the shooting bench and allow them to pick the firearm up from the bench.

11. If using multiple calibers, be aware to use the correct ammunition for the caliber in which you are using.

12. Commands issued by Range Staff must be followed immediately. When the command CEASE FIRE is given: STOP SHOOTING immediately and REMOVE your finger from the trigger; keep the gun POINTED DOWN RANGE; WAIT for further instructions from Range Staff.

13. Tracer, armor piercing, and military surplus ammo is not allowed on the range. “Use only the correct ammunition for your firearm. Factory ammunition is preferred. Hand loaded ammunition must adhere to manufacturer specification. NO HOT LOADS will be permitted. Range Staff may deny the use of non-factory ammo at any time.

14. Do not place brass cartridge cases in trash cans. We Recycle. Place trash and debris in the appropriate labeled receptacle.

15. Unaccompanied shooters must be at least 21 years of age to shoot a handgun and 18 years of age to shoot a long gun. All shooters under the age of 18 must be accompanied by a Parent / Legal Guardian at all times on the range.

16. No one is permitted forward of the firing line while the range is hot.

17. No cross shooting to someone else’s target – SHOOT ONLY IN YOUR DESIGNATED TARGET AREA.

18. Houston Arms Gun Club reserves the right to deny the use of targets on the range that may be deemed offensive or unsafe.

19. Use the appropriate size target, placed at eye level, to ensure that your shot strikes the backstop and not the floor, goes over the berm, or target carrier.

20. Shooting at anything other than your own target is prohibited and will subject you to removal from the range.

21. Firing a shot that results in damage to any range equipment may result in a repair fee and your removal from the range.

22. Food, tobacco, and beverages are allowed in designated areas on the Range. Be mindful to wash your hands.

23. There is no drawing from holsters unless approval is given.

24. Report all violations of range rules to the Range Safety Officer.

25. Houston Arms Gun Club reserves the right to refuse service to any individual who, in our judgment, would endanger the safety of our staff or members. Any unsafe conduct may result in immediate dismissal from the range without refund.

26. If you are unsure if your firearm and/or ammunition may be shot on the range, please ask a Range Officer for assistance.

27. Shotguns are allowed at the range, ONLY Buckshot and Slugs are permitted. NO BIRDSHOT ALLOWED.

28. Be sure your firearm is safe to operate and you know how to use it safely. Please see a range officer if you have any questions.

29. All firearms must be UNLOADED, with the ACTION OPEN, with MAGAZINE REMOVED or CYLINDER OPEN when not at the firing line.

30. When on the firing line all members shooting will select a designated firing line and all line up on that firing line.

31. For movement drills, all members must remain in their designated firing area on their designated target areas.

32. Non-shooting members will be away from the firing line at the designated safety benches. Absolutely NO handling of firearms will be allowed in these designated areas, magazine loading acceptable.

RANGE COMMANDS

“Range is going Hot” or “Range is Hot”
- This is used right before people shoot. Be prepared to hear guns fire and wear appropriate eye and ear protection (also known as ‘eyes’ and ‘ears’ as in “Eyes and Ears on! Range is going hot!”).

“Range is Cold”
- People are done shooting. This can also refer to a range that does NOT allow loaded firearms off the firing line. Cold ranges are most common as a safety precaution to keep people from waving loaded guns at everyone. We are a cold range, meaning you may walk around with your gun UNLOADED, yet holstered, until you get to the firing line or are commanded to load and make ready before you shoot.

“Load and make ready”
- This is the command to load your gun and make it ready to fire through the course of fire.

“Stand By…”
- The timer is about to go off if using one.
- The RSO was going to call “fire” but needs to wait for some reason. It gives you a chance to relax instead of waiting in the ready position for an eternity.

“Is the Firing Line Ready on the Right? /Is the Firing Line Ready on the Left?”
- The RSO is asking the other RSO if the people shooting are ready on the right and left of him/her. They will answer “Ready on the right.” “Ready on the Left.” And if everybody is ready to shoot, he/she will announce “Firing line is ready.” If someone needs assistance or is just not ready, this would be an appropriate time for the RSO to call, “Stand By”. The RSO will repeat the commands when he/she sees the person is ready.

“Firing Line is Ready” or “Line is Ready”
- Sometimes you’ll hear “Line is ready; range is going hot” Either way, the shooters are about to shoot.

“Fire” or “Fire When Ready”
- Shoot! This is the go ahead to fire your gun. Before you arrived at the firing line, the RSO should have giving you instructions on how many rounds to shoot and if it is timed or not. Now you can DO IT!

“Unload and Show Clear”
- When everyone is done shooting, this is when you take the magazine out (or remove the ammunition from the magazine if it is attached) and show the RSO you do NOT have a round in the chamber. Sometimes, you will show your shooting partner that your gun has NO ammunition in the chamber and magazine or magazine well. He/she will do the same so you can check his/her gun. It is a nice way to double check each other and minimizes negligence.

“Slide Forward, Hammer Down”
- Usually, this is said right after “unload and show clear”. Once the gun is verified by you and either the RSO or partner, you will put the slide forward, point the gun downrange (safe direction) and press the trigger. This puts the hammer forward on the gun as an extra safety precaution.

“Line Break”
- Line breaks are called when there are multiple people shooting on the firing line and someone wants to walk down range. (Who may want to walk down a shooting range? Anyone needing to put up or take down targets, fix steel plates, set up something, etc.)
- The guns must be placed on the table or shooting bench with the action or breech open.
- Then the shooters must go behind a line that is roughly 10 feet or more behind the firing line WITH NO FIREARMS.
- Once everyone is safe behind the line, people may go down range and do what they need.
- This ensures no one is near any firearm in any manner when someone is down range.
- Most commonly, a cease fire will be called in conjunction with a line break.

“Cease Fire!”
- Stop shooting! No matter what! Even if you have the perfect sight picture and are about to finish the trigger press, DO NOT FIRE!
- This is the only command everyone has the right and ability to say at any time necessary.