Members-Only Shooting Range Opens in Roseville, Hopes to Cater to Men and Women

A shooting range doesn't have to look like a pornography store.

That's one of the messages from the owners of Capital Gun Club, a members-only shooting range and gun store that opened Saturday in Roseville.

"Our windows are bulletproof, but they're clear," co-owner Molly Brass said, noting the blacked-out windows common among gun stores. "Why does a gun store have to be dingy?"

Business partners Brass and Joe Deaser decided to open the Capital Gun Club after a string of run-ins with misogynistic shooting range employees. The final straw was an experience at a San Jose shooting range where Brass said employees were "hounding" her, and when she gave up and decided to leave, a manager stopped her and said it was "only a matter of time" until she killed herself because of how her thumbs were positioned.

Brass, who has been a trap shooter since high school, said she left in tears. Deaser, a real estate developer, suggested the pair open their own shooting range. They say it's the only members-only shooting range in the western United States, and that more than half of their members are females.

"We have had a ladies' tea in here already," Deaser said as he showed off the plush members' lounges and back rooms of the shooting range. The first and third Mondays of the month are "ladies shoots" at the shooting range.

Capital Gun Club also has male and female employees, which Brass said is rare among shooting ranges and gun stores.

Brass and Deaser said the members-only nature of Capital Gun Club isn't meant to be exclusionary, but to ensure all its customers are safe, responsible and friendly. 

"The club atmosphere is meant to keep bad people away," Deaser said. "We all want to have a safe, fun place to shoot."

He recalled seeing a new mother feeding a 2-month-old baby on a couch at the Gun Club while her husband shot; when he was done they traded places and she went out on the range.

All members at Capital Gun Club have to submit to background checks, and they're reminded the business "is not a locker room" and asked to leave tough-guy chat at home, Deaser said.

Buying a membership at the Gun Club–which can be sold later–is a one-time cost of $1,000, and there is a $40-a-month fee for unlimited shooting. The owners plan to cap membership at 400 people. The business also offers safety training, which is available to the public. 

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Capital Gun Club
2001 Opportunity Dr.
Open 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday - Friday, and 10 a.m. - 6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

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