COEUR d’ALENE — Clark Schmidt has been a member of the Coeur d’Alene Rifle and Pistol Club for more than 50 years.

He knows what keeps him coming back.

“It gives people the advantage of being able to be around firearms in a safe and diligent manner,” he said. “Everyone in my life has always been that way.”

Schmidt, who has served as past president, vice president and board member, said the club takes responsible gun ownership “to another level.”

He believes that is part of the reason the club’s membership hit a record high last year and is expected to grow even more in 2024.

“More people are buying and using guns than I can ever remember," he said Monday.

Jimmie Dorsey, club president, said membership hit 667 last year, an increase by a few hundred in just the past two years.

“We’re targeting right now to be the highest we’ve ever been,” he said.

The 72-year-old club offers indoor and outdoor ranges on its roughly 15-acre site, along with a classroom and offices at 6001 Atlas Road.

Dorsey said the club’s appeal has grown beyond men, and now attracts families. He noted an annual individual membership is $60, while a family membership is just $20 more at $80.

“Your kids and your wife will be able to shoot,” Dorsey said. “A lot of people like that.”

“Sometimes the husbands have a hard time getting their wives to come down," he said. "This way, they can come down, watch them shoot and they can do a little shooting.”

Dorsey has been a member since 1983 and president for more than a decade. He said the club is a “good, safe place to come and shoot. Very professional range, very safe range.” 

The club’s outdoor distances range up to 200 yards for rifle and pistol.

The indoor range is open to members only during pre-approved functions. Only .22-caliber and air guns are allowed, with the longest distance at 50 feet.

Nate Pulliam, range safety officer, keeps an eye on pretty much everything and yes, he's a stickler for safety. He believes the gun club's growth corresponds to the area's population increase.

The club offers a classroom that is used for firearms safety classes and different organizations hold concealed carry classes there, too.

Gun ownership is rising.

According to Statista Research Department, about 42% of U.S. households had at least one gun in their possession in 2023.

According to ammo.com, a website that sells ammunition, about 82 million people owned at least one firearm last year.

Another survey found that nearly 30% more people reported having firearms in 2023 than 20 years ago. 

The majority say they own guns for protection.

For the last four months of 2023, 2,478 people used the main range at the Coeur d'Alene club, up from 2,160 in 2022, a 13% increase, 

The youth program is popular, with about 100 kids age 10 and older learning about gun safety and competitive shooting each year, Dorsey said.

“I think it’s what the founding fathers of this wanted,” he said.

More people are coming over from Washington to use the Coeur d’Alene Rifle and Pistol Club, Dorsey said.

“They don’t have many over there and there’s nothing like ours in Eastern Washington,” he said.

Schmidt visits the gun club about twice a week.

“Guns are my passion,” he said.

Guns, Schmidt added, are not toys.

“They’re tools,” he said.