This edition of the Sharpshooter features Tri-City Gun Club (TCGC). South of Norman and the South Canadian River on the East side of I-35, this gun club is near the city yet in a country setting. Monthly meetings for the members are held either on the first Friday or the first Tuesday of the month. This gives members a chance to find out about events coming up and any changes that are happening. Usually, a member demonstrates a firearm that is unique in some way. From time to time a raffle is held to support the youth groups that shoot at TCGC.
Currently TCGC has a long range (200 yards), a short range (80 yards), a 25-yard range, a skeet range, and a trap range. Monthly matches include a .22 Rifle Match, a Practical Pistol Match, a Multi-Gun Match, a Military Bolt Action Bench Rest (MBABR) Match, a Military Pistol/Revolver/.22 Match, Early Birds 5-Stand, and Bright Lights Trap. With support from the Friends of NRA grants and from TCGC, youth can attend activities for free. They can meet on the 2nd and 4th Thursday of the month for the TCGC Youth Shooting Sports which consists of Shotgun, Air Rifle, .22, and Archery. They also can shoot in the TCGC Youth Glock League on the 1st and 3rd Thursdays of the month to shoot Glock pistols.
The OU Clay Target Club also meets at TCGC for their practices. It is close to the OU campus, so it meets their needs well.
In April TCGC held the annual NRA DAY/Youth Sportsfest which was attended by 75 youth. They had the opportunity to shoot rifles, shotguns, pistols, muzzleloaders, and air rifles. They could also participate in archery and tomahawks. This event had one on one instruction from certified NRA Instructors.
Recently TCGC held the yearly NRA Women on Target day at the range with 29 attendees. It was a half day event for the first time this year. This event is held each year in the early May time frame.
The annual Hunter Education Clinic will be held September 7, 2024, sponsored by TCGC and the Oklahoma Department of wildlife. This will give youth a chance to learn about tree stands, crossing fences and handling firearms around vehicles. Instructors will cover black powder, survival, rifle, shotgun archery, wildlife, and laws and regulations. Participants also receive hands on instruction with .22 Rifles for marksmanship and safe handling practices. They will also get a Hunters Education Manual, and after passing the course, will receive their Hunter Safety Cards through the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation.
The Future of Youth is a large focus of TCGC. TCGC provides an annual Eugene “Gene” Adkisson Scholarship for youth getting education beyond High School! TCGC is particularly interested in getting youth safely involved in the shooting sports. As in many gun clubs, we realize that the future of the shooting sports depends on introducing youth to shooting in a safe and enjoyable environment so they can appreciate the shooting sports and progress in their shooting skills. Supporting our 2nd amendment rights is of particular emphasis.
Of course, we try to provide matches of interest and a place to shoot for our current members as well. Some of our members are more interested in the shotgun disciplines, some are more interested in handguns or rifles. The club officers take the feedback from the members and work to make new events that have a lot of interest happen. Currently the Sporting Clay Range is in the process of being built, which will further expand the offerings for shotgun shooters.
Safety is emphasized at TCGC. Being so close to Norman means that members must always be vigilant to make sure firearms are always handled in a safe manner. The new member orientation stresses keeping the firearms pointed down range at all times and always making sure that your bullet is impacting the berm. This is also stressed at all the monthly meetings.
Volunteers help the range function and survive, and working a work day makes you eligible for a discount on your yearly membership. The range is generally closed while a workday is happening, so when a lot of members pitch in and help sometimes the work gets done early enough to do some shooting after the work is done. As you can see, TCGC is an active range. If you live in the area and desire more information, contact the Member At Large at: memberatlarge@tcgc.us
