Guns Out Range Day kicked off Friday, August 2, with a VIP shooting event at Black Pines in Ruby, VA, before moving to XCAL Shooting Sports and Fitness in Ashburn, VA, for the public range event on Saturday.
At the VIP Range Day, the guests brave temperatures over 100 degrees to shoot various guns and compete against each other in shooting events. In a surprising turn of events, the winner of the pistol competition was 13-year-old James of the 2A Boys. James outshot all competitors, many of whom were two to three times as old as the pre-teen content creator.
After the event wrapped up, everyone got ready for Friday night’s social event, held at the Founder’s Club at XCAL. The guests were treated to a barbeque buffet and drinks. The vendors and special guests spent time socializing, smoking cigars in XCAL’s cigar bar, and enjoying freedom. The party went late into the night.
The following day, the doors to the range at XCAL opened bright and early at 9 AM so that the public could experience Guns Out Range Day. This is where the heart and soul of Range Day lives. The goal is to introduce people to the bigger gun community. According to one of the founders of Guns Out, Shermichal Singleton, Range Day is made not only for the person who has been shooting for years but also for those just getting into firearms.
“We came up with Range Day because we wanted to provide a community-centric, community-based event not just for experienced gun owners but also for new gun owners,” Singleton said. “We wanted one that was welcoming to the growing diversity we are seeing in the firearms community.”
The vendors were ready to show their wares once the doors opened. The first vendor was set up in the briefing room. That vendor was Ace. Ace made a VR training program and had their system set up for anyone to try. The system was immersive and the future of training. It allows a trip to the range from the comfort of your home.
Other companies such as Staccato, HK, and FOSTEC highlighted their firearms, and gun owners could try the guns on the range. Other accessory and optic companies were on site. These included AimPoint and EoTech for optics and BOSS for suppressors. There were also holster companies and gun belt companies.
Not every vendor at Guns Out Range Day was selling physical products. Gun rights organization Gun Owners of America (GOA) was on site, educating the masses on issues that gun owners are facing. USCCA was also there, signing up gun owners for carry insurance. One of the missions of Guns Out Range Day is to educate gun owners about the dangers they face from anti-gunners.
There were also plenty of activities for guests to try out. There was a glow shoot that incorporated a lightsaber. That was a hit with the crowd. There was also a night vision shoot, which allowed many in attendance to try out the technology for the first time. The guests could also try suppressors and learn about the advantages of the quieting technology. There was something for everyone to try out.
Creators from the gun world, such as Eric Blandford of Iraqvetern8888, Jared Yanis of Guns & Gadgets, and Jon Patton of the Gun Collective, roamed the floor and talked with fans. People took selfies and talked about upcoming battles for our gun rights. The creators made time for everyone and just enjoyed meeting members of their communities.
At the end of the day, many items, such as gift certificates, guns, and bags, were raffled off. Those in attendance got a chance to walk away with thousands of dollars of giveaways. Unfortunately, I wasn’t one of the lucky winners, but there is always next year.
This event was the third Guns Out Range Day but will not be the last. According to Guns Out co-founder John Keys, they plan to keep the tradition alive next year by holding a fourth range day. However, the dates might be different to avoid triple-digit temperatures, which might make the outdoor portion of the event more bearable.
“Range Day has become a staple amenity of the Guns Out brand and platform,” said Keys. “Range Day really breaks down the barriers and brings in new shooters. It takes away the intimidation factor because it is not only about shooting; it is about fellowship. We have some non-shooting amenities available for people, so people bring their families. It is a beautiful indoor facility and everyone is comfortable. It makes it easy for someone that is not really into guns to come support someone who is into guns.”
The best part of the day was seeing how diverse and welcoming the Second Amendment community is to one another. Many stereotypes are broken down at these events, and I hope that events like Guns Out Range Day pop up across the country to open the gun community to more people. The more community members we have, the easier it will be to safeguard our rights.
About John Crump
John is an NRA instructor and a constitutional activist. John has written about firearms, interviewed people of all walks of life, and on the Constitution. John lives in Northern Virginia with his wife and sons and can be followed on Twitter at @crumpyss, or at www.crumpy.com.
