Firearms and archery facility now open

In a barrage of bullets and arrows, MSU opened the doors of a new $3.5 million, 24,000-square-foot shooting facility Monday, the first day of open shooting.

The John and Marnie Demmer Shooting Sports, Education and Training Center, 3365 E. Jolly Road, in Lansing, is a state-of-the-art shooting center with ranges for archery, pistols and air rifles, said Charles Reid, director of the land management office.

“We’re one of the few that combine archery along with firearms training and education,” Reid said. “A lot of ranges might have one or the other.”

The center was created with hopes of establishing an NCAA-endorsed rifle team, which potentially could send students to Olympic competitions, Reid said. Indoors there are two ballistic ranges for firearms and one for archery. Outside, the facility has three archery ranges, which vary for different skill levels, Reid said.

“It’s a lot more than I expected,” said Matt Reece, a human medicine graduate student who visited the facility Monday. “MSU has been doing a lot of great things with firearms: promoting hunting and the ability to carry and responsible ownership of firearms.”

The facility will be the new home of MSU’s shooting clubs, including the archery club and the rifle team, said Keith Hein, the center’s program director and rifle team coach.

Before the center was built, Hein said the archery team had to practice in a hallway in the basement of the IM Sports buildings and the rifle team was forced to shoot in the basement of Demonstration Hall.

“It was hot, dusty and we could get about four people to practice there at the same time,” Hein said.

Now, the center potentially could allow 28 people to shoot indoors at the same time.

Students are encouraged to visit the ranges, Reid said, because the facility doesn’t cater only to professional shooters. To stay in line with MSU’s mission of education, the center is designed to educate students about shooting, regardless of their experience with weaponry.

Students and the general public can take lessons in one of the center’s classrooms.

“We hope to have something for folks who are brand-new shooters,” Hein said. “And if they’re really interested, take them to the competitive level. If they’re competitive, take them on to the collegiate level or even the Olympic level beyond that.”

Reece, who has been shooting for three years but hasn’t tried archery before, said he definitely would consider trying to learn a new skill at the new facility.

“Definitely with something like this as a beginner, I wouldn’t be too scared to come out here and try something new,” Reece said. “They have a nice facility here that I would definitely take advantage of if I had the chance.”