It may be considered "behind enemy lines," but there are tons of avid shooters in Maryland who have to drive hours to find a range that'll let them ply their hobby.
Recognizing the trend in creating gun ranges that cater to a more affluent, urban clientele who demand more services and better facilities, a new group is on the ground floor of building a new indoor range in the Washington suburbs in Maryland to help offer something new for folks who have few options.
Shooting Sports Retailer has been reporting on this trend in gun store and range evolution for about a year, and it seems that the phenomenon is popular enough to even pop up on the radar of the Washington Post. It seems that this is a trend that will continue as data show most new shooters are young, affluent, urban and female or non-white and are from a generation that demands more than a dingy, poorly lit bay with surly ROs.
Maryland Firearms Training Academy, LLC today announced the release of an investor offering in the form of a Private Placement Memorandum (“PPM”) for accredited investors. The company is raising $6.8 million in private or institutional investments to finance the building of a facility and to fund the initial stages of the business. The company is offering a minimum of 6,800,000 and a maximum of 8,000,000 Class A Preferred Membership Units at a price of $1.00 per unit. Upon completion of the offering, between 6,800,000 and 8,000,000 Class A Preferred Membership Units will be issued. MDFTA will be located at 11460 Edmonston Road, Beltsville, Maryland upon completion of construction.
The Managing Members of the Company are David Ridgway and Michael DeMos.MDFTA will be one of the largest of a growing number of high-end indoor ranges being built across the country. Its crowning jewel will be a 100-yard range, the only of its kind in the tri-state area. The facility will also feature a live-fire shoot house for law enforcement professionals and will be available to members and private citizens via training courses taught by professionals.The build-out is expected to commence in early 2015, with an anticipated opening in late 2015.
A limited number of early memberships will be made available in the next few months.Over the years, a new class of firearms facilities have entered the market. The trend toward a more luxurious and state-of-the-art facility started in 2004 and has gained momentum throughout the country. The opportunity is enhanced by the growing firearms ownership in our nation, and the supporting safety training required by law.MDFTA is the culmination of several years of research, and is the brainchild of David Ridgway and Michael DeMos of Maryland.
David Ridgway describes the vision, “We studied the market, and saw an opportunity to build a five star world class facility designed to address the underserved need for range time for local law enforcement and security professionals, as well the need for a family-friendly, educational environment for consumers who want to learn firearm safety and engage in shooting sports.”
Despite the presence of a large population of both former and current law enforcement, military personnel, government contractors and security officers, there are no comparable facilities to MDFTA in this area. The company plans to address this underserved need, and to serve the general public, as well as law enforcement, military and security firm personnel, at its state-of-the-art facility, catering to a wide range of shooting abilities.
“This is a lifestyle business,” says Michael DeMos, co-founder. “It’s not a ‘gun store’ per se, although we will sell firearms and accessories. MDFTA is a destination, which will be family friendly and will offer leagues, training and range time to support Boy Scouts of America and other local organizations,” explains DeMos.
