OK, we're getting traffic now from the search engines. I registered the site in the last couple weeks in Google, Yahoo and MSN. Well, Google hasn't picked us up yet, but the other two search engine bigs have. Google is a lot more picky and it'll take more time.
Our stats are actually showing a pickup in traffic and that's a good thing!
Friday, March 23, 2007
Tuesday, March 13, 2007
Reviving a true Beverly Hills Gun Club indoor shooting range
Someone asked me about this. Is it possible? Probably. But the effort involved in that would just be way too much. To the point of being counter-productive for what we're doing.
Our charter is to get shooting enthusiasts together for fun. Running a range is a full-time, full-scale business venture and someone who wants to do it needs to do it in strong, committed fashion. Especially in California. Ranges and other gun businesses have been closing down due to governmental restrictions and operational difficulties in this climate. You need to be truly dedicated to make a new range a reality around here.
So, yes we're going to have the "new" Beverly Hills Gun Club. But it's not a range. It'll be a real club.
Our charter is to get shooting enthusiasts together for fun. Running a range is a full-time, full-scale business venture and someone who wants to do it needs to do it in strong, committed fashion. Especially in California. Ranges and other gun businesses have been closing down due to governmental restrictions and operational difficulties in this climate. You need to be truly dedicated to make a new range a reality around here.
So, yes we're going to have the "new" Beverly Hills Gun Club. But it's not a range. It'll be a real club.
Saturday, March 10, 2007
Beverly Hills Gun Club in the Eddie Murphy Movie, Beverly Hills Cop
Here's a review of a sequel, Beverly Hills Cop III:
http://www.killermovies.com/b/beverlyhillscopiii/reviews/1cw.html
I didn't watch the movie. There's a scene in the movie with Eddy Murphy involving the "Beverly Hills Gun Club". Anybody care to share that scene?
http://www.killermovies.com/b/beverlyhillscopiii/reviews/1cw.html
I didn't watch the movie. There's a scene in the movie with Eddy Murphy involving the "Beverly Hills Gun Club". Anybody care to share that scene?
Interesting Post in Calguns.net About the Old Beverly Hills Gun Club
Check it out:
http://www.calguns.net/calgunforum/showthread.php?t=50638
There used to be a Beverly Hills Gun Club that was an indoor shooting range. It has since closed. I've checked on the status of the name and it's now defunct. There's no active dba for it. There was also once a Beverly Hills Gun Club Inc but that too is not active as it has been cancelled long ago; I checked with the California Department of Corporations on that.
Also, there's a logo design that has been registered as a trademark, but alas, that too has been cancelled. In any case, the trademark is for the logo design. Although it says Beverly Hills Gun Club, the registration is not for the name. Oh well, it's inactive anyway.
We're clear on the name. No problems there. I've registered the name Beverly Hills Gun Club in Los Angeles County, and of course, I registered the domain name with a .Net. A squatter is sitting on the .Com, but oh well. We're not going to buy it. We'll do just fine with the .Net.
http://www.calguns.net/calgunforum/showthread.php?t=50638
There used to be a Beverly Hills Gun Club that was an indoor shooting range. It has since closed. I've checked on the status of the name and it's now defunct. There's no active dba for it. There was also once a Beverly Hills Gun Club Inc but that too is not active as it has been cancelled long ago; I checked with the California Department of Corporations on that.
Also, there's a logo design that has been registered as a trademark, but alas, that too has been cancelled. In any case, the trademark is for the logo design. Although it says Beverly Hills Gun Club, the registration is not for the name. Oh well, it's inactive anyway.
We're clear on the name. No problems there. I've registered the name Beverly Hills Gun Club in Los Angeles County, and of course, I registered the domain name with a .Net. A squatter is sitting on the .Com, but oh well. We're not going to buy it. We'll do just fine with the .Net.
Spokesperson for the Beverly Hills Gun Club
Thinking more into the future, what about a spokesperson for the new Beverly Hills Gun Club? There would be some great promotional opportunities by selecting the right spokesperson.
The first idea that comes to mind is an actual celebrity who lives in Beverly Hills. It would be great if we can collect an eclectic mix. The image of Beverly Hills is an eclectic one, anyway. You have high-profile conservatives mixed in with Hollywood entertainers. The common bond between them is wealth and success --- or so it appears to most people. The ideal is to have representatives from that mix. It can be a rapper, an actor, a model, a movie producer, a high powered physician, a corporate executive, and so on.
But we're just dreaming now, because -- hey! --- we're starting out small potatoes, remember?
Initially, we can sponsor a semi-successful IPSC or IDPA shooting competitor. The shooter wears our logo in competition and lends us his image for our website, newsletter and other public relations. It wouldn't cost much. Unfortunately --- but fortunately for us at the moment --- elite shooters aren't paid anywhere near the big bucks of professional basketball players and other pro athletes. While you need to pay millions to Serena Williams to be the image for your company, you can just give some free branded jackets, gear and a couple hundred bucks to an elite shooter. Not trying to be exploitative here, but that's just the reality.
BTW, here's something else I discovered which can provide a low-cost option in this subject. We can hire a low-level actor or actress type who hasn't made it yet. That person understands the mentality and profile of Beverly Hills but just doesn't have the funds. Believe me, the can be hire inexpensively, and there are a lot of them ready and willing. All it takes is an ad in craigslist.org to get a large list of candidates.
The first idea that comes to mind is an actual celebrity who lives in Beverly Hills. It would be great if we can collect an eclectic mix. The image of Beverly Hills is an eclectic one, anyway. You have high-profile conservatives mixed in with Hollywood entertainers. The common bond between them is wealth and success --- or so it appears to most people. The ideal is to have representatives from that mix. It can be a rapper, an actor, a model, a movie producer, a high powered physician, a corporate executive, and so on.
But we're just dreaming now, because -- hey! --- we're starting out small potatoes, remember?
Initially, we can sponsor a semi-successful IPSC or IDPA shooting competitor. The shooter wears our logo in competition and lends us his image for our website, newsletter and other public relations. It wouldn't cost much. Unfortunately --- but fortunately for us at the moment --- elite shooters aren't paid anywhere near the big bucks of professional basketball players and other pro athletes. While you need to pay millions to Serena Williams to be the image for your company, you can just give some free branded jackets, gear and a couple hundred bucks to an elite shooter. Not trying to be exploitative here, but that's just the reality.
BTW, here's something else I discovered which can provide a low-cost option in this subject. We can hire a low-level actor or actress type who hasn't made it yet. That person understands the mentality and profile of Beverly Hills but just doesn't have the funds. Believe me, the can be hire inexpensively, and there are a lot of them ready and willing. All it takes is an ad in craigslist.org to get a large list of candidates.
Training - Real Events, Part II
Further to my prior post, we use shooting events as the basis for the social mixers. That's pretty clear.
Now, the founders of the new Beverly Hills Gun Club are bona fide firearms instructors. What about using training as a basis to get people together? Then, we can do all the wine-and-cheese and related things mixed in with the training.
It goes without saying that later there will be plenty of fee-based training, but I'm thinking of offering some free training as a way to get people together and have an excuse to mix socially.
We can do free training on home safety, the Refuse To Be A Victim seminar, pistol fundamentals, shotgun fundamentals, etc.
Now, the founders of the new Beverly Hills Gun Club are bona fide firearms instructors. What about using training as a basis to get people together? Then, we can do all the wine-and-cheese and related things mixed in with the training.
It goes without saying that later there will be plenty of fee-based training, but I'm thinking of offering some free training as a way to get people together and have an excuse to mix socially.
We can do free training on home safety, the Refuse To Be A Victim seminar, pistol fundamentals, shotgun fundamentals, etc.
Real Events in the Beverly Hills Community
Our vision is that this club will eventually have worldwide appeal with a global membership, or at least global consumers. ;-) But let's not lose sight of the foundation --- the local chapter of the Beverly Hills Gun Club, located in (TA DA!) Beverly Hills!
We really need to have events with Beverly Hills people. People who can support the Second Amendment rights, to be sure. But --- I don't know --- maybe we shouldn't press that aspect too much. That subject becomes overly political and people view the subject in much the same way as Democrats versus Republicans, sex, religion and other taboo or controversial subjects. We want to focus on the social aspect --- party time, social gatherings and the like --- an excuse to party. Based on the common interest of firearms. Even if it's a casual or passing interest on the part of some people.
Maybe we can make gun ownership cool and chick --- as in Beverly Hills chic!
I realize, too, that there's a liberal mentality in the area that is anti-gun. But I believe there are enough people who are interested in guns in Beverly Hills. I know, I've met some of them.
And also, as a Second Amendment proponent myself, there's the desire to spread the word and convert people. And the way to do that is not to pressure people but to take the lighter, more friendly approach. What better way than to have a fun-filled social gathering, all the while demonstrating the benefits --- and fun! --- of guns.
OK, before you think that this approach is too sly, conniving and underhanded, I will say that my first interest is to make this whole project fun and enjoyable for everybody --- and to create demand.
I alluded to some events in an earlier post. Wine and cheese get-togethers, luncheons, gun collection shows, barbecues and other social mixers. The common theme in all these, of course, is guns. We can mix bullseye competitions (nothing serious, mind you, but fun events) or watermelon/tin can shootouts. We are gun enthusiasts so we can come up with a lot of fun shooting events to tie in the social gatherings.
And we keep everything Beverly Hills light. No hardcore military commando stuff, okay?
We really need to have events with Beverly Hills people. People who can support the Second Amendment rights, to be sure. But --- I don't know --- maybe we shouldn't press that aspect too much. That subject becomes overly political and people view the subject in much the same way as Democrats versus Republicans, sex, religion and other taboo or controversial subjects. We want to focus on the social aspect --- party time, social gatherings and the like --- an excuse to party. Based on the common interest of firearms. Even if it's a casual or passing interest on the part of some people.
Maybe we can make gun ownership cool and chick --- as in Beverly Hills chic!
I realize, too, that there's a liberal mentality in the area that is anti-gun. But I believe there are enough people who are interested in guns in Beverly Hills. I know, I've met some of them.
And also, as a Second Amendment proponent myself, there's the desire to spread the word and convert people. And the way to do that is not to pressure people but to take the lighter, more friendly approach. What better way than to have a fun-filled social gathering, all the while demonstrating the benefits --- and fun! --- of guns.
OK, before you think that this approach is too sly, conniving and underhanded, I will say that my first interest is to make this whole project fun and enjoyable for everybody --- and to create demand.
I alluded to some events in an earlier post. Wine and cheese get-togethers, luncheons, gun collection shows, barbecues and other social mixers. The common theme in all these, of course, is guns. We can mix bullseye competitions (nothing serious, mind you, but fun events) or watermelon/tin can shootouts. We are gun enthusiasts so we can come up with a lot of fun shooting events to tie in the social gatherings.
And we keep everything Beverly Hills light. No hardcore military commando stuff, okay?
Online Directory of Members and Marksmen
I think it's a good feature to publish a directory of Beverly Hills Gun Club members by city, state and country. I realize some people want to maintain privacy so we can just indicate their initials under their city, state and country.
The benefit of the directory is that it shows the breadth of our membership and people of like interest in other parts of the country may have an opportunity to get together and perhaps even create regional chapters later. Of course, initially there won't be many people and it would look like the club is small potatoes. But you have to start somewhere.
In addition to the membership roster, there can be an indication of the marksmanship level for anybody who decides to pursue a qualifying mark.
What do you think? Hit me up with an email, or post in the comments section.
The benefit of the directory is that it shows the breadth of our membership and people of like interest in other parts of the country may have an opportunity to get together and perhaps even create regional chapters later. Of course, initially there won't be many people and it would look like the club is small potatoes. But you have to start somewhere.
In addition to the membership roster, there can be an indication of the marksmanship level for anybody who decides to pursue a qualifying mark.
What do you think? Hit me up with an email, or post in the comments section.
Friday, March 9, 2007
Ideas on the Marksmanship Qualification Program
Marksmanship Ratings
These are not yet cast in stone (in fact, they never will) but serves as some general guidelines. The standard levels of marksmanship should be as follows:
Pro Marksman
Marksman
Marksman First Class
Sharpshooter
Expert
Distinguished Expert
Those are the commonly recognized ranks, whereever you go, be it military, law enforcement or other organizations. We should stick with those.
What about course of fire?
We can go all over the place on this. I think we need to keep it simple first. I'd propose a bullseye pistol type of course of fire with slow fire, timed fire and rapid fire scoring. Later on, we can get into a lot of other things --- rifle, shotgun, handgun, etc.
At most, maybe we can add a rifle qualifier. So we have pistol and rifle first.
We can work on the actual scoring later. There are many models out there for us to consider. We'll try to make it as simple as possible. Don't pick overly long ranges, but something that most people will have access to, including shooters in urban areas who can access only indoor ranges with limited distances. We'll use standard types of targets that are easy to purchase.
Postal verification
I propose that shooters mail in their qualifying targets. The NRA Marksmanship Qualification Program relies exclusively on the honor system for all levels except Distinguished Expert. It's easy to implement this. We can add another dimension with postal verification to keep it interesting and add some accountability. What do you think?
Awards
I'm proposing to provide the following awards for each shooter attaining a new level:
Publication of Directory
We can maintain some type of directory by city/state/country that has individuals who have qualified at different levels. People who don't want to be identified can have their initials listed. I think it's a good idea to have a comprehensive list even if a portion of folks are anonymous. That reinforces to people that this is a solid program with reasonable participation (if that in fact is the case).
Shooter of the Month Recognition
We publicize a short bio with picture of a qualifying shooter once a month. Or if that's too much, we can do it every 6-months, or maybe just when we get to it. And call it simply "Shooter in the Spotlight" or something like that.
We ask a selected shooter to complete a bio and a questionnaire. One of the questions should be: How has the Beverly Hills Marksmanship Qualification Program helped you as a shooter?
That would give tremendous PR potential.
These are not yet cast in stone (in fact, they never will) but serves as some general guidelines. The standard levels of marksmanship should be as follows:
Pro Marksman
Marksman
Marksman First Class
Sharpshooter
Expert
Distinguished Expert
Those are the commonly recognized ranks, whereever you go, be it military, law enforcement or other organizations. We should stick with those.
What about course of fire?
We can go all over the place on this. I think we need to keep it simple first. I'd propose a bullseye pistol type of course of fire with slow fire, timed fire and rapid fire scoring. Later on, we can get into a lot of other things --- rifle, shotgun, handgun, etc.
At most, maybe we can add a rifle qualifier. So we have pistol and rifle first.
We can work on the actual scoring later. There are many models out there for us to consider. We'll try to make it as simple as possible. Don't pick overly long ranges, but something that most people will have access to, including shooters in urban areas who can access only indoor ranges with limited distances. We'll use standard types of targets that are easy to purchase.
Postal verification
I propose that shooters mail in their qualifying targets. The NRA Marksmanship Qualification Program relies exclusively on the honor system for all levels except Distinguished Expert. It's easy to implement this. We can add another dimension with postal verification to keep it interesting and add some accountability. What do you think?
Awards
I'm proposing to provide the following awards for each shooter attaining a new level:
- Certificate
- Medal
- Rocker
Publication of Directory
We can maintain some type of directory by city/state/country that has individuals who have qualified at different levels. People who don't want to be identified can have their initials listed. I think it's a good idea to have a comprehensive list even if a portion of folks are anonymous. That reinforces to people that this is a solid program with reasonable participation (if that in fact is the case).
Shooter of the Month Recognition
We publicize a short bio with picture of a qualifying shooter once a month. Or if that's too much, we can do it every 6-months, or maybe just when we get to it. And call it simply "Shooter in the Spotlight" or something like that.
We ask a selected shooter to complete a bio and a questionnaire. One of the questions should be: How has the Beverly Hills Marksmanship Qualification Program helped you as a shooter?
That would give tremendous PR potential.
Beverly Hills Gun Club apparel will soon be available!
I have the logo design created by The Logo Loft designers and have already established an account with Cafepress for this club; Cafepress is a facility for clubs and organizations to quickly create a line of apparel and souvenirs. The logo designers will be providing me the design images (used to be called "camera-ready" back in the pre-Internet days, but nowadays, everything is digitized) which I will upload to Cafepress.
It's far from ready yet, but here's the location of the apparel store which you can feel free to bookmark now.
http://www.cafepress.com/bhgunclub
Even with this line of apparel, this will just be a start, of course. We'll get some original and unique clothing designs down the road, so stay tuned!
It's far from ready yet, but here's the location of the apparel store which you can feel free to bookmark now.
http://www.cafepress.com/bhgunclub
Even with this line of apparel, this will just be a start, of course. We'll get some original and unique clothing designs down the road, so stay tuned!
Welcome!
Come join us as we launch the "new" Beverly Hills Gun Club --- a club for gun enthusiasts in Beverly Hills and their supporters. The objective of this club is social. Yes, indeed, we believe strongly in our Second Amendment Rights as Americans, but this is less of a political club and more of a platform for meeting old friends and making new friends.
We'll get together for social mixers --- wine and cheese parties, gatherings to hear speakers, luncheons, picnics and whatever we can dream up to get together. And of course, we'll have our fare of shooting events --- day-long shootouts, bullseye competitions, day-long range time with barbecue.
Please note: This is not exclusively only for residents of Beverly Hills. Supporters from all around the world are encouraged to lend support. After all, that's what the Internet community provides --- a worldwide neighborhood without geographical boundaries.
One focal feature that hopefully will bind worldwide members together is a marksmanship qualification program. It'll have to be a postal type of system. Members will have the opportunity to qualify for bona fide marksmanship rankings, including:
Occasionally, we'll have mail-in bullseye competitions! Oh, and in case I forgot, did I tell you one of the main objectives is to have fun? Have fun!
We'll get together for social mixers --- wine and cheese parties, gatherings to hear speakers, luncheons, picnics and whatever we can dream up to get together. And of course, we'll have our fare of shooting events --- day-long shootouts, bullseye competitions, day-long range time with barbecue.
Please note: This is not exclusively only for residents of Beverly Hills. Supporters from all around the world are encouraged to lend support. After all, that's what the Internet community provides --- a worldwide neighborhood without geographical boundaries.
One focal feature that hopefully will bind worldwide members together is a marksmanship qualification program. It'll have to be a postal type of system. Members will have the opportunity to qualify for bona fide marksmanship rankings, including:
- Pro Marksman
- Marksman
- Marksman First Class
- Sharpshooter
- Expert
- Distinguished Expert
Occasionally, we'll have mail-in bullseye competitions! Oh, and in case I forgot, did I tell you one of the main objectives is to have fun? Have fun!
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