Indoor shooting range opens in Camas

CAMAS — Now is a lucrative time to be in the firearms business. In just the past 10 weeks, the Clark County Sheriff’s Office has issued more than 1,400 new concealed-carry permits. According to background check data, 2015 is on track to set a new record in gun sales.

But at SafeFire Indoor Shooting Range & Retail, which opened Tuesday with a ribbon-cutting, owner Danna Olson is aiming for more than selling guns.

She wants to welcome people who haven’t always felt comfortable shopping for firearms or learning to use them, including women and youths. Olson said she thinks SafeFire’s atmosphere will make it a hub both for longtime enthusiasts and newcomers to shooting sports.

When talking about her new venture on Tuesday, the first-time business owner spoke the words “safe” and “friendly” repeatedly.

“I wanted to make this a safe place to learn safe handling, safe use and safe storage of firearms,” she said before snapping a red ribbon with an oversized pair of gold scissors. “I want (SafeFire) to become known as one of the safest, friendliest businesses in the community.”

The new 21,000-square-foot facility includes a first-floor retail shop that sells firearms, ammunition and a wide array of accessories and apparel. Downstairs, an indoor shooting range has 17 lanes, each with a shooting distance of up to 25 yards. A ventilation system reduces airborne contaminants.

Customers may lease and test guns before buying. Classes are offered in firearms safety as well as shooting skills. The shop also has secured gun storage available for lease to people who own guns but want to keep them out of the home.

A new gun club is based at the facility, with tiered membership levels ranging in cost from $29 to $239 per month. Members who buy in at the top tier gain access to a club suite, with leather seating, televisions and a wet bar. A 20-foot window provides a sound-proof view from the suite to the shooting range.

Longtime interest

Olson grew up in the Camas area and was introduced to firearms as a young girl, when she learned to shoot and hunt with her father, developer Matt Olson.

“I was fascinated by the (gun) industry, and I saw a need for a safe and friendly place where people could come to learn,” she said.

She graduated in 2012 from Washington State University’s Vancouver campus with a degree in business management.

“I’m a people person and I like to do something different every day, so I loved the idea of owning my own business,” Olson said.

To fine-tune her business idea, Olson, 26, said she visited gun stores and shooting ranges throughout the region. As a young woman who still had a lot to learn about guns, Olson said she noticed that salesmen were often condescending or dismissive.

She saw a need for an all-inclusive store and shooting range that had a friendly atmosphere and placed an emphasis on safety.

Matt Olson is co-owner of the building that houses SafeFire, but he said he didn’t have his daughter’s business in mind when construction began. Danna Olson put together a business plan, and then her father realized his new space would work for it because it has a full basement that is suitable for an indoor shooting range. She signed a lease and became one of the commercial building’s first tenants.

By the new year, SafeFire will also have a high-tech shooting simulator, made by TI Outdoors.

The live-action simulator uses a large screen and surround sound to place a participant in a variety of scenarios — from realistic law enforcement situations to gopher hunting to cowboy shootouts to zombie attacks — and lets them practice using a gun with real recoil action. An instructor in the room helps the participant develop and hone his or her skills under pressure.

“It’s a great training tool,” Danna Olson said.

Brent Erickson, executive director of the Camas-Washougal Chamber of Commerce, said he expects SafeFire to thrive, as the business fills an unmet need. He said the community is full of hunters and sport shooters who will appreciate an indoor, year-round facility.

SafeFire has 25 employees, including Kate Woltersdorf, who has experience as a retail saleswoman and as a competitive shooter. Woltersdorf, 25, has competed in Olympic-style .22 and air rifle target shooting for 15 years, she said.

Olson said she plans to hire five more employees next year. Brimstone Gunsmithing, in Amboy, will also be relocating to the SafeFire facility later this month.