Guns & Gun Rights in Yuma Arizona – EP70

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Topics in this episode: 

  • Interview with Richard Sprague of Sprague’s Sports in Yuma Arizona

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Guns & Gun Rights in Yuma Arizona EP70

00:00:01 – 00:05:14

Praise the Lord and pass the ammunition. It’s time for the gun guy. Tv podcast hi. This is Julie Persinger. I’m the gun guy. Thank you very much for all of you support on Gun Guy TV for all of your support. You support me. I really do appreciate it. I’ve got a great podcast for you this time around. I’m actually doing podcast from my bedroom in my house. The reason for that is obviously with corona virus. Were all locked at home and I got a bunch of people in my house because we have kids and my wife and I. They’re all playing monopoly on a video game and living room and it’s making too much noise in my recording studio and I couldn’t block at blanket out so I’m actually in the master bedroom doing my podcast from here. Hey you know what whatever works right all right so this podcast is back to being the two part podcast again. Where the first part will be available for you on your favorite podcast player. And then we also posted generally on the video distribution sites like youtube bit shoot gun streamer the Utah Gun Exchange facebook video. And so on. So you’ll find it in all of those places in video form with just the thumbnail or whatever but we we do that just to make it easier because a lot of folks do wanNA listen not only on the on iheartradio for example or stitcher or whatever but they also want to listen or usually the video platform to do that. What I would appreciate from you if you wouldn’t mind if you wouldn’t mind supporting the podcast is if you would please support us by shopping. Amazon using our Amazon links right. Now money’s tight for everybody but there are a lot of folks buying things online and the primary reason they’re doing that is because they don’t want to have to go to the store during this Corona virus thing. So if that’s the case that you and your buying things from Amazon if you could do it through our Amazon Lincoln won’t cost you anything but it does help us quite a bit but if you would do that that would be great. You’ll find our website at gun. Guy Dot TV or gun. Guy Tv.com gun guy. Tv Dot net. You can go to the top of the website. There’s a banner a banner ad up there for Amazon. If you click on that it will take you directly to our Amazon link where you can You can use that link to support US anytime you use that link to go to Amazon. You can book market after that anytime you do that and then shop at Amazon if you go to that Lincoln Your bookmarks and do your shopping there. It costs you absolutely nothing but Amazon. Pays us a little marketing fee and that helps us a ton all right now? I part of the podcast is going to be an interview that we did at shot. Show with Richard Sprague from sprague’s sports. Now he’s GonNa talk a little bit about what’s going on at sprague sports in Yuma which is a fabulous store but he also talks about what’s happening in the state of Arizona with regard to the Second Amendment so it’s a very good interview and then after that on Patriot. Only I’ll be talking about the lessons learned as a result of this pandemic on how to be better prepared for this stuff the next time not only with our firearms but also other pieces of equipment. That might be very useful. Talk about that in the second part of the podcast which is unpatriotic only all right. So let’s get started with the interview with Richard Sprague from sprague’s sports show with my son Nick and more. Who’s overmanning the camera? Who’s not on the camera? But he probably will chime in. Are you there yes I am? Yes Pete is the mystery voice in the background and We’ve got Richard Sprague here from sprague sports which is an outstanding store out. Huma arezzo which I very much love and the nice part about Richard’s as a great store there’s been there for everybody’s kind enough to let me have people send firearms for us to review so thank you very much. I really appreciate. That is very generous of you to do that. You’re very welcome. What’s going on with Frank’s New Year? Just here to get a get a sentiment on the direction the industry and always love the energy. That’s here when you walk into the Burton send you enter the the doors. You can just feel the excitement and the energy and this. My forty first shot show in a row came here. When did you I been at the first one on? Saint Louis in haven’t missed any of them is that right. Wow so look forward to it. Every year my feet cast twelve and I thought I’d been her forty fifth forty. I forty just proves I’m deaf in my old age. That’s okay okay. So what do you have a focus stuff? You’re looking for a while you’re here well you know. We’re always looking for new products. We’re always looking to expand and extend relationships and Just learn this is all about learning. We don’t do any real buying here. I’ll might jump on an opportunity but it’s There’s not enough time to really buy stuff here to make good decisions so we saved that in reserve that for later but we’re here to learn and to give some some boys to things that we think could be improved and to see the new products and get them in your hand because it makes a difference in the world having your hands so you come out here mainly as an educational opportunity for you in an opportunity to speak back to the industries that which helps a lutely absolutely because and who’s in charge of things it changes year to year.

00:05:14 – 00:10:03

You know who’s running which manufacturer whatever distributor dealing with or factory. And so you know. There’s there’s always movement at the top Some of it so it it pays to know who to talk to about Co op about advertising about you. Know Warranty issues service and stuff like that. So this is the opportunity to talk to those folks directly to have special Mama with them. Face to face makes a lot of difference. I think as you know I’m in California so every in fact every time I see you at the store you asked me when I’m ever going to move out of that rotten state and come to a real estate or something along those lines. Are we laugh about it? What’s happening in Arizona Right now? That is there anything going on in Arizona’s Second Amendment legalize. It affects your store or factually the firearms business. We’re we’re not. I don’t know of any imminent challenges right now. The main concern I think for a lot of us is the fact that our state is growing in. A lot of people are moving from states. That aren’t so second amendment friendly and we’re just hoping that they are all Second Amendment folks and don’t bring Anti Second Amendment. You know feelings to our state as it grows. Were top seven million Recently and so you know that’s a double it. Was You know ten fifteen years ago? I would say and that’s our main concern. You know going from say red to purple you know as a as a voting block Concerns us but I don’t know of any imminent Second Amendment Challenges Right now in particular. We have a great governor Governor Ducey. And he’s you know he’s a strong proponent of the Second Amendment and a strong pro-business governor and so we’re proud of him and what he’s doing and all his efforts. Are you seeing any counties or cities that are seeming to to move in that direction or is it pretty much across the board near as of anything any real strong changes? I know there are certain Some some parts of the state have a little bit of liberalism going on around the some of the university. Some some of those towns but I don’t see them growing. Actually Kinda normal around you so sure that that’s an existential threat to cal state. You know those of us that live and and many of us grew up in that in in the great state of Arizona we We don’t necessarily think they should think that way. They brought a great shavers on. And I don’t think it’s an interesting thing that happened to state sometimes too. I can tell you having grown up in the Shanty Gloria that we used to have radio and television ADS that ran in San Diego. That would say thank you for visiting San Diego now. Please go home because it was a pretty tight knit. Pretty CONSERVATIVE PRO-MILITARY Pro Rights Community. And it’s the state was a totally different place. And we would actively encouraged people to go home rather than move there in fact it used to be when. I was growing up such a big deal. If you’re a San Diego native that you’d have a bumper sticker that says San Diego native where you’d have what because that was a that was something to be proud of data symbol rather than a transplant. A level of respect. The sad part is none of that helped. Look where we’re at. Yeah so I think. It is important In states like Zona which is such an incredible state to be vigilant. Not Take for granted that I agree that it. Can’t I completely agree? Don’t anything for granted ever anywhere. Always keep your guard up and always be willing to earn it every day. Now let’s run my business. I know you do. Let’s Talk Huma one of my favorite places it’s become you have some great stuff out you a first of all you got a great range at Spriggs and then you’ve got a gun store. Which every time I walk in. It reminds me kind of like a little mini pat bass pro shop. I love the store. And then you have a range out in Yuma your. I think your Dad was part of my dad helped started in the late. Nineteen sixties arranges with a couple of county board supervisor. Guys they got together and Acquired six hundred acres of property from combination the Bureau Land Management and Bureau reclamation and got the county to Manage it in the early years and got a lot of donated time and labor machines and built cut berms and put it in improvements in Made a real nice facility out there. You have a talent for understatement. I shoot at that range a lot. The idea of a real nice facility is a bit of an understatement. I absolutely adore that. Raines Rangers Awesome. It really isn’t it. It’s it’s countywide rules. You’d better know what you’re doing when you go out there anybody watching you. County ran it for the first couple of decades and then they had to cut some budget.

00:10:04 – 00:15:18

They had funding issues. And so the clubs at operating out there formed a nonprofit and took it over from the county and I believe there were five That were active in the various ranges out there from archery to long range silhouette to Yep Sick it’s a trap and skeet and they formed the Ad Arranges Inc and they’ve been running it ever since fabulous range. I love listening to the good night. Tv podcast please. Pay No attention to the man behind the curtain. What kind of hunting have you got up to you? Well we have You know we’re known as one of the premier places to hunt dove every year and a DUB opener September. I is huge for us. And of course quail in the outer desert areas. And you know we’ve got some Some waterfowl as well and of course the bull is not too far away to just under an hour drive and we’ve got you know big game. The desert supports mule deer and coups dear not necessarily. Do we have here in the Yuma area. But it’s a shelter for our drive. We’VE GOT SOME PRETTY. Dang good Mealey’s we’ve got actually in our store. A world record that was killed Sonoran strain rocky mountain mule deer This far club international recognizes this an orange strain as a as a different subspecies. We have two hundred ninety six inch world record. It was killed about forty miles from from our store out in the COPA National Wildlife. Refuge Chad Roberts is the hunter he’d been pursuing this dear for four four or five years co good customer of mine. When School is Dad? Grew up in Yuma and Scott. Twelve points on each side only four inches of Variation from one side of the next using buck. Wow now you mentioned Richard long-range and that’s become long-range precisions become Far More popular in the last five years or so in continues to gain every day. I mean you see out on the show floor the number of everything from new cartridges to new rifles to new everything in southern California we are not blessed with a very much that goes over three or four hundred yards and don’t think people realize how close a drive. You are for most of us. I mean Joel. Does it take you to get out to huma? Well I’M A. I’m an old guy so I drive slow but I’d say I don’t know what about two hours with the longest What’s the longest distance that you guys have out there? We have a thousand yard range. So that’s something that’s something that’s just not found in California and we have a silhouette ranges right next to it that Out goes out to five hundred meters where they shoot metallic silhouette so you’ve got a five hundred meter range and then thousand yard ranges well and I’ve used both of them in there Shannon. I didn’t hit these. Why did I hit the berm? Decided Hillshire no I watch out there with a buddy on the five hundred year old ranch with my m one grant and we were ringing the steel five hundred yards which is very very cool. Is that John that was John? Yeah Buddy of mine. You know former Marine recon sniper. That guy could hit anything at any. Distance needs amazing so but he was out there playing it and then. I was not nearly as often as but it was A. It was an awful lot of fun now. We take that place for granted but it is nice facility. I know people that have actually decided to move to Yuma because of that range. Because that’s what they wanted to do when they’re in their spare time and I’ve got guys that work for me. That are out there. Five days a week shooting range. The truth is I love that range and I would drive five hours to get there because I’m from California you can’t there’s no there is no facility like that original facility such a great range okay but at the same time. I’ve been out there when it’s one hundred degrees and I don’t necessarily want to stand up to one hundred eight degrees on the deer. Range Nick No. We did one time and I know we did it was it was brutal and I WANNA go shoot my handgun rifle or whatever. There’s another range after. Yes and jerk addition and everything so in two thousand and five we built a new building. Moved it seventy now built at seventy five yards behind our other store which is still up and is now a really great? Mexican restaurant called La Casa degli beaten there by the way he’s not lying. It’s a great mix. Yeah we love it and And they make their own tortillas but every day anyway we built our new store in two thousand and five and added an indoor range. It’s ten lanes it’s rifle rated traps Got a nice classroom that joins it and we’ve got also in that building we’ve got a fifty yard underground that is not open to the public But we shoot inside and rifles there every day In in the month of October will we’ll side in shoot in probably close to somewhere around one hundred rifles just getting ready to people ready for the hunt much incredible and then when we sell scopes we install them.

00:15:18 – 00:20:10

We bought him. Everybody does that mostly but then we also shoot him in for our customers as an added value and that gives us that capability. That’s pick up. I Buy I drop off my rifle. I buy an optic and Shea. I’d like to purchase and you guys take that dial in forget out in the field. I know I’m on absolutely and we. We get involved if it’s accustomed dial scope and you can get a particular dial elevation adjustment for it. We help our customers through that process as well now do you. Have you have a lot of law enforcement customer shelter? We do you know when my when I bought the store from my dad thirty. Five years ago he went and was involved with the local sheriff’s Office Huma County and he’s spent twenty two years Working with those guys so we have strong law enforcement connections my son Chat Was a local police officer And on the SWAT team for four years before I learned back into the family business as my Seo Strategy and so yeah we stay connected to those guys. I’ve got is at teach for me and work for me that our law enforcement affiliated currently minister to room. I asked the question. How much more feeders? Your store our our building is eighteen. Thousand one hundred and that includes the range and then we have a five thousand square foot warehouse behind the store And their showroom we count seventy three hundred square feet of showroom approximately so when I walk in the store a lot of folks have not been in that store. Now look if you’re going through Yuma and you are a if you’re not a gun person. Why are you listening to my podcast? First of all if you’re going into humid and you don’t stop at Spriggs you’ve missed out. I’m going to tell you that right now. There’s a few restaurants I could tell you about. If you don’t stop h you missed out as well. One of them was this spring. But there’s some others as well but if you don’t stop it spreads you’ve missed out when you walk in the door. It’s it’s extraordinarily cool so you get your store so I want you to describe to me what it’s like to walk through that store. Well you know I. I’m giving you the bragging rights babe because it’s your were strongly influenced by the are hunting customer. It’s I think impacts and influences about fifty percent of our sales so we have more big game ounce per square foot in our store than any cabello pro. I’ve done the math. I know and We take pride in the quality of the mouth we have in there. And that’s in the main part of the store in our our Remodeled Edition. We did in two thousand fifteen We created the Tack Room Our Tactical Lounge so to speak and there’s no big amounts of narrow. It’s a whole different feel and a whole different focus in that room and we just. There’s so many things that we could’ve cut and trend but we decided you know with our from the moment you walk in you. Notice are stained floors which are gorgeous and I just get a kick out of watching people from our offices which on the second level when they stop when they’re there for the first time a lot of if they are are outdoor enthusiasts. Stop and they just look all around the store and they just kind of go. Wow this feels good to me now. Of course you’re GonNa have some folks that are a little uncomfortable with that. Maybe but they’re the minority as far as the crowd that comes in our store. Well Nick and I are both hunters show. Every time I walk in the stood there while you know you’ve been busier. Whatever in one talked one of the guys were there? They’re busy and I’m waiting for something and I’ll stand there and look at the racks. These on these mounts and I can spend thirty minutes doing it. I can spend a few stores that I can walk in and water around in. Be there for a while and be perfectly happy even though I didn’t buy anything yet The tool area of home depots or does that make sense. You’re stores also one of those and I don’t say that just clarify Richard is not busting out his wallet and paying me any money for this interview. Not paying me a dime. We’re I’ve come to like him a lot and enjoy his store. And I gotTa tell you if I the one the there’s only one issue I have with your store. It’s not within a block of my. I was going to say it’s your driver address under drivers. It’s yeah that’s it. It’s not within a block of my house shooting straight and always right on target. This is the gun guy to heap. Podcast I think if I wanted to mention about your range as you can imagine I shoot a lot and I’m on a lot of indoor ranges.

00:20:11 – 00:25:01

That is nick would agree with me. That is d cleanest. Oh absolutely most even even from the standpoint of air quality. If I’m shooting up I’m shooting cheap ammo or something I can see the the the the unburned powder coming out of the end of the barrel and I don’t smell that I mean that doesn’t hit my face. Hit My nose anything. I don’t know what you’re we have their coronary trigger that we were playing with. And I didn’t I didn’t smell the powder at all. We spend. That’s really really important. And it’s critical. All ranges should have that goal to see if you smell smell. You’re you’re taking it in your system. You don’t want that and so We spend about you know we’re in a small community a small volume really refer range operation. Because we’re still in a small community but we spent about seven thousand dollars a year on filtration. We’ve changed filters every three weeks up on top. We have we run everything through a filter We have some outside air exchanges. Well it’s about forty percent outside air and so Super Super Important. His his point we were in there with that binary trigger. I mean that the rounds fly fast if under with that thing. And there’s no there’s no powder smell. There is no outer visible except for the brief instant after the round goes off. You’re running cheap ammo but I mean it’s it’s the inish among. I would share your rangers among the cleanest well-built ranges. I think I’ve walked in my life. Thank you very impressed. Very nice to hear you say that because it’s always a concern of ours and we We have a schedule. Of course everything pops up on your desktop and says time to change filters but if ever were busy maybe we’re at a shot show or we’re on a Han or something like that if you need. My guys ever smells any air from the range in the retail area. That’s a media signal. Were on that roof in like the next hour to changing filters yeah you open the door if you’re smelling it through the door. Yeah I gotTa Tell You. Balance is critical. Yeah I’ve been in a range shooting at I don’t smell it. So even our underground shoot tube which is three foot culvert pipe fifty yards down that we use for signs and stuff that is duct and and ran through the EPA filters. Yeah well what’s interesting? Is that you mentioned filters in the clean rooms at at my job. It’s got the same exact. Got The same. Feel as your range. It’s almost as if I’m walking into work so just That’s kind of what I noticed as well because you know and and where I work you can’t have any sort of any sort of F. O. D. or any sort of different air. Ashby credibly clean. It gives me that same vibe when I walk into the range which. I’m grateful to hear that and appreciative of your comments. I tell you when we go to change the filters they are the backside where there’s come through is so incredibly dirty and when you pull and see the backside of the filter it looks like you could do surgery. It’s so perfectly clean. It’s amazing job. They do yeah. Craig is another dirty shied. You’re thinking to yourself boy. Am I glad that’s not in my lunch? Exactly Yeah Yeah Batch. GonNa scream super important to me because I’ve got guys that shoot there every day. They start their day in our range. So and I’ve got staff that work in and around that including myself and so yeah that’s real important to senior mentioning it. You’re quite welcome Richard. Thank you very much for coming. Absolutely I know you know you. You’ve got to get back upstairs again. I talk about this industry and our and this business all day long and I’d love to have you one of the things you said to me. She wanted to get back to what you were doing. So I don’t want to burn up too much of you want to keep your before you go what’s What’s one sing? What some things to look forward to this year for products. That might be coming into your store. You know what? We barely covered the bottom floor. We have a lot to see yet. It’s only been one day of four but some things that stood out to me Not notably in sick booth which is about the only booth. I’ve been to on the main floor. Level their new cross rifle is pretty amazing Yeah and it’s called. Yeah they’re new to seventy seven fury around and then and a handgun side. The SIG P two ten carey which is something that? If you get your hands on it you’re gonNA feel like you’re GonNa Fall in love among those guns are pretty amazing. I expect they’re going to sell really really well. Okay well I’m excited to look forward to that pay Richard since Since podcast goes everywhere and They’re going to be a lot of people that are not going to drive out to your place. What’s the website address? It’s so thank goodness they can.

00:25:01 – 00:29:02

They can order something online from yet. It is W W W W W SPRAGUE DOT SPRAGUE’S DOT com so it’s just SPRAGUE’s S. P. isn’t Paul R. A. G. U. E. S. DOT COM. And how long before you start getting some pythons guts? I’ve already got some in But we need a lot more. We’ve got a waiting list. You know the funny part and we were talking about that yesterday where he and I. My Dad would not Columbia. County sheriff’s deputy entire career to carry the coal python. Oh Wow I wanted it and well at the time they were. It wasn’t a big deal. A normal guy and a lot of guys carrying it was he just liked colts. Better Dismiss for some reason I wanted it and I was Kinda sheepish about saying to him. Hey because you know I don’t want to talk to my dad about when you pass away the whole deal. I don’t want to talk to my dad about him. Passing away was weird. I didn’t say anything to him. Finally I got up the gumption to say it so we’re on the phone and I said Dad you know I don’t want this to be weird but you know I would love to inherit the Python was. I’m thinking I better say something or my brother is going to get it and it was just silence on the phone and I thought Oh. I’ve I’ve screwed. Yeah that was a bad move any sun. I’m terribly sorry I should what he said. I. I didn’t know that you wanted that. I sold that gun because I wanted to buy two other guys. I actually got three guns out of it. Of course my heart just broke and I felt better that he would have been worse if he’d said. I’m sure I already promised your brother. At least nine of US got it but at this point those things bring stupid money biennial incredible so. I’m very grateful. They’re building the new ones and it is on my list. I buy one. The unfortunate thing is right now. They’re wrestling with California to get it approved by California so they can get it on the list so I’m kind of stuck until that was going to be one of my next questions is going to make the list. According to the guy at Colt the answer is yes. They’re just because revolvers the deal with them as once they pay to get it on the list. They WANNA make sure. It’s the final product. They’re not going to change some internal peace because if they change any internal peace now. They’ve got to go through the whole expensive process with California. It’s going to be a little bit. But as soon as they come and I’M GONNA buy one here. They said a couple of years. They said that If a changes who manufactures a spring if they go from a vendor manufacturing a screw to manufacturing the screw in House that requires new certification with California? That’s crazy so how many thousands of dollars you forget. What a pieces. I recall grand. Yeah they’re two different barrel lengths. It’s another submission right coast of four quarter or whatever. Yeah really loves to make it easy. Don’t they well? I gotTa go very nice. Pretty good day so far right. They’re gonNA come tacos. We’ll talk to him about this. Great to see Richard. It was good to see wonderful. We’ll see next week. Thank you again very much for listening if we’re all of your support. I’m really grateful for what you do. If you’d like to hear the rest of the podcast. Those are on patriotic. Only you can sign up for Patriot by following the link in the description or just going to patriots searching for Gun Guy. Tv. And what’s your there? Then you’ll get exclusive access to content that you can’t find anywhere else. One of those things is the second half of this podcast. So if you’re listening on Patriae hang with me. We’ll start the next part of the podcast here just a minute if you’re listening on your favorite podcast player or to the public version. Thank you very much for all of your support. Have a wonderful week and please be safe. You’ve been listening to the gun. Guy TV podcast.

One comment

  1. You tuve has blocked all of your transmission on current cal gun las and 2nd adm rights. This page is not current and extremely long for me to read. I use your show as my current up too date gun information.

    P.S. I live in europe.

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