ISA about us

INTERLAKE SPORTING ASSOCIATION

The closest 200yd rifle, pistol, archery and paintball range,
mixed-use sporting facility and nature preserve to Seattle and Bellevue

ABOUT US

The Interlake Sporting Association was formed in the postwar 1940's to provide a clubhouse and firearms use facilities for Northwest sportspersons and veterans. Our property consists of over 9 acres located in a wooded ravine in King County between the cities of Kirkland and Redmond. For many years it served as a place to meet and compete, train and practice with firearms, bow and arrow, fly rod and other sports equipment. Facilities have been gradually improved and varying degrees of public use was allowed.

The range currently offers facilities for rifle, pistol, shotgun, air gun and archery use, plus other sports and activities, and is open to the general public as member guests and invited public during competitions and special events. We also serve governmental and other organizations as a facility for firearms and tactical training and certification. Our indoor facility, seating 30 people and equipped with a full kitchen and office, is an ideal site for training classes and small seminars in a semi-rural setting. Many changes have taken place since our facility was founded and with a forecast for continuing growth in the metropolitan Seattle area, we expect more changes in the future. As a result, the Club exists in an increasingly complex environment.

In our continuing process of being the best possible neighbor for all in our community, we encourage all those interested in safe and ethical firearms use to join us and enjoy our facility. We support NRA-sanctioned training courses, State Hunter Education training, Law Enforcement Training, Boy's and Girl's Scouting and much more, all in the most convenient location from Greater Seattle and Bellevue.

Our setting is one of the most unique aspects of our organization, and is highly prized by all who visit us. Located between two young cities, we have the advantages of a semi-rural setting combined with very easy access to the largest metropolitan center in the Pacific Northwest. On our site, we have a native population of various protected species, including songbirds, woodpeckers, hawks, etc. In the spring and summer it's normal to see our resident deer browsing on the foliage with several babies in attendance. In fact, the deer are such a normal part of life here that one of our range rules requires shooters in the morning to walk the full range and flush the deer back into the forest, prior to firing! Whether you visit us for a picnic, some target practice, a full regional-level competition, a seminar or just to watch the birds, you're sure to enjoy any time you spend with us.

We are a non-profit corporation under the laws of the State of Washington, and completely volunteer operated.

We have the honor and pleasure of being recognized as being of significant community value by many organizations, including but not limited to;

NRA

IPSC

NWPPA

Washington State ROC

Agencies of the US Federal Government, including DEA, BATF and others

Several private security organizations

Agencies of the State of Washington

County and Municipal Agencies

Boy Scouts of America

Seattle University

Mannlicher Collectors Association

and more.

SPECIAL CREDIT AND THANKS

We are extremely lucky to have the support and assistance, sometimes at great personal cost, of several people. Without them, we would be dead and gone.

To Mr. Rick Raymond, our past president, and Mr. William T. McKay, of McKay Huffington P.L.L.C. in Seattle, our attorney, and to Mr. Rick Aramburu, of Aramburu-Eustis in Seattle, also our attorney, we extend our sincere thanks, respect and appreciation for a job very well done. Our great debt to you is enduring and can never be fully repaid. Thank you.

And lest we forget...

Want to see where lots of YOUR tax dollars are going? They're being used to kill us, and all other shooting ranges in this area. See

http://www.ci.redmond.wa.us/insidecityhall/citycouncil/agendas.asp#current and

http://www.mrsc.org/mc/redmond/redmnd5.htm#580

The ordinance was written, at great expense, specifically to make life as difficult for us or any other firearms facility as possible, despite the fact that our property is not in Redmond. Why would they do that? Simple; Redmond is in the continuing process of absorbing our section and other sections of King County, against the will of many of the land owners, by force. This documented series of official acts has been ongoing for over 20 years at the behest of developers, speculators and their associates. The Redmond city government has their own firearms range, in the basement of the police department building, which the ordinance specifically excludes. We may have representative government, but the representation is certainly not equal. The City Council members at that time said it, themselves, while watching our mother deer lead her fawns into the brush in the late summer of 2001; 'deer don't vote, and don't buy property for development'. Many shooters and outdoors people take after the deer and don't vote, either. We were also directly told by a City Councilman, during a Council session in the same period, that 'you should have left town gracefully 5 years, ago. Now, we will simply deal with you.'

Is that the civil society you want? Is that why you risked your life for this country? Vote. Write letters. Get involved or lose your freedoms, your money and your future.

Note: As of 2 March 2010, our little island of the county has been voted into Redmond. The BRB has yet to approve the action, but we would be very surprised if they offer even a bleat of disapproval; 'it was all in the bag...'. With significant luck, we will continue to operate on our historic site. We will let you know how it goes.

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