I know this is long, but you should know what the management is like before you go out there.
This happened a while ago, but as I have heard from others in the area, the actions have not changed.
I wrote this as an email right after it happened to send to every shooter I knew and I'm glad I kept it.
Sunday 09 Oct. 2005, my brother and I took my 9 y/o son to the
A&R Gun Range in League City, for his first gun range visit. Knowing
the way those people are, I was prepared for the cease fire evolutions by
pulling my chair off into the grass. A gentleman of about 50 y/o, had stepped off but left his target on the table.
Stepping onto the concrete pad, he snatched his target and
was off in half of the time it took me to write this. The young woman
immediately over the speaker system shouted at him to get off the
concrete after he was already off and, she continued to berate him.
I found this conduct very discomforting, as my son was quite
troubled by this as she was screaming and berating over the speaker system.
To be clear, I understand their rules and the need for them to
enforce them (even though I think these are excessive and zealous), but there
are two ways to do everything. I walked up to this woman and simply asked her her name.
She yelled it at me and said that if I had a problem, I
could talk to the owner, "Thats my mother." I immediately though,
"Well, this is a waste of time" and turned to go into the building to
use the restroom. "YOUR NOT AUTHORIZED TO GO INTO THAT CLASSROOM!" she screamed at me
(as the classroom for concealed carry is in the back of that building, the restroom is in the front).
Her mother intercepted me and wanted to know the problem. I tried to explain that I thought it very
unprofessional for her to talk to a customer that way. At no time was I ever given a chance to finish
one sentience. If the daughter wasn't screaming at me and trying to justify her actions, her mother
was interrupting me with the line of thought, "Extremism in regards of safety is no vice." The father
comes out of the building and asked me what was going on. Again, in a calm voice, I start trying to explain
what was going on. Seeing that these people were not in control of their emotions, I made a point to
keep my voice calm. I made sure I was not raising my voice.
The father, Al Trug, did not wait for me to get out one sentence
(while in the background his daughter was yelling "HE WAS GOING INTO THE CLASSROOM!") before interrupting
me and telling me I wasn't authorized to do this or that. At this point I decided to finish sighting in my rifle,
knock the dust from my shoes and never return.
After I finished firing my three shots, I put the rifle down and
heard behind me, "Are you calmed down enough now to talk about it?"
Turning and seeing the owner waiting for me, I thought this was strange as I had never lost my temper or
raised my voice, but figured that he wanted to pour oil on the water in the spirit of customer service.
I left my rifle on the table and walked up to him and said that I would be happy to talk to him and thought
that maybe I would return. "DON'T YOU YELL AT ME." he screamed. Confused I expressed my apologies and
removed my hearing protection. I started to say that I wanted to
work this out. Again not being able to finish a sentence before being interrupted again,
"DON'T YOU TOUCH ME! DON'T YOU TOUCH ME!!!
My brother and I both found this strange as I at least seven feet from him. And after thinking about his later conduct in the office,
I understood that what he was doing is setting up his alibi. As a CCL instructor, he
knows that by saying these things, he could repeat them in court to set
the stage of him being the innocent party. There is nothing farther
from the truth.
At the moment I thought he had come to me to try to make things
better between us as I had been in his office a week before to find out
about a Concealed Carry Class for myself and four others. After thinking
about it, he didn't come down there to keep a long term customer happy,
but searching for the moral high ground to justify his conduct.
After ignoring his rude outburst, I tried to explain that I had been coming
here for 20 years-"I don't care how long you've been coming here!"-and
in the past five years I've brought about 25 people there with me. And
I was going to bring five more people for his class-"I don't need your
money, you know how much money I have?!" I'd had enough and said that he lost any business of mine for the rest of my life, where he informed
me that I wasn't ever welcomed back.
My brother (quite angry at this point) pushed over one of their rusted
dilapidated folding chairs to get his things and the owner YELLED at him
not to break his chairs. Again, not reacting to the facts of the
situation, but maneuvering his story in order to justify his near future
actions. Not only did we pack up to leave, but three other
shooters as well. As the whole crowd of us were walking out, the owner
was positioned next to the walk way with a shoulder holster on, with his
hands in the ready to pull his Glock out. His hand was inches from the
pistol and he was in a combative stance.
I found this disturbing as I had my 9 y/o son with me, who was
on his first rifle range experience.
We were all informed that we were not ever to return. One thing we did
agree with him over.
In the parking lot, I told the other shooters that there was a private
range down Nasa Pkwy called PSC that cost $150 a year and you get the combination to the gate.
All of them expressed their support for that idea.
In the time that I have been patronizing this establishment, I have
observed the management many times treat other people in just the same
manor. I made every effort to speak calmly and resolve the issue. That
was wasted effort.
This all started by me just asking the girl her name and nothing else.
It all escalated because they know they can throw their weight around
and the owner then just needed a moral justification to ban us all from
the property. I will NEVER cast my shadow there again as long as Al
Trug, or any relative of his is in ownership of that range.
To surmise what happened, I never raised my voice, I never had an
opportunity to finish one sentence and I never forwarded any aggressive
or angry behavior. Al Trug knows what lies to say to cast himself as
the aggrieved party and justify his actions. When I made a complaint
with the League City Police Department, they informed me that yes they
are quite aware of this man and his antics and though he came up to the
edge of breaking the law, he didn't pass that line.
This happened a while ago, but as I have heard from others in the area, the actions have not changed.
I wrote this as an email right after it happened to send to every shooter I knew and I'm glad I kept it.
Sunday 09 Oct. 2005, my brother and I took my 9 y/o son to the
A&R Gun Range in League City, for his first gun range visit. Knowing
the way those people are, I was prepared for the cease fire evolutions by
pulling my chair off into the grass. A gentleman of about 50 y/o, had stepped off but left his target on the table.
Stepping onto the concrete pad, he snatched his target and
was off in half of the time it took me to write this. The young woman
immediately over the speaker system shouted at him to get off the
concrete after he was already off and, she continued to berate him.
I found this conduct very discomforting, as my son was quite
troubled by this as she was screaming and berating over the speaker system.
To be clear, I understand their rules and the need for them to
enforce them (even though I think these are excessive and zealous), but there
are two ways to do everything. I walked up to this woman and simply asked her her name.
She yelled it at me and said that if I had a problem, I
could talk to the owner, "Thats my mother." I immediately though,
"Well, this is a waste of time" and turned to go into the building to
use the restroom. "YOUR NOT AUTHORIZED TO GO INTO THAT CLASSROOM!" she screamed at me
(as the classroom for concealed carry is in the back of that building, the restroom is in the front).
Her mother intercepted me and wanted to know the problem. I tried to explain that I thought it very
unprofessional for her to talk to a customer that way. At no time was I ever given a chance to finish
one sentience. If the daughter wasn't screaming at me and trying to justify her actions, her mother
was interrupting me with the line of thought, "Extremism in regards of safety is no vice." The father
comes out of the building and asked me what was going on. Again, in a calm voice, I start trying to explain
what was going on. Seeing that these people were not in control of their emotions, I made a point to
keep my voice calm. I made sure I was not raising my voice.
The father, Al Trug, did not wait for me to get out one sentence
(while in the background his daughter was yelling "HE WAS GOING INTO THE CLASSROOM!") before interrupting
me and telling me I wasn't authorized to do this or that. At this point I decided to finish sighting in my rifle,
knock the dust from my shoes and never return.
After I finished firing my three shots, I put the rifle down and
heard behind me, "Are you calmed down enough now to talk about it?"
Turning and seeing the owner waiting for me, I thought this was strange as I had never lost my temper or
raised my voice, but figured that he wanted to pour oil on the water in the spirit of customer service.
I left my rifle on the table and walked up to him and said that I would be happy to talk to him and thought
that maybe I would return. "DON'T YOU YELL AT ME." he screamed. Confused I expressed my apologies and
removed my hearing protection. I started to say that I wanted to
work this out. Again not being able to finish a sentence before being interrupted again,
"DON'T YOU TOUCH ME! DON'T YOU TOUCH ME!!!
My brother and I both found this strange as I at least seven feet from him. And after thinking about his later conduct in the office,
I understood that what he was doing is setting up his alibi. As a CCL instructor, he
knows that by saying these things, he could repeat them in court to set
the stage of him being the innocent party. There is nothing farther
from the truth.
At the moment I thought he had come to me to try to make things
better between us as I had been in his office a week before to find out
about a Concealed Carry Class for myself and four others. After thinking
about it, he didn't come down there to keep a long term customer happy,
but searching for the moral high ground to justify his conduct.
After ignoring his rude outburst, I tried to explain that I had been coming
here for 20 years-"I don't care how long you've been coming here!"-and
in the past five years I've brought about 25 people there with me. And
I was going to bring five more people for his class-"I don't need your
money, you know how much money I have?!" I'd had enough and said that he lost any business of mine for the rest of my life, where he informed
me that I wasn't ever welcomed back.
My brother (quite angry at this point) pushed over one of their rusted
dilapidated folding chairs to get his things and the owner YELLED at him
not to break his chairs. Again, not reacting to the facts of the
situation, but maneuvering his story in order to justify his near future
actions. Not only did we pack up to leave, but three other
shooters as well. As the whole crowd of us were walking out, the owner
was positioned next to the walk way with a shoulder holster on, with his
hands in the ready to pull his Glock out. His hand was inches from the
pistol and he was in a combative stance.
I found this disturbing as I had my 9 y/o son with me, who was
on his first rifle range experience.
We were all informed that we were not ever to return. One thing we did
agree with him over.
In the parking lot, I told the other shooters that there was a private
range down Nasa Pkwy called PSC that cost $150 a year and you get the combination to the gate.
All of them expressed their support for that idea.
In the time that I have been patronizing this establishment, I have
observed the management many times treat other people in just the same
manor. I made every effort to speak calmly and resolve the issue. That
was wasted effort.
This all started by me just asking the girl her name and nothing else.
It all escalated because they know they can throw their weight around
and the owner then just needed a moral justification to ban us all from
the property. I will NEVER cast my shadow there again as long as Al
Trug, or any relative of his is in ownership of that range.
To surmise what happened, I never raised my voice, I never had an
opportunity to finish one sentence and I never forwarded any aggressive
or angry behavior. Al Trug knows what lies to say to cast himself as
the aggrieved party and justify his actions. When I made a complaint
with the League City Police Department, they informed me that yes they
are quite aware of this man and his antics and though he came up to the
edge of breaking the law, he didn't pass that line.
