Century Gun Club, a Black trapshooting gun club in Michigan brings culture, history and fun to the forefront.
The historic African American trapshooting gun club, Century Gun Club, makes its primary mission to promote the safe and responsible use of firearms and to have fun – all while rewriting history and creating a legacy for others like them.
Century Gun Club, located at 8375 W. Newburg Road in Carleton (about 45 minutes outside of downtown Detroit), is an outdoor pistol range that has new opportunities for people looking for some competitive fun through gaming, shooting and more on its 40 acres of countryside land.
Founded in 1946, and incorporated in 1953, the Club is still going strong with many members that include second-generation shooters and highly successful competitive shooters who live locally and travel the nation to compete.
Noted as the first African American-owned gun club in Michigan, the legacy, weight and honor carried by the group is felt by all involved.
Jason Marzette, a second-generation member and former Detroit police officer, serves as vice president of the club.
Marzette told the Michigan Chronicle that his beloved club is notable for many things, and it is important to tell its story of overcoming racism, prejudice, discrimination and stereotypes while playing a game predominately played by white people.
“We’re in Black History Month,” he said, adding that his club is making history every day. “There may be 50 of us [Black trapshooters] around the country that play this game in a group of 70,000. We always say this is Black history… what we’ve done and to be able to tell our story and the many that paved the way.”
The group’s founding originated from 12 men who hunted together for many years. On a hunting trip to Carleton, Mich., they came across a piece of land for sale and they discussed the possibility the land had for their hunting pleasures. After much talk about this project, they each donated $500 to buy the land. After they made the purchase, they decided to form a gun club, whereby Century Gun Club was formed.
The then-newly established club was headed by a couple of very business-oriented men. These two men, Thurman Bell and Joe Graves, held shoots for years. Later, they heard about the Western Skeet & Trapshooting Association and joined.
The club was a pioneer in holding interclub shoots for many years. African Americans were able to join the Amateur Trapshooting Association thanks in large part to Joe Graves. According to its website, racial segregation was in place during those years to prevent Blacks from shooting alongside Whites. Over time, Graves was in charge of recruiting the majority of Black shooters for the ATA. One of the first groups to purchase a trap for the ATA home field in Mason, Mich., was Century Gun Club. In 1971. Joe also signed up the majority of the Michigan Trapshooting Association’s lifetime members. The Century Gun Club once had 500 members, the majority of whom were not shooters.
The club prides itself on teaching safety and conservation.
Marzette said that the Club keeps the “tradition alive” today, which will continue.
“I started as what was known as a trap boy in 1968,” he said, adding that he made his way up the ranks and the club has many prolific members of the community including political leaders, media professionals and more. He wants even more members to come on board and see what the history is about.
“I want our club to survive and to thrive,” he said of its future. “We need to try to get more people interested and more so interested in the sport of trap shoot.”
Deputy Chief of Police at Detroit Police Department Franklin Hayes agrees.
Hayes, who recently served as president of the Amateur Trapshooting Association (the first Black person to serve in that capacity) is also a second-generation Century Gun Club member.
He told the Michigan Chronicle that it’s a “family tradition,” which his father introduced to him as a hobby.
“It was passed down through generations. My grandfather passed it down to him. My father passed it down to my family, my brothers,” he said, adding that he is continuing the tradition.… I love breaking barriers. I love new experiences. And I love doing things outside of the box and finding a new adventure.”
Hayes, who received a gubernatorial appointment to the Michigan Wildlife Council, said that while he enjoys breaking barriers he also realizes there are some barriers to this form of sport for some Black people, that he wants others to overcome through education, opportunity and while addressing the wealth gap disparity.
“There aren’t [always] opportunities,” he said of finding open fields to trap shoot, obtain the equipment, and even having the curiosity of others who do it when there is no exposure to it in the first place. “[It] is truly an educational process. And we hope with our work here at the Wildlife Council, that we can, again, educate others and welcome the next generation of outdoorsmen and women and a diverse group as well. Welcome them literally into the outdoors.”
For more information visit https://centurygunclub.com/.
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