“It’s an adrenaline rush every day,” says Dave Raffone, standing amid another busy afternoon at the Park City Gun Club on Forestdale Drive. With Dave’s pet dogs scampering around, the scene is less like a firing range and more like what Dave aims for: “a mashup of Yellowstone, Park City’s silver-mining heritage, and our mountain lifestyle,” he smiles.
Raffone took over the Gun Club last year with partner Mike Zarkos after a successful corporate career, most recently as Skullcandy’s Chief Revenue Officer and Head of Global Geographies. “Blame my wife,” he laughs of his career pivot. “The first gift she ever gave me was a firearm. She’s a Michigan farm girl who grew up bottle-feeding wild deer and riding horses.” Firearms are something like horses, he adds. “They come with responsibility, a commitment to training, and doing things correctly.”
That sense of care extends beyond the firing line. “We’re very much a tribe of employees and members who enjoy spending time together. We want our customers to have fun, learn, and become part of the family,” Dave says. Social events like Ladies’ Nights and shooting competitions make newcomers feel welcome, whether beginners or seasoned shooters.
Born in New York City, Raffone worked for Sony on both coasts before landing at Skullcandy. “There’s a magnetism to this place,” he says. “The mountains, the outdoors, the unscripted Wild West.”
With one of the largest collections of rental firearms in the country, the PC Gun Club offers everything from tactical and concealed-carry training to situational awareness and active-shooter preparedness. Veterans play a central role, including Zarkos, a Navy veteran and former SEAL Team 4 member. “We value our veteran employees and members, many of high rank and who served on the front lines.”
“Firearms are a symbol of the Wild West and an American tradition,” he adds. “Our purpose at PC Gun Club is safe and responsible firearms ownership through training and education.”