Meet the Team
Treasure Valley Gun Works didn't begin with a storefront, a warehouse, or a group of investors. It began with two friends, a shared interest in firearms, and a lot of conversations about what we thought we could build.
Co-founders and owners Dane Mullen and Greg Bonde met through a mutual friend and a shared love of music; they both happen to be drummers. Time spent together eventually turned into trips into the Owyhee Mountains to shoot. Those trips led to conversations that usually started with some version of, “How cool would it be if...”
Eventually, we decided to find out. Turns out it was all really cool!
Built One Step at a Time
From the beginning, the vision included more than firearms training. Dane and Greg wanted to create a business that could help people throughout their experience as firearm owners. The goal has always been to create something that helps everyone, from selecting and purchasing a firearm to learning how to use it responsibly, maintaining it, repairing it, customizing it, and continuing to develop their skills.
But Dane and Greg started with very little capital and no outside investors. If they were going to build something, they were going to have to build it themselves and only take the next step when we'd earned the ability to do so.
Training came first.
Dane and Greg both became USCCA (United States Concealed Carry Association) certified firearms instructors and built Treasure Valley Shooting Academy (TVSA), establishing their approach to firearm education around safety, responsibility, practical skill, sound judgment, and continued learning.
Treasure Valley Gun Works is the next part of that original vision.
TVGW and TVSA operate as separate but closely connected companies, allowing them to provide firearm sales, gunsmithing, repair and customization, custom builds, and professional firearms training. The long-term goal has always been to create something of a one-stop resource for firearm owners in the Treasure Valley.
Start With the Goal
We don't believe helping someone purchase a firearm begins by pointing at what's behind the counter.
It begins with a conversation.
What do you need the firearm to do? Why are you buying it? What are you comfortable with? What is your experience level? What is your budget?
Once we understand the goal, we can help identify the firearm, equipment, modifications, or services that make sense for the person standing in front of us.
Sometimes that's an experienced shooter who knows exactly what they're looking for. Other times it's someone purchasing their very first firearm who doesn't even know which questions to ask yet.
We enjoy working with both.
You Don't Have to Be an Expert
The firearms world can be intimidating. Especially for someone new to it.
We don't think it should be.
You shouldn't have to prove how much you know before walking into a gun shop, taking a firearms class, or asking a question. You shouldn't be made to feel inadequate because you don't know the terminology, haven't fired a particular platform, or need someone to explain the difference between your options.
There is no embarrassment in not knowing something.
That's where learning starts.
Our job is to listen, answer questions, share what we know, and help you become more knowledgeable and confident in the decisions you make.
Experienced firearm owners are equally welcome. Whether you're looking for your next firearm, planning a custom AR build, troubleshooting a problem, replacing components, or customizing something you already own, we want TVGW to become a resource you know you can rely on.
Responsible Ownership Goes Beyond the Firearm
We believe strongly in the Second Amendment and the right to own and carry firearms. We also believe exercising that right carries significant responsibility.
Knowing how to operate a firearm is important.
Knowing when not to use one can be even more important.
Responsible firearm ownership involves technical proficiency, but it also requires judgment, self-awareness, emotional regulation, impulse control, restraint, and mental strength. A firearm owner should understand not only the tool they're carrying, but the responsibility that comes with having the ability to use it.
That's one reason the relationship between TVGW and Treasure Valley Shooting Academy matters so much to us.
We don't simply want to help you purchase a firearm.
We want you to know how to safely, confidently, and responsibly own and use it.
Rooted in the Treasure Valley
Idaho isn't simply where we decided to open a business. It's home.
We were raised here. We've watched the Treasure Valley grow and change, raised families here, built careers here, and developed deep connections to the communities we now have the opportunity to serve.
As TVGW grows, we want our involvement in those communities to grow with it.
We're building toward something much larger than where we started, but we're doing it the same way we've done everything else: one step at a time, without losing sight of the principles that got us here.
What We Want Our Name to Mean
Our goal is to build Treasure Valley Gun Works into one of Idaho's most trusted and respected firearm businesses.
We know that reputation isn't something we can simply claim. We have to earn it.
We want someone who purchases their first firearm from us to come back when they're ready for their second. We want the person whose firearm we repair to trust us with the next one. We want someone who trains with TVSA to know they can turn to TVGW when they need equipment, gunsmithing, or honest advice—and someone who first discovers us through TVGW to know professional training is available when they're ready for it.
Most importantly, we want people to feel comfortable sending their friends and family to us because they know how they'll be treated.
That's the kind of loyalty we're working to earn.
And whether you're completely new to firearms or have been shooting your entire life, you'll receive the same thing from us:
Integrity. Honesty. Dependability. Transparency.
That's how we're building Treasure Valley Gun Works.
And we're just getting started.