A New Gun Owner’s First Stop—Finding a Shooting Range, Part I

Firearm ranges, both inside and outside, are gathering places for sport, competition, everyday practice, and, above all else, friends who encourage each other to succeed. But if you’ve never held or fired a gun, how do you find your home, home on the range?

So, you’ve arrived at the decision that you’d like to learn how to handle a firearm (and for the sake of this discussion, we’re going to focus on handguns). Doesn’t matter why, not at this early stage. What’s important is that, as with anything new, there’s a learning curve, and that means you’ll need to find someone who can teach you the ropes.

Google, without a doubt, is the best place to start. Type “shooting ranges near me” or “firearm shooting instruction” in the search bar. Go ahead, I’ll wait … .

Choices, Choices, Choices

For those who live in fairly suburban and larger metropolitan areas, there’s a good chance you’ll have number of firearm dealers and shooting facilities to choose from. This really is a case of more is better, because shooting ranges and the instructors they employ come in all shapes, sizes, and attitudes. Let’s, then, talk about how to narrow down those choices and find the range that’s right for you.

If it were me, I’d first look at indoor shooting facilities. They are climate-controlled (which means you can comfortably use them year-round) and insect-free, and the vast majority of today’s indoor ranges have great staff members and instructors who are passionate about making sure you are safe, that you learn how to be safe, and that you have a first-time experience that makes you want to come back for more.

That may sound like a lot of rah-rah fluff, but I’ve been in the firearm industry for more than 30 years and speak from experience. Back in the 1990s, my first job in the industry was as a sales associate for a firearm dealer in Northern Virginia that had two, 10-lane indoor ranges behind the retail sales floor. It was pretty advanced for its day and a welcome change for many people whose primary experience with indoor ranges had been the dark, dingy, and dirty facilities for which range operators had earned a poor reputation over the years.

That first job was a long time ago, and I can tell you that today’s ranges make the one I worked for look like dried gum stuck to the bottom of your shoe. Can you still find those dark and dingy dealers and ranges where cigarette smoke hangs in the air like fog over San Francisco Bay? Sure you can. But it’s fair to say they’re a dying breed. Now, almost no matter where you live, you can find any number of ranges that go out of their way to make sure you’re having the time of your life and doing so in a bright, clean, modern facility with automated target systems, integrated games, state-of-the-art ventilation systems, and knowledgeable, accommodating staff members.

An Actual Phone Call

With that said, let’s get back to the assumption that you have at least a few ranges nearby you. Start with the one closest to your work or home, the one you’d be likely to visit the most out of convenience once you get this ball rolling, and pick up the phone. That’s right, you need to make an actual phone call. Don’t text the range, don’t fill out their online form for more information, call. This is how the conversation should go:

“Thank you for calling Shooter’s Paradise, how can I help you?”

“Hi, I’m Katherine/Bob/Leticia/Hakeem/Mei/Joon. I’ve never shot or handled a firearm before, and I’d like to speak with someone about learning how to shoot a handgun.”

This simple statement conveys a lot to the person on the other end of the phone, namely that you have no experience with firearms but have a desire to learn, but also that you have been completely up front about that. Yes, there are folks out there who think they should “instinctively” know how to shoot and safely handle a firearm and, yes, they’ll lie to range operators about their experience to save face. You know what? They’re also the ones that’ll inadvertently shoot the ceiling or the range bench or the floor in front of them—or hurt someone or themselves. Don’t be that person. Be honest about what you don’t know and even what you think you do.

Ideally, the staff member on the phone will first ask why you want to learn to shoot. Tell them! You thought it might be a valuable life skill to acquire. You are exploring owning a handgun for everyday concealed carry or home defense. You went camping with friends and watched them and their kids have a blast shooting tin cans off a fence post. A co-worker shoots competitively and, after seeing some of her videos, you think it might be a great new sport to try. Also, tell them how you’re feeling about your decision to learn to shoot—whether you’re excited about it, anxious, or even terrified—whether you’d be more comfortable with a male or female instructor, and whether you’d prefer a group class or one-on-one instruction.

Why give them this kind of information? Especially for ranges that offer a wide variety of training and a roster of instructors, they want to make sure they match you with the introductory class and instructor from which you’ll benefit and enjoy the most. Even for ranges that offer just a few classes and one or two instructors, how they approach and teach someone who’s looking forward to the experience should be different from teaching someone who’s petrified of it all.

The answers you get from this initial conversation dictate whether you ask for more information or move on to the next range in your Google search. The ideal response: “We hold a first-time gun-handling safety class every other week that would be a great way to get you started, and we’d like to pair you with Roberta who, like you, was really apprehensive about learning to shoot when she first started. She’s been with us for several years now, and her students just love her.” If you get something along the lines of “We don’t offer one-on-one instruction and we’re really booked up for this month’s beginners’ class, so if you want a slot for next month’s class, you better book now,” move on to the next range. You don’t need that kind of pressure, and though you may have to drive a little further, there’s a better fit out there.