Via Shutterstock.
Hey Northern Virginia residents, you’re getting a huge indoor shooting range. If that’s the kind of thing you’re into, get excited, I guess.
The Washington Times reports that a 65,000-square-foot indoor shooting range and facility is set to open in October in Gainesville, Va., just off of Interstate 66.
Greg Wodack, the owner and operator of the facility, which is called Elite Shooting Sports, says that it will have two 25-yard shooting ranges, a 50-yard shooting range, a 100-yard shooting range, 1,600-square-foot, two-story live-fire shoot house for law enforcement training, a cafe, a lounge, and a 5,000-square-foot retail area. “[We] kind of look at it as the new golf clubs,” Wodack tells the Times. “It’s a destination range. It’s for everybody.”
Things you can also expect to find in this massive shooting emporium, often called a “guntry club” down south, because of course they are: an in-house gunsmith; a dojo for law enforcement training; and Ti training, “an experience like a video game that adjusts its scenarios based on real-time outcomes.”
If you’re interested in learning more about the culture of “guntry clubs” is all about, well, the Times has you covered:
“Elite Shooting Sports is going to be another one of these ‘guntry clubs,’” said Zach Snow, manager of shooting promotions at the National Shooting Sports Foundation, the trade group for the guns and ammunition industry. “I wouldn’t say these kinds of facilities are trying to compete [with country clubs], but in many cases there’s a lot of overlap with a golfer who is also an avid shooter and vice versa.”
“The monster facilities — 40,000 to 60,000 square feet — is a new trend,” Mr. Snow said. “Will it continue? I think only time will tell. In most cases, they’re put in markets that are fairly affluent, as well as places with significant populations.”
According to Wodack, six federal agencies are interested in conducting training sessions at the facility when it opens.