Guns for sale at Walker Arms on Thursday, Jan. 15, 2015, in Bowling Green. (Austin Anthony/Daily News)

A new indoor gun range is becoming a hot spot for gun enthusiasts to get some practice and for beginners to learn a new sport.

Walker Arms, at 940 Bryant Way, recently opened the range, making the business what owner Claudis Walker calls a “one-stop shop,” acting as a gun and gun parts manufacturing facility and gun store as well.

Walker said he didn’t just want to open a gun range; he wanted to open a fine facility that was nice, comfortable, welcoming and built to last because he wanted to offer customers anything they need.

“I wanted to build the best range there is,” Walker said.

The range is essentially a building within a building, with bullet-resistant walls; thick ceiling, floor and walls; 12 private stalls with adjustable lighting; a bullet, lead and lead dust – all of which is recycled – collection area at the end of the range and 3-inch thick windows for the viewing area behind the stalls. Walker said it took eight months to complete everything.

“I told my son, ‘I’m either going to retire or go full force,’ ” Walker said.

The air on the range isn’t recirculated. Outside air comes in through a 30-ton unit that heats or cools the air then dispenses it down range at 75 feet per minute. The old air is pulled out, and fresh air continuously comes in.

“It just makes for a cleaner environment for the people who shoot here,” Young said.

Each stall is 4 feet wide and 8 feet deep, with handicap-accessible stalls in the nearly 3-month-old facility. The lanes are 25 yards long. Unlike some ranges, the stalls extend far enough that neighboring shooters don’t affect each other with flying casings or smoke.

A National Rifle Association-certified range safety officer is always present on the range. Everyone who uses the range must watch a safety video before his or her first time on the range and sign a release form. Eye and ear protection is mandatory.

“Safety is at the forefront of why we do things the way we do,” Young said.

The range has shown Walker the diversity of people interested in shooting, whether they’ve handled guns their entire lives or want to shoot for the first time. Visitors range in age from about 10 to 80. Couples go to the range for date night. Several nationalities have used the range, including Japanese, Chinese, Canadian, Bosnian and Ukrainian. People from as far away in the United States as Texas and California have also come to the range.

“It’s truly a melting pot of the people who come in here,” Young said.

Walker said he is pleased to see a variety of people shoot on the range because that was his intention.

“We want people from all walks of life to come enjoy themselves,” Walker said.

John Jamison of Bowling Green is an annual member of the range and brought a Smith & Wesson pistol to shoot on Monday. Jamison, an Army veteran of the Vietnam War, has handled guns off and on for much of his life and has shot on various ranges over the years.

“This is probably the nicest range I’ve ever been on,” Jamison said.

The benefit of having a nice range in Bowling Green is that people who own a gun but don’t have the opportunity or the land to shoot their firearms can become familiar with their guns, Jamison said. Being competent with your gun is critical, Jamison said.

“People view it as a sport. The more you practice, the better you get,” Jamison said.

Lisa Rennegarbe of Bowling Green had never shot a gun in her life before coming to Walker Arms. She went in the store to get a gift certificate for a friend before Christmas and thought she would like to try shooting. She and her husband used the range soon thereafter, and now Rennegarbe is a monthly member.

Although shooting is often perceived as a man’s sport, Rennegarbe said she didn’t feel intimidated at Walker Arms. Everyone was “really helpful” and helped her pick out the best gun for her to use as a beginner.

“It was just a good experience. I would highly recommend it to anybody,” Rennegarbe said.

Rennegarbe said the range is an opportunity of which gun-owners should take advantage.

“If you’re going to keep a weapon in your house, you need to be extremely comfortable with it,” Rennegarbe said.

— The range is open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Mondays through Wednesdays and from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Thursdays through Sundays. For more information, visit walkerarms.org.

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