NYC Shooting Range

[Anthony]

In a little while I'm off to NYC for a week with mates. As you probably know, due to my constant complaining( :) ) I'll never be able to fire a handgun in the UK thanks to our bastard government. So I was hoping that whilst I'm in the Land Of The Free, I could find a range, hire a nice automatic pistol and blast threw a box(es) of ammo for the fun of it.

I'd need to be able to reach the range by either walking or public transport as I don't have an international drivers license (no rental car). Obviously, the range must rent a variety of handguns. I found this one:

<a href="http://www.lisc.net/p332.htm" target="_blank">http://www.lisc.net/p332.htm</a>

Looks good apart from the "License Required" note next to the rental gun prices. I did a quick websearch and if I'm not mistaken, there seems to be some kind of gun licensing system in place in NYC???

Being from a foreign land I'm not that familiar with federal, let alone state law. As far as I was concerned, there is no gun licensing system in the US (besides for things like full auto). Not even in the UK do you need a license to fire a borrowed/rented gun, as long as the owner is there to supervise.

Could someone set me straight on this? Is the idea feasible?

[BoB-]

Communist Rudy Guilliani really did a number on NYC,
it has some of the strictest gun laws in the country,

shame your not going to Nevada,
there is a range there where you can rent 9mm SMG's.

You could always take the bus out of the city.

Niagara Gun Range
3445 Niagara Falls Blvd. North Tonawanda, NY. 14120 (716) 693-4000

Shootin Shed Gun Shop & Range
West Winfield, NY. 13491
(315) 822-3012

I typed "gun range" into yellowpages.com and got a few million results for NY state;

this long link really fucked up his thread, so try your search on <a href="http://www.yellowpages.com" target="_blank">http://www.yellowpages.com</a>

Oh, and tell a hooker named Pooky that hangs out on mulholland Bob says hi.

[ January 07, 2002: Message edited by: BoB- ]</p>

[Jhonbus]

Bob, can you post some info on this range in Nevada? I will be going there (and many other states on grand tour of the US) soon, and firing a 9mm SMG (shame it's not .45 ;) ) sounds like something I'd definitely like to add to my schedule :)

[BoB-]

Heres a story about FrontSight, the worlds first and only gun resort;

<a href="http://www.frontsight.com/news_articles/sf_chronic" target="_blank">http://www.frontsight.com/news_articles/sf_chronic</a>

le_06242001_0.htm

(I had to space this link for some reason, so copy and paste)

Okay, here it is man;
<a href="http://www.frontsight.com/1day_smg_course.htm" target="_blank">http://www.frontsight.com/1day_smg_course.htm</a>

WOW, I forgot about the little fact thats its free!!!

Take that Feinstein!!

[Arkangel]

For what it's worth, if you make it to the hedonistic mire that is Las Vegas (and I highly recommend that you do), look out for flyers in hotels for "The Gun Shop". They have a range where you can hire any pistol you want, take a box as much ammo as you want onto the range and let rip - a great way to try everything from a dinky Glock to a Magnum .44 to a Derringer.

The highlight really are the SMG's you can fire, Uzi, AR15, Thompson, Grease Gun, you name it they have it. They stay with you when you fire these, but thankfully they preload the mags. Last time I was there, my girlfriend took in the company shirt she was wearing at a conference in Vegas and blew the shit out of it with a Thompson .45 to put on her office wall :D

It 'aint all that cheap, but then you don't have to clean them and it really is a great way to try a number of weapons at one time! (Mind you, especially for the pistols, you pay a nominal amount for the weapon rental, and then the cost of the ammo) It did occur to me to post some home, but then thought, hmmm maybe not.

I can't imagine Vegas is the only place you can do this easily in a city, so when you do find one, let rip for me too.

Incidentally, if anyone knows of anywhere like this in Europe - France/Switzerland especially, please let us know . ;)

[nbk2000]

As far as I know, Las Vegas is the ONLY place in the US where you can do such things.

And I can't even imagine europe being anywhere near as liberal as to allow citizens who can't even own simple pistols, to go somewhere to blow off hundreds of rounds in full-auto mayhem.

[Arkangel]

That's a bit of a surprise, I assumed the US was littered with ranges where you could go and shoot. The cool thing about the Vegas shop is that once they see you're an experienced shot, they just let you pick the guns you want and take them one at a time onto the range with however many boxes of ammo you want. Shame they only sell in boxes of 50 :D

You must be able to at least go and fun shoot in Europe, there used to be a few places in the UK where you could and I am pretty sure you still can somewhere on the continent (even if it's not full auto). Switzerland in particular, since every adult male has his own military rifle. My Swiss mate there keeps a HK assault rifle on top of his kitchen cupboards.#

Anyway Anthony, were you wanting to "rent" a gun from a shop and take it somewhere else to shoot it or did you mean to shoot on a shop/club range.

Either way, there must be gun owners in the US you could contact who'd love to take a gang of limeys under their wing and let them play with their toys? (Especially in this new spirit of cooperation between countries :) )

[ January 08, 2002: Message edited by: Arkangel ]</p>

[nbk2000]

I need to clarify my above statement a bit.

I mean that, as far as I know, Nevada is the ONLY state in which you can rent a machine gun at a range for shooting.

Every other state DOES have shooting ranges where you can shoot guns, but none that have full-auto.

And you can't rent a gun to take home like a videotape. It never leaves the shop.

Though perhaps, if by prior trips, you saw they lack in checking guns properly, you might be able to switch a replica gun worth a $100 for a real gun worth $600. Using someone else to do the switch since you have to show ID.

[Anthony]

Thnnks BoB, I will have a look out of the city and I'll keep an eye out for the hooker :)

Arkangel, I'll be doing this alone as my friends don't share my passion for shooting.

[Arkangel]

Anthony, I was going to call them sappy bastards, but then I realised they were your mates and you might get iffy about it, and THEN I thought, I don't really care; so sorry, your mates do seem to be sappy bastards. (I've taken 2 seperate girlfriends into the Vegas shop, and both of them got so into the Uzi I couldn't believe it!!!! If they don't ever try they will never understand)

Anyway, that might make it easier. I did this in the US for wakeboarding, sort of got hold of people in the area I was going, made friends and then went on their boat, paid their gas and boarded til I dropped. I bet you could easy get in touch with some enthusiasts to take you under their wing.

BOB, that free smg course looks a peach, might even be worth a trip to Vegas just for that!

[Anthony]

I don't mind because some of them are sappy bastards :) I'm sure they'd do it and enjoy it but it's something that *I* want do, my own mini sort of pilgrimage :) Besides, it's easier to organise for one than for an a group and I don't want to be worrying about people who don't know what they're doing on a range.

Time to find a big map of NY.

[CyclonitePyro]

I picked up a business card of some place north from me in Northern PA. The card said stuff about paying and getting to fire a huge variety of full autos. And walking around a gun show haven't you ever saw one of those videos playing about "Knob Creek" they(I think)have an annual shoot of huge tri-pod mounted maching guns firing at cars and targets, you can buy the videos. People pay and get to shoot a couple hundred rounds. Some have there own assualt rifles and go wild.

[J]

So what's the law in Nevada? I've heard that you can buy a full-auto without any licenses, and that it's the only state with this freedom.

J

[EventHorizon]

I thought Knob Creek was in Kentucky. :confused:

Anyway, who cares about renting SMG's. With the right friends you can shoot all day long, what ever you like, just pick it up, grab a fist full of ammo, load the mag and squeeze the trigger....

An AK will go through a 60rnd drum in a hurry, :D and an MP5K through a 80rnd mag even faster. :eek:

[Arkangel]

Exactly what I was saying to Anthony. Get on a shooters forum, make some friends and then go and play with their guns whilst talking in your cute limey accent. They'll probably give you the ammo for nothing

[Mr Cool]

"... whilst talking in your cute limey accent. They'll probably give you the ammo for nothing."

Be sure to use the same "cute limey accent" when talking to the hooker. :)

[ January 09, 2002: Message edited by: Mr Cool ]</p>

[nbk2000]

Knob Creek is in kentucky.

The Feds mandate that anyone getting an MG must be fingerprinted and pay the $200 tax for each gun they buy.

You MUST have the feds permission, regardless of what a state may say. This includes Nevada. But they're very liberal about allowing private ownership. Some states don't permit it, regardless.

"Cute accent....hookers..." Hey, worked for Crocidile Dundee, right? ;)

Yes, make friends with gun nuts, then play up to the american ego about gun ownership by saying "Oh, my horribly backward country...we can't have guns...Boo Hoo!"

They'll probably not only let you shoot for free, but they may even give you one to take home as a form of protest against the "antis" (anti-gunners). I've heard of it happening, you never know. :)

[Anthony]

A good idea but I don't have time to make some real good gun nut buddies and being with a bunch of people I didn't know the first thing about would scare me (what you gte for being a social retard).

Arkangel, are you a chick? If not, could you not call me cute... :D

[CyclonitePyro]

Sorry, I should have been more clear, the place with the business card I got was a separate place in Northern PA.

Knob Creek, I had no idea where it was, but I saw footage of the place at a gun show.

[Arkangel]

No, I´m not a chick, but I wasn´t calling you cute either. I simply referring to all my experience of going out on the lash in the US and Canada, where any kind of accent, especially it seems, an accentuated British accent is the fastest way to get up to your nuts in guts known to man.

Honestly dude, they can´t get enough.

However, I don´t suppose you get that many chick shooters in comparison. So you just make out you´re a lord, quote a bit of Shakespeare at them and cozy up. I don´t suppose they would actually GIVE you the ammo, but I would happily pay twice the asking price for each box of .45 or 9mm simply for the overwhelming sense of glee I get whenever I do it!

[ January 11, 2002: Message edited by: Arkangel ]</p>

[Bubba]

Knob Creek is 4hrs north of me. You can rent 50cal machine guns, flamethrowers, just about anything. No fingerprinting. You only fingerprint if you buy a machine gun. KY allows open carry of a gun, either hip, gun rack, etc. You can also get a concealed carry permit to pack it under your clothes. I have mine... :) There is going to be a machine gun shoot SOON ...not sure of the date. Do a search for "knob creek" on google. They have a web site.