If you had told anyone ten years ago that they could sip a lavender oat milk latte in a leather armchair inside of a gun range while sitting next to a couple who are learning how to shoot a Glock on their first date … you might have thought you were on the set of a new Netflix show.
But the truth is that in cities all over the United States, gun ranges are changing. Traditionally, gun ranges have resembled little more than gritty-looking industrial warehouses that smell heavily of spent shell casings and gun oil when you walk into them. Maybe there would be a stool or a half-broken chair for you to sit on.
But now we’re seeing a lot more gun ranges that don’t really resemble this … far from it. We’re seeing gun ranges that are becoming a lot more, dare we say, “fashionable.” Like we’ll explore soon in this article, we’re talking about gun ranges with carefully designed interiors, playlisted music, nice leather sofas and chairs to relax on, and more.
This is actually part of a broader trend we’re seeing in regards to the gentrification of outdoor recreation as a whole. Just like how we’re seeing axe-throwing bars or artisanal archery lounges that have moved from fringe to fashionable, we’re also witnessing the same thing happen to gun ranges as well in America’s cities.
How Gun Ranges Are Rebranding in America’s Urban Cores
these are high-end gun experiences nestled into communities that are still dealing with the very real consequences of violence and poverty
The utilitarian image of the city gun range is fading fast.
You can probably visualize what a gun range is like. Concrete floors that may or may not haven’t been cleaned in a while. Dim fluorescent lights that flicker on and off. The distinct smell of gun oil.
Now we’re going to completely flip this visualization on its head. Imagine mood lighting replacing the overhead buzz, leather furniture in the waiting areas, merch displays out front, and high-quality coffee and tea offered as refreshment.
Now suddenly a gun range is not just that industrial warehouse. It’s literally a place where you can go out on a date or hang out with friends instead of simply popping off a few rounds.
For example, when you go to Gun Action Shooting in Los Angeles you’ll get to walk through neon-lit corridors to shooting lanes that look more like an arcade than a weapons facility. There are also curated playlists that help set the vibe along with different themed packages you can purchase as well, such as “Action Hero Night” or “First Time Fridays.”
At The Range 702 in Las Vegas, target shooting is marketed as a way to build personal strength in a space that is “clean, safe, and family-friendly.” There are luxury suites for private groups, event packages that cater to everything from birthdays to bachelorette parties, and staff who are trained less in tactical jargon than they are in customer hospitality.
In Chicago, the Point Blank Range & Gun Shop offers everything from climate-controlled ranges to a customer service model that treats people who walk in like clients instead of one-time customers.
And when you head to the East Coast, you’ll find Gotham Firearms in New York that offers everything from a concierge-style fitting to personalized training packages to white-glove firearm selection.
“Reloading” Outdoor Recreation
So why does any of this matter?
Well, there are more reasons than one.
It’s only part of a broader trend where urban outdoor recreation has taken a sharp turn into the unconventional. Across cities, activities that were once reserved for survivalists or fantasy gamers (think archery, axe-throwing, and simulated combat) are now marketed as thrilling and stress-relieving ways to blow off steam after work.
And increasingly, gun ranges are joining this trend. They’re not tucked away or hidden behind barbed wire anymore. They’re right there on the event planning apps, next to escape rooms and indoor rock climbing gyms. They’re packaged as one more edgy experience to add to your birthday or to a team-building itinerary.
So with that in mind, the gun ranges we’ve discussed in the previous section (and others like them) are a lot more appealing to more people, both children and adults alike. As a result, many people who are inexperienced with firearms and who never would have thought about going to a gun range may change their mind if they get to go somewhere that’s fun and a great place to hang out with your friends.
In other words, shooting is now being rebranded as entertainment.
Some gun ranges have gone even further by effectively positioning themselves not only as a place where you can go to shoot but also community hubs for a new (and more diverse) generation of shooters. Oakland Tactical, which is located just outside the Bay Area, offers more than just target practice. It also hosts seminars, livestreams podcasts, and organizes women’s shooting leagues and LGBTQ+ shooting nights too. These events are marketed as being inclusive and empowering by inviting people who have historically been excluded from gun culture to claim their space within it.
The truth is that the only way that you could possibly go to a gun range that is more comfortable and luxurious than what’s being offered now is if you were to build your own shooting range at home to your own specifications, but that’s out of the question for most people.
Gentrification (With a Bang)
These kinds of gun ranges are popping up not only on the outskirts of big cities, but also right in the middle of neighborhoods that are in states of flux.
Places where artisan bakeries now share sidewalks with boarded-up row homes, and where a yoga studio might open just down the street from a methadone clinic.
Take The Gun Range in North Philadelphia as an example. Once surrounded by little more than warehouses, empty lots, and decades of disinvestment, it now sits close to new taprooms, coworking spaces where digital nomads can work, and luxury loft conversions.
It’s not hard to see how the clientele who are walking through its doors today might be shooting for the first time or looking for a different kind of Saturday thrill after brunch.
It’s impossible not to comment on how it’s a strange juxtaposition: these are high-end gun experiences nestled into communities that are still dealing with the very real consequences of violence and poverty. In Los Angeles, for instance, the LA Gun Club that we mentioned before sits on the edge of Skid Row and the Arts District. These are two places that couldn’t feel further apart in terms of wealth and perception, and yet they are divided by just a few city blocks.
What makes this dynamic more complicated is that many of these neighborhoods have long histories with gun violence, and not as sport or spectacle, but as trauma. For decades, guns in these communities have been a source of grief and loss.
This duality is reflective of a much wider pattern in gentrifying American cities. A gun, in this context, is no longer just a weapon. It’s more like a curated experience, or like a social event or a branding opportunity. The line between violence and recreation, or rather being threat and thrill, has never been more thin.
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Gun ranges are doing more than simply changing — they’re completely flipping the script.
What used to be non-frills spaces on the edge of town are now showing up in the middle of communities complete with merch walls, mood lighting, and community events right in the middle of gentrifying neighborhoods.
Folks are lining up for date nights and bachelorette shoots in the middle of cities where gun violence is still a very real thing. Guns haven’t changed, but the way they can be used and marketed sure has.