Take a virtual tour of The Gun Parlor shooting range here/Kevin James for Google.



April 11 marked an exciting day for gun-toting Worcesterites. The Gun Parlor, a firearms shop that recently relocated to Prescott Street from Summer Street, opened its indoor shooting range, which owner Justin Gabriel said is a positive for veteran and rookie gun owners alike.



�There's a lot of people who get their licenses to carry who don't know much about firearms,� Gabriel said. �So to be able to have the range, to do instructional courses, teaching them how to use the firearm safely, that's an advantage.�



Worcester has been without a shooting range since the Boston Gun Range had its license suspended in 2008 for various infractions. Like anything involving firearms in America, shooting ranges can be controversial, and The Gun Parlor's range attracted opposition from some residents and some on the City Council when it went through the standard approval process. But Gabriel, who had already been selling guns at his Summer Street location, said the range is a necessary component in the firearm landscape, as it helps people learn how to use guns safely and effectively.



�It's like a driver's license,� Gabriel said. �If you're not comfortable in a car, you probably shouldn't be driving one.�



[caption id="attachment_42133" align="alignnone" width="1000"] A well used target hangs in lane seven.[/caption]



Although the city approved a 10-lane range, Gabriel ended up only putting nine lanes in to ensure more comfortable shooting stalls for members. All the lanes are handicap accessible, he said, with the first and last lanes being even wider to accommodate all members. It's all part of the luxury atmosphere The Gun Parlor is aiming for.



�This is probably the most modern public range in the Northeast right now,� Gabriel said.

�The latest and greatest � I didn't spare any expense.�



In addition to the ubiquitous green LED lighting and the branded leather to rest guns on, there are functional upgrades inside the range that Gabriel said he has only seen in comparable ranges in places like Las Vegas or southern Florida. A digital target system with pre-set distances, soundboarding that keeps people in the parking lot from hearing what goes on in the range and steel that �you could leave outside for 30 years without it rusting� lining the ceiling. Surveillance cameras line the range, and Gabriel can watch what is going on at any moment.



The most impressive technology in the range, though, is the bullet trap. Fusion Targets, a Utah company, came in to work on the range, and in that project, the bullet trap is the crowning achievement. Gabriel sells everything from pistols to shotguns to rifles, and while many ranges restrict shooters to using handguns, the trap at The Gun Parlor is built to withstand basically any gun that anyone can legally own.



�A lot of the other ranges in Massachusetts you can't do that, because their bullet trap isn't capable of handling it,� Gabriel said. �This range is, and that's why the cost to build a range like this is a lot more expensive. The type of materials you're using to stop a rifle bullet versus a pistol bullet is completely different animal.�



The trap also has a lead dust collection system attached, ensuring a clean experience inside and out. A state of the art HVAC system monitors the climate outside and automatically adjusts the temperature inside the range for maximum comfort.



�The fit and finish was everything,� Gabriel said. �It's very very high-end, very very high-class.�



Gabriel said the range has already helped business in the gun store pick up. It even allows him to offer a special deal � if you rent a gun and decide to buy it that same day, the cost for the rental is waived.



�It's an advantage to have the shooting range, to have somebody that wants to rent a gun before they buy it, and the next thing you know they're in the gun store buying it,� Gabriel said. �And it's an advantage for testing, for fixing and repairing guns as well.�



[caption id="attachment_42135" align="alignnone" width="1000"] The Gun Parlor owner Justin Gabriel talks about the nine lane range.[/caption]



Employees were making calls in the showroom to let customers know the range was open, but Gabriel said with pre-signups and general buzz about the range had ensured a steady stream of customers. Memberships start at a yearly rate, ensuring people are serious before they come in to start shooting. Massachusetts has a reputation as an strongly pro gun control state, and the Worcester Police Department specifically has been the target of those who think the their gun license policy is restrictive. Gabriel acknowledged the local climate around guns, but said he did not have any complaints about the process.



�I don't necessarily think they're anti-gun, I just think the regulations that are put forth are a lot more strict than a lot of the other states,� Gabriel said. �They still do issue licenses, but the right people have them. They don't just issue them to anybody.�



And the range is geared toward law enforcement officers, some of whom may want to brush up on their firearm abilities if they are new to the force. A lighting system can simulate night shooting or alternating red and blue lights to give an atmosphere of realism rather than sterile brightness. Gabriel is confident that the money he put into the range - $500,000 on ventilation and other improvements alone, he estimated � would pay off.



�Everything in Worcester county is nonprofit. There are no commercial ranges like this,� Gabriel, a member of the Worcester Pistol and Rifle Club in Boylston, said. �[And] even the sportsman's clubs, if they have an indoor range, you're limited to pistol.�



The clientele is a mix of people new to owning guns and eager to learn and gun owners who have been shooting forever, Gabriel said. In the future, he would like to expand the classes The Gun Parlor offers. Currently the business offers Massachusetts and Utah License to Carry classes.



�We have a lot of stuff coming down the pipeline now that this is all done,� Gabriel said.



Reporter Tom Quinn can be reached at 508-749-3166 x324 or tquinn@ worcestermagazine.com with story ideas, feedback, or questions. Follow him on Twitter @bytomquinn.