Japanese tourists taste real Thai bullets

Drizzt · June 13, 2002, 11:27 AM

Copyright 2002 Agence France Presse
Agence France Presse

June 12, 2002 Wednesday

SECTION: International News

LENGTH: 845 words

HEADLINE: Japanese tourists taste real Thai bullets

BYLINE: SAMANTHA BROWN

DATELINE: BANGKOK, June 12

BODY:
Japanese tourists have discovered that Thai holidays can be about more than just cheap shopping and snoozing on tropical beaches, with shooting guns at Thai military ranges becoming the latest fad.

"There are so many Japanese tourists coming to Bangkok -- if they want to do some shooting and some sightseeing, then that's the Thai military's business," says Akiro Shimura, a former colonel in Japan's Self-Defence Forces who runs a company offering trips to the ranges.

Firing guns with real bullets can be near-impossible for those outside the police and military in Japan, says Akiro.

"They (the Japanese) don't know much about the military," he says -- Japan has only been permitted to maintain a self-defence force since World War II -- but shooting is "very interesting" to them. Tosaka Kazuhumi, 30, sought out a shooting trip because it's easier to do it in Thailand than back home.

"It's a good opportunity to do an activity that is difficult to do in Japan," he says, adding that he has already seen various temples and a crocodile farm during his eight-day holiday in Bangkok.

"And as a leisure activity in a foreign country, it's not too expensive," he says.

Since last July, up to 150 tourists a month have been descending on Akiro's tiny cluttered office in the basement of one of Bangkok's largest shopping malls.

It's an unlikely public relations outlet for Thailand's military, nestled between a mobile phone shop and a fortune-teller. Replicas of guns mounted on the wall provide the only hint of Shiro Corporation's services.

Some 70 percent of the tourists who come to wield weapons are Japanese, says Nobuhiro Munakata, one of four workers at the office.

Another 20 percent are other Asians, and the remainder are Europeans. Most are beginners, and nearly all are men.

"But now young Japanese girls like to come too," Nobuhiro says.

Chinese women are also curious about packing heat, he adds. "They will come with their husbands -- but they don't want to shoot."

A sum of 3,000 baht (70 dollars) buys marksmen 50 bullets to shoot on three handguns: a .38 special, Luger 9mm and .45 calibre.

It also includes the return trip to a firing range, a Japanese or English-speaking guide, and one-on-one instruction from a member of the Thai military.

A session kicks off at the office with a mini-lecture.

"All guns are real and the bullets are real," Nobuhiro reminds the class. "Only point the gun at the target ... These are professional Thai military men (instructing). Do what they say."

If you do, Nobuhiro reassures, shooting will be "safer than golf or tennis".

Nobuhiro wears the uniform of the Japanese Self-Defense Forces -- almost.

"The colour should be a bit darker," he confesses in a tribute to what's available in Thailand's endless markets. "But the insignia is correct."

Fifteen minutes drive away at one of the ranges, the plain-clothed Sergeant Major 1st class Wattana Ketkomol gives a demonstration, cleanly shooting a watermelon, Coke can and rapidly-melting block of ice in a cloud of acrid gunsmoke.

"People ask for moving targets like in Hollywood, but we don't have those," Nobuhiro apologizes.

Instead tourists shoot at standard human silhouette targets.

"We hope that customers can study guns -- it's not just for fun. They can compare the differences between how they fire. They can't study this from the movies or TV," Nobuhiro says.

Shiro is tapping into a move made by the military units two years ago, says Major General Adisak Kaenkaew, director of the Army Tourist Office which opened in 2001.

"Over the last two years it has been the policy of the government to let tourists ... see some parts of some units," says Adisak.

This means plenty of activities -- parachuting, abseiling and canoeing -- are now available to the public at units across the country, for a fee.

The trend has caught on, Adisak says, but it's more about public relations than profits.

"We don't think much about the money -- we opened the units because it's the policy of the government," he says.

Chulachomklao Royal Military Academy in Nakhon Nayok, 107 kilometres (70 miles) northeast of Bangkok -- where Shiro hopes to start running new tours soon -- was the forerunner of the program, opening in 1998.

It is an outdoorsman's paradise, their tourist office reckons, with everything from kayaking and golf to bird-watching and camping available.

Most visitors are Thai nationals, but that could change.

Adisak says 40 Japanese high school students are planning a long-term stay with the military, split between the Academy and a camp west of Bangkok.

"It would be the first time we let foreigners inside this unit," says Adisak.

Meanwhile Shiro is also developing a tour to the King's Guard, which is part of the national cavalry. Horseriding, stable visits and a spell in a stationary tank are on the agenda.

"We're asking the military police to let the tank move at the moment. But there won't be any shooting," a downcast Nobuhiro says. "It's very expensive."

LOAD-DATE: June 13, 2002

George Hill · June 13, 2002, 11:41 AM

Letting stundents join the military as if it was a school outing?

Interesting.

**4V50 Gary** · June 13, 2002, 12:27 PM

Why heck, we have that for Japanese tourists in America. There's one range on the main island of Hawaii (Oahu?) that deliberately targets Japanese tourists. They love guns and love to dress up as cowboys, soldiers, police and blast away. Of course, it really pays to have a 1:1 instructor to student ratio to keep them from turning and waving that muzzle all over the place.

Norinco (one factory near Beijing in particular) also has a facility for tourists. One member has posted a pic and I think there are instructions on how to contact that range somewhere here at TFL.

Crimper-D · June 13, 2002, 01:47 PM

I was shooting on the pistol line of a local range about a decade ago when the Rangemaster announced that we were about to be 'visited' by a tourbus full of Japanese tourists, complete with cameras and rented guns!

He went on to state that probably none of these folks had ever shot before and that any help provided by experienced shooters would be greatly appreciated

They came, don't know where they rented the guns, but 9mm's seemed to be the choice, followed by 357mags. All had eye and ear protection, the same brand, and several cases of commercial reloads.
It was delightful! They had the time of their lives. A hole in the target was a cause for celebration. While nearly everyone on the line simply stepped back and let these guys shoot, doing 1:1 instruction through translators. I was requested to keep shooting, as I had the only Black Powder guns on the line at the time and all that flame and smoke was a real attention getter, especially the .54 Lyman Plains Pistol

I was nearly blinded by the flashbulbs. I let a couple of them shoot it...They saved the targets

There's a couple of photo albums in apartments in Osaka with NRA 25yd pistol targets decorated with .54cal holes

Interesting people, more than a few had the makings of good shots...they did exactly as they were told

C.R.Sam · June 13, 2002, 02:04 PM

My impression has been that they, as a whole, are very eager to learn, pay attention and are a joy to work with.

Sam

D.W. Drang · June 13, 2002, 02:25 PM

A few weeks ago on FoodTV, Tony Bourdain went on one of his "Cook's Tour" thingees to Cambodia, where the Khmer "military" does the same thing. I was kinda impressed, Bourdain actually seemed to Have A Clue what he wa doing, AND what he was doing it with...

Engineer · June 14, 2002, 12:35 AM

4V50 Gary,

You mean something like this?

I was in Honolulu on a business trip about a month ago and ran across this ad in one of the shopping malls. My friends were trying to get me to go, but I decided not to - figuring that range time + rental + ammo would have easily added up to a my yearly membership dues back home. But then again, looking at the girl, how could I have passed it up? Nice and safe with the trigger finger there.

ATeaM · June 14, 2002, 06:53 AM

I used to belong to a popular range here in L.A. that caters to Japanese toursists. They would bring them in by the busload and shut down the entire range during peak hours. They must have been making a lot of money considering the frequency at which this would happen.

fal308 · June 14, 2002, 11:21 AM

The range where I help out at gets a number of foreign students from several universities when school is in session.
They all seem to be eager to shoot and most end up becoming repeat customers.

Barn Dog · June 14, 2002, 04:18 PM

My company does business with the Japanese year round. When ever they come over we take the bunch of them out shooting at the nearest range. They seem to enjoy the hell out of it since it is prohibited over there. We shoot for an hour or two, take a bunch of pictures and autograph them, always a fun day. I spent three weeks over there once - they have entire stores devoted to air guns and I mean really nice copies of all makes and models of what we have here. Pretty cool stuff, almost bought a couple.

UltimaThule · June 14, 2002, 07:46 PM

A friend of mine traveled in South East Asia recently. She visited a rental range, in either Cambodia or Vietnam I think. The rentals included RPGs and hand grenades. Did I hear anyone say "liability insurance"?

Cosmoline · June 15, 2002, 12:19 AM

I've often wondered if some $$ could be made by marketing Alaska in a smiliar way. We have crap-loads of German tourists (so to speak), along with plenty of Koreans and other Asians. I remember discussing arms control with a pro-gun German on line a while back. He refused to believe I owned a SAR-1 AK-47. I suspect folks like that might pay to cap off a few rounds.

thumbtack · June 15, 2002, 01:21 AM

Would anyone go to a firearm amusement park?

GunGeek · June 15, 2002, 02:02 AM

Forget Thailand, just come to the California Bay area, at the range I work at a large portion of our customers are foreigners visiting friends in the US, Asians and Arabs are the biggest ones.... It took me a while to get used to the idea of handing a firearm and ammo to a guy with a turban, I know only a small percentage of Arabs are involved in terrorism, but it just gave me the willies...

I won't talk about the time we had an Israeli wearing a Yakima come in to rent and then a Pakistani wearing a turban and his wife in full Arab garb rent another lane, I swear we were hiding under the counter waiting for the shooting to begin.

Mike in VA · June 15, 2002, 06:22 AM

GG-
Yakima is a town in eastern Washington state, I think you meant 'yamika' (sp?) the little black skull cap ortodox Jews wear?

Seriously, I have a similar experience at the little indoor range I frequent - there's often shooters from various parts of the world there. Most are well disciplined and seem to enjoy themselves. Many are immigrants who seem to appreciate RKBA better than a lot of the locals here in No. VA

GunGeek · June 16, 2002, 03:58 AM

Mike, yes you are correct. Spell checker got away from me.

And no we have never had any problems with anything like this, it is even believed that possible members from opposite gangs have had lanes next to each other, another employee told me he believes we are considered a neutral zone by local gangs. Would like to think none of that is true but sometimes I wonder, they would be stupid to try something with all the cops that hang out to shoot.

ATeaM · June 16, 2002, 07:04 AM

"Would anyone go to a firearm amusement park?"

Isn't that what Knob Creek is all about ? I think an all encompassing pyro themed amusement park would be brilliant but the insurance would suck. Imagine the Disneyland Safari ride, but instead of the boat captain busting some fake caps everyone would get a chance to light up numerous Hippos (real ones) with an M79.

KP95DAO · June 16, 2002, 07:25 AM

Does the fact that I remember the time when every carnival had a shooting booth where you shot at moving targets with .22 rimfire rifle mean I am getting old?

My limited experience with asians at firing ranges has been less than good, safety wise. Though no worse than many "good old boys" at the range.

carebear · June 16, 2002, 11:23 PM

I've often wondered if some $$ could be made by marketing Alaska in a smiliar way. We have crap-loads of German tourists (so to speak), along with plenty of Koreans and other Asians. I remember discussing arms control with a pro-gun German on line a while back. He refused to believe I owned a SAR-1 AK-47. I suspect folks like that might pay to cap off a few rounds. - cosmoline

When The Firing Line indoor shooting range was open up here we did a lot of rentals to european and asian tourists. We had some regulars who were German naturals who always smelled of beer but they knew what they were about. Some Aussies with BP as well. I think they started drinking at noon but we never had a problem.

The non-english speaking (Japanese in particular) could be scary, they often wanted to turn around for pictures while hot. No real problems though.

Pity it closed.

Redlg155 · June 17, 2002, 11:14 AM

Quote:

The rentals included RPGs and hand grenades

Hey..why not? Sign a no liability waiver and chuck grenades at your own leisure! I'd love to fire a RPG!

As for tourists coming here to shoot, look at the bright side, at least we don't have to go there to shoot.

Good Shooting
RED

Blackhawk · June 17, 2002, 04:49 PM

Quote:

I'd love to fire a RPG!

Me too!

I've been on the other end, and I'd like to see just how skilled those guys had to be so accurate! One fired from about 1,000 yards head on flew right through the hole in the sky where I was. If I hadn't seen the smoke when he fired, he woulda had me!

I saw another one pass by amazingly close going my way that had to be fired from at least 6,000 yards!

Either those gunners were very skilled or those were extremely well designed and made weapons -- maybe both!

June 13, 2002, 11:27 AM	#1
Drizzt Senior Member Join Date: October 25, 2000 Location: Going Out of My Head at a Rapid Pace..... Posts: 2,511	Japanese tourists taste real Thai bullets Copyright 2002 Agence France Presse Agence France Presse June 12, 2002 Wednesday SECTION: International News LENGTH: 845 words HEADLINE: Japanese tourists taste real Thai bullets BYLINE: SAMANTHA BROWN DATELINE: BANGKOK, June 12 BODY: Japanese tourists have discovered that Thai holidays can be about more than just cheap shopping and snoozing on tropical beaches, with shooting guns at Thai military ranges becoming the latest fad. "There are so many Japanese tourists coming to Bangkok -- if they want to do some shooting and some sightseeing, then that's the Thai military's business," says Akiro Shimura, a former colonel in Japan's Self-Defence Forces who runs a company offering trips to the ranges. Firing guns with real bullets can be near-impossible for those outside the police and military in Japan, says Akiro. "They (the Japanese) don't know much about the military," he says -- Japan has only been permitted to maintain a self-defence force since World War II -- but shooting is "very interesting" to them. Tosaka Kazuhumi, 30, sought out a shooting trip because it's easier to do it in Thailand than back home. "It's a good opportunity to do an activity that is difficult to do in Japan," he says, adding that he has already seen various temples and a crocodile farm during his eight-day holiday in Bangkok. "And as a leisure activity in a foreign country, it's not too expensive," he says. Since last July, up to 150 tourists a month have been descending on Akiro's tiny cluttered office in the basement of one of Bangkok's largest shopping malls. It's an unlikely public relations outlet for Thailand's military, nestled between a mobile phone shop and a fortune-teller. Replicas of guns mounted on the wall provide the only hint of Shiro Corporation's services. Some 70 percent of the tourists who come to wield weapons are Japanese, says Nobuhiro Munakata, one of four workers at the office. Another 20 percent are other Asians, and the remainder are Europeans. Most are beginners, and nearly all are men. "But now young Japanese girls like to come too," Nobuhiro says. Chinese women are also curious about packing heat, he adds. "They will come with their husbands -- but they don't want to shoot." A sum of 3,000 baht (70 dollars) buys marksmen 50 bullets to shoot on three handguns: a .38 special, Luger 9mm and .45 calibre. It also includes the return trip to a firing range, a Japanese or English-speaking guide, and one-on-one instruction from a member of the Thai military. A session kicks off at the office with a mini-lecture. "All guns are real and the bullets are real," Nobuhiro reminds the class. "Only point the gun at the target ... These are professional Thai military men (instructing). Do what they say." If you do, Nobuhiro reassures, shooting will be "safer than golf or tennis". Nobuhiro wears the uniform of the Japanese Self-Defense Forces -- almost. "The colour should be a bit darker," he confesses in a tribute to what's available in Thailand's endless markets. "But the insignia is correct." Fifteen minutes drive away at one of the ranges, the plain-clothed Sergeant Major 1st class Wattana Ketkomol gives a demonstration, cleanly shooting a watermelon, Coke can and rapidly-melting block of ice in a cloud of acrid gunsmoke. "People ask for moving targets like in Hollywood, but we don't have those," Nobuhiro apologizes. Instead tourists shoot at standard human silhouette targets. "We hope that customers can study guns -- it's not just for fun. They can compare the differences between how they fire. They can't study this from the movies or TV," Nobuhiro says. Shiro is tapping into a move made by the military units two years ago, says Major General Adisak Kaenkaew, director of the Army Tourist Office which opened in 2001. "Over the last two years it has been the policy of the government to let tourists ... see some parts of some units," says Adisak. This means plenty of activities -- parachuting, abseiling and canoeing -- are now available to the public at units across the country, for a fee. The trend has caught on, Adisak says, but it's more about public relations than profits. "We don't think much about the money -- we opened the units because it's the policy of the government," he says. Chulachomklao Royal Military Academy in Nakhon Nayok, 107 kilometres (70 miles) northeast of Bangkok -- where Shiro hopes to start running new tours soon -- was the forerunner of the program, opening in 1998. It is an outdoorsman's paradise, their tourist office reckons, with everything from kayaking and golf to bird-watching and camping available. Most visitors are Thai nationals, but that could change. Adisak says 40 Japanese high school students are planning a long-term stay with the military, split between the Academy and a camp west of Bangkok. "It would be the first time we let foreigners inside this unit," says Adisak. Meanwhile Shiro is also developing a tour to the King's Guard, which is part of the national cavalry. Horseriding, stable visits and a spell in a stationary tank are on the agenda. "We're asking the military police to let the tank move at the moment. But there won't be any shooting," a downcast Nobuhiro says. "It's very expensive." LOAD-DATE: June 13, 2002 __________________ "That a free citizen should have to go before a committee, hat in hand, and pray for permission to bear arms - fantastic! Arm your daughter, sir, and pay no attention to petty bureaucrats." Robert Heinlein - Red Planet

June 13, 2002, 11:41 AM	#2
George Hill Staff Alumnus Join Date: October 14, 1998 Location: Lapoint, Utah Posts: 11,479	Letting stundents join the military as if it was a school outing? Interesting. __________________ MAD OGRE

June 13, 2002, 12:27 PM	#3
4V50 Gary Staff Join Date: November 2, 1998 Location: California Posts: 13,263	Why heck, we have that for Japanese tourists in America. There's one range on the main island of Hawaii (Oahu?) that deliberately targets Japanese tourists. They love guns and love to dress up as cowboys, soldiers, police and blast away. Of course, it really pays to have a 1:1 instructor to student ratio to keep them from turning and waving that muzzle all over the place. Norinco (one factory near Beijing in particular) also has a facility for tourists. One member has posted a pic and I think there are instructions on how to contact that range somewhere here at TFL. __________________ Vigilantibus et non dormientibus jura subveniunt. *Molon Labe!*

June 13, 2002, 01:47 PM	#4
Crimper-D Senior Member Join Date: July 26, 2001 Location: The Bearflag Republic Posts: 581	I was shooting at a range where this happened - Fun was had by all! I was shooting on the pistol line of a local range about a decade ago when the Rangemaster announced that we were about to be 'visited' by a tourbus full of Japanese tourists, complete with cameras and rented guns! He went on to state that probably none of these folks had ever shot before and that any help provided by experienced shooters would be greatly appreciated They came, don't know where they rented the guns, but 9mm's seemed to be the choice, followed by 357mags. All had eye and ear protection, the same brand, and several cases of commercial reloads. It was delightful! They had the time of their lives. A hole in the target was a cause for celebration. While nearly everyone on the line simply stepped back and let these guys shoot, doing 1:1 instruction through translators. I was requested to keep shooting, as I had the only Black Powder guns on the line at the time and all that flame and smoke was a real attention getter, especially the .54 Lyman Plains Pistol I was nearly blinded by the flashbulbs. I let a couple of them shoot it...They saved the targets There's a couple of photo albums in apartments in Osaka with NRA 25yd pistol targets decorated with .54cal holes Interesting people, more than a few had the makings of good shots...they did exactly as they were told __________________ "It is evident that scepticism, while it makes no actual change in a man, always makes him feel better.".....H.L.Mencken

June 15, 2002, 12:19 AM	#12
Cosmoline Senior Member Join Date: March 11, 2000 Posts: 1,068	I've often wondered if some $$ could be made by marketing Alaska in a smiliar way. We have crap-loads of German tourists (so to speak), along with plenty of Koreans and other Asians. I remember discussing arms control with a pro-gun German on line a while back. He refused to believe I owned a SAR-1 AK-47. I suspect folks like that might pay to cap off a few rounds. __________________ "Know that the pistol has no value, we practically don't use it. We need grenades, rifles, machine guns, and explosives." Mordechai Anielewicz, April 23, 1943

June 13, 2002, 02:04 PM	#5
C.R.Sam Senior Member Join Date: October 29, 1999 Location: Dewey, AZ Posts: 12,876	My impression has been that they, as a whole, are very eager to learn, pay attention and are a joy to work with. Sam

June 14, 2002, 12:35 AM	#7
Engineer Senior Member Join Date: May 15, 2000 Location: NE Ohio Posts: 146	4V50 Gary, You mean something like this? I was in Honolulu on a business trip about a month ago and ran across this ad in one of the shopping malls. My friends were trying to get me to go, but I decided not to - figuring that range time + rental + ammo would have easily added up to a my yearly membership dues back home. But then again, looking at the girl, how could I have passed it up? Nice and safe with the trigger finger there.

June 14, 2002, 06:53 AM	#8
ATeaM Senior Member Join Date: March 2, 2001 Posts: 601	I used to belong to a popular range here in L.A. that caters to Japanese toursists. They would bring them in by the busload and shut down the entire range during peak hours. They must have been making a lot of money considering the frequency at which this would happen.

June 14, 2002, 11:21 AM	#9
fal308 Staff Alumnus Join Date: October 12, 1998 Location: Missouri Posts: 1,971	The range where I help out at gets a number of foreign students from several universities when school is in session. They all seem to be eager to shoot and most end up becoming repeat customers.

June 14, 2002, 04:18 PM	#10
Barn Dog Senior Member Join Date: March 16, 2001 Posts: 169	My company does business with the Japanese year round. When ever they come over we take the bunch of them out shooting at the nearest range. They seem to enjoy the hell out of it since it is prohibited over there. We shoot for an hour or two, take a bunch of pictures and autograph them, always a fun day. I spent three weeks over there once - they have entire stores devoted to air guns and I mean really nice copies of all makes and models of what we have here. Pretty cool stuff, almost bought a couple.

June 14, 2002, 07:46 PM	#11
UltimaThule Senior Member Join Date: September 16, 2001 Location: Norway Posts: 457	A friend of mine traveled in South East Asia recently. She visited a rental range, in either Cambodia or Vietnam I think. The rentals included RPGs and hand grenades. Did I hear anyone say "liability insurance"?

June 15, 2002, 01:21 AM	#13
thumbtack Senior Member Join Date: March 12, 2001 Location: The Big Town of Little Elm, Texas Posts: 707	Would anyone go to a firearm amusement park? __________________ Cry Havoc, and let slip the dogs of war

June 15, 2002, 02:02 AM	#14
GunGeek Senior Member Join Date: May 3, 2002 Location: Florida Posts: 288	Forget Thailand, just come to the California Bay area, at the range I work at a large portion of our customers are foreigners visiting friends in the US, Asians and Arabs are the biggest ones.... It took me a while to get used to the idea of handing a firearm and ammo to a guy with a turban, I know only a small percentage of Arabs are involved in terrorism, but it just gave me the willies... I won't talk about the time we had an Israeli wearing a Yakima come in to rent and then a Pakistani wearing a turban and his wife in full Arab garb rent another lane, I swear we were hiding under the counter waiting for the shooting to begin. __________________ The Gun Geek EMCOMM Forum

June 15, 2002, 06:22 AM	#15
Mike in VA Senior Member Join Date: October 16, 1998 Location: Santa FE, NM Posts: 2,165	GG- Yakima is a town in eastern Washington state, I think you meant 'yamika' (sp?) the little black skull cap ortodox Jews wear? Seriously, I have a similar experience at the little indoor range I frequent - there's often shooters from various parts of the world there. Most are well disciplined and seem to enjoy themselves. Many are immigrants who seem to appreciate RKBA better than a lot of the locals here in No. VA __________________ M2 The Second Amendment IS homeland defense!

June 16, 2002, 03:58 AM	#16
GunGeek Senior Member Join Date: May 3, 2002 Location: Florida Posts: 288	Mike, yes you are correct. Spell checker got away from me. And no we have never had any problems with anything like this, it is even believed that possible members from opposite gangs have had lanes next to each other, another employee told me he believes we are considered a neutral zone by local gangs. Would like to think none of that is true but sometimes I wonder, they would be stupid to try something with all the cops that hang out to shoot. __________________ The Gun Geek EMCOMM Forum

June 16, 2002, 07:04 AM	#17
ATeaM Senior Member Join Date: March 2, 2001 Posts: 601	"Would anyone go to a firearm amusement park?" Isn't that what Knob Creek is all about ? I think an all encompassing pyro themed amusement park would be brilliant but the insurance would suck. Imagine the Disneyland Safari ride, but instead of the boat captain busting some fake caps everyone would get a chance to light up numerous Hippos (real ones) with an M79.

June 16, 2002, 07:25 AM	#18
KP95DAO Senior Member Join Date: December 30, 2000 Posts: 700	Remember when? Does the fact that I remember the time when every carnival had a shooting booth where you shot at moving targets with .22 rimfire rifle mean I am getting old? My limited experience with asians at firing ranges has been less than good, safety wise. Though no worse than many "good old boys" at the range.

June 16, 2002, 11:23 PM	#19
carebear Senior Member Join Date: December 8, 2001 Location: Anchorage, AK Posts: 494	I've often wondered if some $$ could be made by marketing Alaska in a smiliar way. We have crap-loads of German tourists (so to speak), along with plenty of Koreans and other Asians. I remember discussing arms control with a pro-gun German on line a while back. He refused to believe I owned a SAR-1 AK-47. I suspect folks like that might pay to cap off a few rounds. - cosmoline When The Firing Line indoor shooting range was open up here we did a lot of rentals to european and asian tourists. We had some regulars who were German naturals who always smelled of beer but they knew what they were about. Some Aussies with BP as well. I think they started drinking at noon but we never had a problem. The non-english speaking (Japanese in particular) could be scary, they often wanted to turn around for pictures while hot. No real problems though. Pity it closed.