World: Americas Gun resort
opens in US As legislators
in Washington approve new gun-control measures, investors
in Nevada are backing the world's first resort for firearms
enthusiasts.
Front Sight Nevada
- a 550-acre site near the gambling mecca of Las Vegas
- has 12 firing ranges behind a high-security perimeter
fence.
Most weekends, eager new customers are offered free
one-day sub-machine gun courses with guns and ammunition
provided free.
Just three hours after the novice marksmen fire their
first shots, they are allowed on to the shooting ranges.
And the $25m project is flourishing - with 3,000 new
students so far this year.
'Four Weapons Combat Master'
The resort is the brainchild of 39-year-old Ignatius
Piazza, a former chiropractor, who now calls himself
a Four Weapons Combat Master.
The knowledge and the ability of being able to protect
yourself in the event that somebody attempts to take
your life or injure you severely," he added.
Ignatius Piazza believes that incidents such as the recent school shootings
in Colorado would not have happened if everyone was
able to protect themselves with a weapon.
In fact, his company is offering to train up to three
teachers from any school in the country so that such
events "would not happen" in the future.
American frontier heritage
Opposition to gun ownership in this area of the American
West is muted.
Anti-gun campaigner Dr Robert Wesley is one of those
speaking out against the gun culture.
"It's just another form of legitimacy for the gun ethic
of America," he said.
"A resort implies a place for relaxation - but this
is a place where people learn the techniques of death,"
he said.
But such opinions are rare. Front
Sight Resort is swiftly gaining a following.
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