New owners have breathed life back into the firearm center and gun range facility formerly known as Range USA on Whitten Road. The former business abruptly shut down operations in April.
The new bosses opened it as the revamped and fully stocked Top Gun on Sept. 27. More than 1,600 customers have poured in since then, including more than 800 on opening weekend.
The new owners are David Couch, who also owns the building; Ben Ferguson, the TV/radio talk show host and frequent political commentator on CNN; and Jay Hill, who also owns Classic Arms at 1740 N. Germantown Parkway, near Dexter Road.
“Overall, it’s going very well,” Hill commented. “Couldn’t be more pleased with the turnout and the positive response that we’re getting out of people.”
General Manager Mike Dugger said the owners and staff all emphasize providing attentive customer service, warm handshakes and knowledgeable help.
“The goal of the new owners is to create a family-friendly environment where shooters of all levels can enjoy sports shooting and eating,” he added.
Hill, who’s been in the gun industry for more than 30 years, said they named it Top Gun “because we want to be tops in everything we do.”
He explained that he wanted to open Top Gun to fill a void. He considers it to be a service to the people of the greater Memphis metro area. “I’m actually doing it just for the love of the sport. I’m doing it for the community because crime in Memphis is of course a big topic.”
He cited the high violent crime rate in Memphis and said, “So the people of this community need to be trained and they need to be trained properly. And so I put together this staff of people who are excellent instructors who understand the shooting industry, the training aspect of it, and just good gun marksmanship and handling, and being safe, all at once.”
The building’s interior has been revamped with new paint, LED lights on the two gun ranges (14 and nine lanes respectively), new range ventilation, plenty of inventory for guns and gun accessories, and multiple safety features, according to Dugger. The new restaurant on premises, Ferguson’s Barbecue, invites customers to linger over its menu of smoked meats and enjoy comfortable seats around the TV or occupy the line of barstools beside wide windows overlooking one range.
The facility of approximately 20,000 square feet — believed to be the largest in West Tennessee —includes classroom/conference room space and a retail floor where weapons, ammo and accessories are available. Public and private firearms training sessions are also offered. Liberty gun safes are available, and motorcycles are on display.
A separate business, MidSouth Laser Engraving, will set up shop at Top Gun within a few weeks to add the option of firearms customization by appointment.
Weapon rentals at Top Gun include about 10 models of fully automatic weapons (machine guns), from 9mm to the AK-47. It’s rare for the average consumer to have access to fully automatic weapons, Digger said, so shooters have been excited to try these out under the direct supervision of range safety officers.
Dugger noted that a new safety practice for the facility as a whole is the availability of range safety officers at all times to oversee all shooters on the ranges.
He described Top Gun as a family-oriented business open for individuals and groups (customized pricing available for groups). Customers have included coworkers enjoying a training session in a meeting room, followed by barbecue at the restaurant and a session on one of the building’s two gun ranges. Top Gun has also been home to birthday parties (no alcohol), Sunday School classes looking for a fun outing and even celebrity rentals of entire ranges.
Patrons can bring their own weapons or use rentals, Dugger said. If renting, they can also exchange the firearm to try a different one during the same session at no additional charge. Customers can buy or bring their own targets and ammo. Protective gear for eyes and ears is available for sale or rent, or they can bring their own.
Dugger gave a rundown of the basic prices that customers can expect:
One-hour lane rentals are $15 for one person or $20 for two. If no other customers are waiting, Top Gun doesn’t charge extra if patrons want to keep shooting for longer.- Not counting full-auto, rentals of handguns and long guns are $10-$15, and shooters can switch out weapons during the same session if desired
- Most fully automatic weapons cost $15 per magazine to rent. Two sizes are $29.50 per magazine: The AK-47 and the .223.
- Eye and ear protection can be purchased on premises, or rented for $1 each.
- Ammunition is usually $11.99 to $29.99 for factory ammo and reloads. Self-defense ammunition is also available for sale.
- Class prices vary from about $60 to $125 per person, depending on the class. Top Gun offers the Tennessee/Mississippi Permit Carry Class nearly every Saturday, and the other classes range from beginners to experts.
- Lunch specials are offered 11 a.m.-2 p.m. weekdays for $15.99. They include the meal, target and use of the lane for one hour. Ammunition and weapon rentals are separate costs.
Top Gun offers five membership options:
- Gold, monthly (no contract): $29, including unlimited shooting all month; one free target daily; free handgun and long gun rentals; one free full auto rental per month; reserved range time; 5% discount on accessories, advanced classes, ammo and accessories; one free guest per month; free gun appraisals; and free gun inspections.
- Platinum, monthly (no contract): $49, including unlimited shooting all month; one free target daily; unlimited free rentals of full-auto weapons and other guns; reserved range time; 5% discount on general accessories and advanced classes; 10% discount on food, drinks, ammo, gun accessories and event rentals; one free guest per visit; free gun appraisals and inspections; and free entry into the Top Gun Award at the end of the year.
- Annual, gold or platinum: Pay upfront for a year’s worth of a gold or platinum membership for a savings of 10 percent.
- Veterans: $14 per month during daytime hours, Monday through Friday.
- Family: $800 annually. Includes only immediate family in one household.
Hill said they are happy to provide the community with proper training in a well-equipped facility. “That’s what we’re trying to provide, a good clean safe facility to learn to shoot and to learn to carry a gun responsibly, and knowing when to shoot and when not to shoot,” he said.
For more information, visit Top Gun at 2770 Whitten Road, Memphis, or call 901-949-GUNS (901-949-4867). Facility hours are 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 10 a.m.-9 p.m. Friday and Sunday, and 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Sunday.
Their new website, TopGunMemphis.com, due to be operational this week, will contain additional information, including age restrictions: Children younger than 7 are not allowed on the range, but they can sit in the restaurant with an adult and watch shooting on the gun range through the observation windows. Those ages 7-12 can shoot only rimfire weapons unless they have taken Top Gun’s youth course. Children 13 and older can shoot almost any weapon with help and supervision from a parent, documented legal guardian or grandparent. Use of the fully automatic weapons is restricted to shooters 18 and older.
Local crime stats for 2018
Gun availability and training make many people feel secure in high-crime areas. There’s a demand for weapons and gun expertise in the Memphis area.
According to data from the latest FBI report (the 2018 “Crime in the United States” report released in September by the FBI’s Uniform Crime Reporting Program), Memphis ranked highest in the state in all categories for 2018.
Following are crime statistics for 2018 and 2017 for Memphis and Bartlett.
For Memphis, homicide and aggravated assault rates rose, although violent crime as a whole dropped 2% (compared to a 3.3% drop nationwide). For Memphis and Shelby County, the violent crime rate was down 8% except for homicide and aggravated assault. Rapes and robberies were down, and property crimes were up. Note that some crime rates, such as rape, include some changes to what data is collected.
For 2018, Memphis’ reported crimes included:
- Violent crimes: 12,674 (down from 13,077 in 2017)
- Murder and non-negligent manslaughter: 186 (up from 181 in 2017). The Memphis murder rate is sixth in the nation.
- Rape: 491 (down from 590 in 2017)
- Robbery: 3,050 (down from 3,457 in 2017)
- Aggravated assault: 8,947 (up from 8,849 in 2017)
- Property crime: 41,779 (up from 41,110 in 2017)
- Burglary: 8,494 (down from 9,532 in 2017)
- Larceny-theft: 28,835 (up from 27,576 in 2017)
- Motor vehicle theft: 4,450 (up from 4,002 in 2017)
- Arson: 288 (down from 365 in 2017)
In 2018, Bartlett’s reported crimes included:
- Violent crimes: 190 (down from 233 in 2017)
- Murder and non-negligent homicide: 2 (up from 0 in 2017)
- Rape: 16 (down from 18 in 2017)
- Robbery: 29 (up from 15 in 2017)
- Aggravated assault: 143 (down from 200 in 2017)
- Property crime: 1,119 (down from 1,177 in 2017)
- Burglary: 126 (down from 162)
- Larceny – theft: 920 (down from 958 in 2017)
- Motor vehicle theft: 73 (up from 57 in 2017)
- Arson: 0 (down from 3 in 2017)
See data for other locations online. Use these links to view city-specific data by state:
