[dropcap size=big]T[/dropcap]he sharp reek of gunpowder – sulfur, charcoal and saltpeter – floods my nostrils the moment I step into the Los Angeles Gun Club, a 50-foot indoor shooting range in downtown L.A., with three friends. I twitch my nose and glance around, my heart banging with the irregular gunshots 30 feet away behind the soundproof glass windows.
The vestibule features safety instructions and colorful posters with autographs of celebrities including actor Ed Westwick and Tha Alkaholiks, an L.A. hip hop trio. A few more steps inside, facing two beige walls of firearm selections, we are overwhelmed by the deluge of new information.
“Chinese?” An employee, Charles Xu, comes by and asks in Mandarin. A 6 foot 3 thirtysomething, he has large hands and double chins.
We nod and ask for his recommendations. As Chinese students studying at the University of Southern California and gun novices, it’s our first time to touch real firearms. Xu spreads four clunky handguns across the table and asks us to try each of them.
I reach out for a pitch-black CZ P-01, my palms soaking the rubber grip with sweat. About 28 ounces, the handgun feels much chunkier than I expect. With a heavy first-round trigger pull, I’m told, any additional shots are a light, crisp single action. We decided to pick this one as a handgun and then a SIGM400 as a long gun.