Public shooting gallery catering to unlicensed shooters opens as firearm sports rise in popularity

A new public shooting gallery catering to unlicensed shooters as young as 11 has opened as firearm sports experience a surge in popularity. See our exclusive list of all gun clubs in Queensland.

The Gold Coast Indoor Shooting Centre, a new public shooting gallery catering for unlicensed shooters from children to adults has opened in Southport. Picture: Supplied

A new public shooting gallery catering for unlicensed shooters from children to adults has opened on the Gold Coast.

Based in the same premises as the Southport Indoor Pistol Club the new Gold Coast Indoor Shooting Centre takes the number of places unlicensed shooters can pay to shoot a genuine firearm in Queensland to at least seven, as the sport experiences a surge in popularity.

It also joins more than 330 gun clubs statewide where members with weapons licenses regularly enjoy target shooting at dedicated outdoor or indoor ranges.

The new Gold Coast Indoor Shooting Centre, based inside the Southport Indoor Pistol Club. Picture: Supplied

The new public shooting gallery, at 76 Ferry Rd, Southport, opened 10 of 20 lanes in September after the building underwent a $500,000 refurbishment, which included the installation of a custom-designed safety tethering system for the guns.

Co-director Tim Barron, 50, of Carrara, said the Gold Coast Indoor Shooting Centre caters to unlicensed shooters from 11-years-old.

“It’s very much a family environment,” he said.

“The new gallery is there for people to come and try shooting, or come back again if they’re not licensed, in a safe environment with tethered weapons.

Some of the shooting bays at the Gold Coast Indoor Shooting Centre, a new public shooting gallery based inside the Southport Indoor Pistol Club. Picture: Supplied

“We were very particular about safety. We’ve spent a lot of money on having a special tether system for our gallery.

“(The firearms) are locked in so they can’t be turned off the targets to shoot at the roof or the floor.”

For years, public shooting galleries in Queensland have been required to have firearms tethered by law, but Southport Indoor Pistol Club manager Robert Dank said he had devised an improved, more advanced system for the new gallery.

Mr Dank, 58, of Benowa, said his tether design was made of 3D printed aluminium – making it strong but more lightweight – and came with a unique locking mechanism.

Co-director of the Gold Coast Indoor Shooting Centre, Tim Barron, 50, instructs a teenager on how to fire a tethered shotgun. The newly opened public shooting gallery is based inside the Southport Indoor Pistol Club at 76 Ferry Rd, Southport. Picture: Supplied

Tim Barron, co-director of a new public shooting gallery called the Gold Coast Shooting Centre, instructs a 12-year-old boy on the best way to fire a Desert Eagle .44 Magnum pistol, which was locked into a custom designed tethering system. Picture: Supplied

The building’s previous long-term tenant, known as The Shooting Centre, has moved to new, refurbished premises at Unit 5, 41 Ferry Rd and been rebranded as the Indoor Shooting Centre Gold Coast.

Owner Colin Hook said he hoped to reopen this month pending the final inspection by Queensland Police Service Weapons Licensing Branch officers.

Besides the Gold Coast Indoor Shooting Centre and the separate, yet to reopen, Indoor Shooting Centre Gold Coast, there are also dedicated public shooting galleries in Cairns, Toowoomba and in Logan, outside of Brisbane.

Groups of unlicensed shooters can also pay for a gun firing ‘experience’ offered by two different organisations in Brisbane, Go Shooting or the Brisbane Sporting Clays.

An uptick in interest in rifle, shotgun and handgun sports throughout Queensland has contributed to the opening of the newest public shooting gallery, with the neighbouring pistol club being among several different types of members-only gun clubs statewide to have grown since 2020.

A public shooting gallery previously known as The Shooting Centre has moved to a refurbished building at Unit 5, 41 Ferry Rd, Southport and has been rebranded the Indoor Shooting Centre Gold Coast. The business hopes to reopen this month. Picture: shooting-centre.com.au

Sharyn Petersen, administrator of the state body for target pistol shooting, Pistol Shooting Queensland, said the handgun sport had experienced a “steady” growth since the late 1990s, with extra interest piquing following the recent Paris Olympics.

“Every year we’ve seen an increase,” she said.

“I’m not saying our membership is growing by a huge amount, but maybe by about five or 10 per cent each year.

Photos of 51-year-old Turk Yusuf Dikek shooting in the Olympic air pistol event went viral thanks to his casual-looking shooting style compared to that of other competitors.

Olympian shooter, Yusuf Dikek, 51, of Turkey and his casual approach to pistol shooting went viral during the 2024 Paris Olympics. Picture: X/Twitter

Although there are options at all gun clubs to become competitive shooters, Mrs Petersen said most people shoot just for fun.

“Not everyone wants to be a top shooter, some just do it because it’s good social interaction just like any sport,” she said.

“For a lot of people it’s just fun and they’re just trying to beat their own personal best.”

Queensland Clay Target Association President, Gerard Battiato, said several metropolitan gun clubs, in particular, had expanded thanks to “a lot more people getting a (weapons) license.”

“Some of the smaller, rural clubs are losing numbers but, once you get in the southeast corner, it’s more likely,” he said.

“(For example), the Brisbane Gun Club is one that is getting bigger and bigger.

“They now have more than 600 members … before they had 450.”

Chris Paine, 63, of Benowa and Tim Barron, 50, of Carrara are the co-directors of the Gold Coast Indoor Shooting Centre, a recently opened public shooting gallery based in the same building as the Southport Indoor Pistol Club on Ferry Road in Southport. Picture: GISC

There were 1,073,935 legally-registered firearms and 224,758 individuals with weapons licenses in Queensland as of September 2, up from 1,018,640 registered weapons and 222,414 license holders as of September 3, 2023, according to Queensland Police data.
Mr Battiato, 56, of Bridgeman Downs, said the rise in interest was likely in part due to some clubs better promoting their ‘come and try days’ along with increased education about firearm sports.

“Perceptions have changed as well,” he said.

“A lot of people do a ‘come and try’ day, then do their weapons license course and they realise, at the end of the day, it’s just a sporting tool.

“Safety is paramount. … No matter what sport you do there’s an element of safety and the gun sports do a very good job of (teaching) a lot of safety.”

Most of the more than 330 gun clubs in Queensland are open to the public, with the exception of law enforcement and defence force clubs, which are restricted to their members.

There are multiple different shooting disciplines that use or cater to various styles of firearms and competitions, from air rifles to military-style firearms to old fashioned “cowboy” revolvers and even some aimed at helping hunters improve their marksmanship.

Originally published as Public shooting gallery catering to unlicensed shooters opens as firearm sports rise in popularity