Virtual shooting range opens in Kearney

Kearney shooters now have a new form of entertainment with a virtual shooting range right in the Hilltop Mall. Shooter's Edge had its grand opening Saturday and the business already had people buzzing about getting a chance to shoot the targets on screen.

The owner said he wanted to open a range in Kearney but found it to be an expensive endeavor. He discovered the virtual programs and decided that is something he wanted to start in central Nebraska. He hopes kids will come in with their parents to learn about how to handle a firearm.

“I really kind of hope that the younger youth come in and have their parents come in with them and just kind of introduce themselves to firearms as well as learn to respect the firearm, treat them safely. This range will operate just as a real range,” Owner Chris Kurz said.

The guns he has are run on infrared and are modeled just like a real firearm. Some of them even have air pressure he can adjust so it will recoil just like a real gun.

“What's really great about this is it has a plethora of simulations you can run. You can run anything from your high-end competitive courses that are quite hard, the physics on them are quite hard. To your lower-end where you can have a single shooting target where people can simulate shooting at a range with a static target,” Kurz said.

Regular hours are set to begin this week. It will be modeled after the school/work day being open in the evenings and on holidays and summers there will be extended daytime hours. Kurz said he has goals to spread this program to Grand Island and other places around the Midwest in the future.