The family-run Knob Creek Gun Range and campground has been famous among gun lovers for a long time. Now, with a new reality-television show on CMT, "Guntucky," the Sumner family is getting a national platform.
Biff Sumner, Jr. bought the land that makes up the gun range in 1963. It sits on the edge of the woods surrounding the Fort Knox Army Base about 20 miles south of Louisville, Kentucky. Sumner invited some friends to shoot guns into the trees, and today the range attracts more than 16,000 people, who travel from all over the world, to participate in its bi-annual Machine Gun Shoot.
"Everybody likes to see something blow up," said Steven Sumner, 54, the son of Biff, Jr. and the range supervisor at Knob Creek, in a conversation with NBC. "They're not into paper targets."
Lines for the event can stretch up to two hours. Participants get to experience shooting with different machine guns and semi-automatics, such as Brownings, AK-47s, MG-42s, M-16s, belt-fed Vickers, Uzis and MP5s. There's even a cannon.
During regular business hours, the range tries to accommodate guests with requests for specific items they want to blow up, such as a zombie apocalypse shootout and even a "shotgun wedding," where a couple got married on the firing line.
"As long as it's not illegal or doesn't interfere with the neighbors, we're up for it," Steven said.
The gun range has strict rules. Guns can't be carried loaded and all guns must be zip-tied and declared before entry into the range. There are also range control officers ready to intervene immediately.
Steven considers the gun range the family business, employing his daughter, Stephanie, 22, as office manager, his son, Payton, as maintenance clerk, and his cousin chad as sales manager. His father owns the range and his brother, Kenny, runs the day-to-day operations.
"We're just average believers in the Second Amendment," said Steven. "It doesn't matter how long that gun sits in a corner, it will never kill anyone.
"It takes an irresponsible operator," he said.
This article is copyrighted by Travelers Today, the travel news leader
