Matt and Suzie Fleming, co-owners of Best Shot Range in Friendswood, have dedicated the past five years to providing local gun enthusiasts educational and safety resources to improve their marksmanship. Best Shot Range has been in Friendswood for nearly 25 years, but it was purchased by the Flemings in 2010. Since taking ownership, the Flemings have expanded the shooting range and developed a series of classes and camps geared toward teaching children and adults gun history, safety and technique. “When I grew up, if you wanted to shoot you could take a tin can and sit it on the fence post and shoot at it,” Matt said. “Those days are gone, and we do not have that opportunity. I just want to give people an opportunity, in a nice setting, to learn gun safety and shooting.” During the past five years, Matt has expanded the shooting range’s original 10 handgun shooting lanes to also include four 25-meter rifle lanes. With additional shooting lanes, Matt said he has been able to expand his shooting camps and offer additional classes, including Level 1 and Level 2 children’s shooting camps. The curriculum for each camp is based off the National Rifle Association’s basic rifle, pistol and shotgun courses, which focus on different safety techniques, such as how to properly hold and shoot a firearm. Matt said he splits each class day between teaching from a textbook and applying lessons learned on the shooting range. “With the right type of training and focus, my students can go from shooting a pie-plate size target to shooting aspirin,” he said. “The same skills that it takes to be a good student in school are the same skills [it takes] to be a good shooter.” As a licensed firearms instructor through the Texas Department of Public Safety, the National Firearms Act and the NRA, Matt also teaches hunter safety education and concealed handgun courses at Best Shot Range. Best Shot Range is also a recreational indoor shooting range, which allows gun enthusiasts to sight in and target practice with pistols, rifles and shotguns as long as the firearms do not exceed .50 caliber. With 14 available shooting lanes, Matt said he constructed different games to offer customers—such as an automated shooting gallery—that are designed to help strengthen their marksmanship. As the shooting range continues to expand, Matt said he wants to install shooting lanes specifically for fully automatic firearms and eventually offer additional shooting camps for children. “Shooting is fun, and it can be challenging to shoot accurately,” he said. “A lot of the people who come in enjoy shooting, and they made an investment in a firearm and they want to use it instead of have it sit in a closet.”