I'll Check This Out For You

In an effort to distance themselves from the name which many felt was tainted, Blackwater executives came up with the inert name “Xe” to help revamp their tarnished image. Here we are a little over a year later and although Xe didn’t seem to do much for anyone, it seems that the name Blackwater still has some life in it. Despite negative connotations almost everywhere else, the firm still enjoys a great deal of support from the gun owning public. So it only seems natural that the Blackwater name and iconic bear paw logo would begin to see a resurgence. Poised to open are combination pro shops and indoor ranges in Fayetteville, North Carolina and Salem, Connecticut. What is the significance of these two disparate locations you might ask? Fayetteville should come as no surprise as it is home to Fort Bragg. However, many would not know that Salem is right up the road from the Navy’s submarine force based in Groton, Connecticut.

Well, not exactly. I know where the business in Salem, CT will be; there was a gunshop on Rt. 85 in Salem, just south of the intersection with Rt. 82. That's across the Thames River from Groton (and some distance from the Thames River). It's akin to saying that Middletown, NY is "just up the road" from New York City.

Anyway, that gunshop had a pistol range in the basement, a pretty nice one, as I recall. (I haven't been there in a long time, but the old proprietor was kind of a curmudgeon, or at least I thought as much.) Unless a landlord (or a new tenant) is going to spend a shitload of money, a building that had a pistol range in it is pretty much only good for another pistol range.

Once it's open, and when I get a chance, I'll check it out and post a writeup.