An earlier version of this story had incorrect information regarding the days Target Practice LLC are open. The error has been corrected. The Eagle regrets the error.
JOHN DAY — Target Practice LLC wants you to shoot your shot.
John Day’s only standalone firearms and firearms accessory store opened about a month ago and business has been steady, according to co-owner Jeremiah Lippert. Lippert is part of a four-person partnership of owners that include his wife, Emily, as well as Nick and Gustav Stiner.
“We’ve been fairly busy. … I get a lot of guys that come in here and swap stories,” Lippert said. “I’ve been asked to find a lot of stuff for people, and we’ve been doing well so far with being able to get it. It’s been pretty busy since we’ve been open for about a month.”
Target Practice LLC began to take shape about a year ago though the efforts of the Lipperts. The need for a building led to talks with Nick Stiner, which resulted in the partnership agreement between the four current co-owners.
“We just brought all four of us together and started the business and got the (federal firearms license), and we’ve been fairly busy,” Lippert said.
The end goal for Target Practice LLC is to have an indoor shooting range for the public. Lippert said the business to support it isn’t there yet, so they are starting where they are with the hope of expanding their operations sometime in the future.
It isn’t all smiles, though, and there have been hiccups, mostly related to the parts of Measure 114 — Oregon’s new voter-approved gun law — that are still in effect. Background checks are taking longer, which is affecting business, according to Lippert.
“People who normally go straight through are being put into a queue. It’s made a lot of people nervous about wanting to buy something because they know they’re going to go into a queue with the background checks. … It’s been difficult,” he said.
Lippert said the nice thing about Target Practice LLC’s pricing is that background checks are included with the price of the firearm, so there are no extra fees or surprises for shoppers at the establishment.
The store can find almost anything a person needs if it isn’t in stock, according to Lippert.
“Come on in and talk to me. If I don’t have what you’re looking for, I might be able to find it,” he said.
Target Practice LLC is already making an impact on the community as well.
The gun show scheduled for March 25 and 26 at the Grant County Fairgrounds didn’t have a federally licensed dealer who could conduct background checks so firearms could be sold at the gun show.
The business stepped up to fill that role. The gun show can now operate as intended, complete with firearms sales on the premises.
“We talked about it this morning, and I called (fair manager Mindy Winegar) and said we’re good to go. She was very appreciative,” Lippert said of the decision to conduct background checks at the gun show.
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Keep it Clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Don't Threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be Truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be Nice. No racism, sexism or any sort of -ism that is degrading to another person.
Be Proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
Share with Us. We'd love to hear eyewitness accounts, the history behind an article.