bangkok gun ranges

[BritSte]

So this is basically a cautionary tale for any would-be stupid tourist type like me in the hope it can save you a lot of trouble........

 

So I have been to Thailand several times and am usually on my guard but being that i have been here several times I let my hair/guard down and had a few (too many) drinks on the khao san rd on my first night in bangkok.

 

I was walking around and a tuk tuk guy stopped and asked me if i wanted the usual ping pong, lady boy, or strip show. I said no and he gets out a booklet with all these things ppl can do. 

 

I have a look to be polite and see shooting range stuff so I ask a price and he says 6-8000 THB. I said that was too expensive and started to walk away and he follows saying "he knows a better place, cheaper and better".

 

So...............long story short I agree 4500 THB for a taxi journey to a "private gun range" including firing 30 bullets and we set off me sat in the back with a bottle of chang in hand.

 

About 45-50 mins ish later (i think) we arrive at what looked like a warehouse/garage lock upo with a house next to it in a little like industrial area and i get a bit worried thinking Im gonna be robbed. The driver gets out goes to a building and a guy comes out they talk and the driver waved me over. I stayed in the tuk tuk and he came over with the guy and the guy says "I have gun range private, you can shoot gun". I went in it was like a 3 lane gun range and looked like it had been home made as there was sand and lanes and 3 targets at the bottom.

 

The guy went to a locker brought out 3 hand guns and a basket of bullets and put them on the table and the driver and him were talking in Thai. The driver then said ok 20 bullets 4500 THB and I said no 30 so we haggled a bit and it was agreed 25 bullets for 4500THB for this handgun to be fired.

 

They said they had no new targets so i had to fire into the old ones already up and after 3 bullets the gun jammed. sorted and again kept happening and gun range guy says "sorry gun needs maintenance" so i kept having to pull back the top bit to get the jammed rounds out. Rounds were flying out and I had my bag there under the little table and I asked to get some videos of me.

 

He said no because "private gun range" and I eventually was allowed to take a picture of the guns and ammo and the target but NOTHING else (which now kind of makes sense but after 7-8 chang....).

 

I fired about 28 and the gun kept jamming, we kept having to pick bullets up off the floor and reload the gun magazine and in the end the guy said I had to leave as he had "other people coming" so me and tuk tuk driver left and went back to bangkok Khao San rd area where he tried to get even more money out of me (standard).

 

So, 10 days later Im on koh tao riding my moped back from snorkelling and there is a police road check and they stop me (and everyone else). The police guy puts his hand in my bag and pulls out a live 9mm bullet. I thought it was a joke or a way of blackmailing me at first but he was serious and i was arrested.

 

Long story short I had to get a friend to post 80,000 THB bail. I am having to go to court and it looks like I will be deported and blacklisted after being fined.

 

I am absolutely devastated to say the least and this is a warning to only go to proper gun ranges and maybe use a little common sense that unfortunately i did not on the night.

 

I can only assume the bullet fell into my open bag (I took mt camera phone out and it was below the shooting table) when the bullets were jamming in the gun as the "range" had zero safety measures (i wasn't even given ear defenders just them orange platic things for sleeping better).

 

Anyone with similar experience?

 

 

[BritSte]

bump

 

[FritsSikkink]

If the guy kill someone with that gun, it will be your prints on it, good luck.

[Coconut Kidd]

Stock up on fresh water, Mama noodle cup and ammo if you want to survive.

[Celer et Audax]

So this is basically a cautionary tale for any would-be stupid tourist type like me in the hope it can save you a lot of trouble........
 
So I have been to Thailand several times and am usually on my guard but being that i have been here several times I let my hair/guard down and had a few (too many) drinks on the khao san rd on my first night in bangkok.
 
I was walking around and a tuk tuk guy stopped and asked me if i wanted the usual ping pong, lady boy, or strip show. I said no and he gets out a booklet with all these things ppl can do. 
 
I have a look to be polite and see shooting range stuff so I ask a price and he says 6-8000 THB. I said that was too expensive and started to walk away and he follows saying "he knows a better place, cheaper and better".
 
So...............long story short I agree 4500 THB for a taxi journey to a "private gun range" including firing 30 bullets and we set off me sat in the back with a bottle of chang in hand.
 
About 45-50 mins ish later (i think) we arrive at what looked like a warehouse/garage lock upo with a house next to it in a little like industrial area and i get a bit worried thinking Im gonna be robbed. The driver gets out goes to a building and a guy comes out they talk and the driver waved me over. I stayed in the tuk tuk and he came over with the guy and the guy says "I have gun range private, you can shoot gun". I went in it was like a 3 lane gun range and looked like it had been home made as there was sand and lanes and 3 targets at the bottom.
 
The guy went to a locker brought out 3 hand guns and a basket of bullets and put them on the table and the driver and him were talking in Thai. The driver then said ok 20 bullets 4500 THB and I said no 30 so we haggled a bit and it was agreed 25 bullets for 4500THB for this handgun to be fired.
 
They said they had no new targets so i had to fire into the old ones already up and after 3 bullets the gun jammed. sorted and again kept happening and gun range guy says "sorry gun needs maintenance" so i kept having to pull back the top bit to get the jammed rounds out. Rounds were flying out and I had my bag there under the little table and I asked to get some videos of me.
 
He said no because "private gun range" and I eventually was allowed to take a picture of the guns and ammo and the target but NOTHING else (which now kind of makes sense but after 7-8 chang....).
 
I fired about 28 and the gun kept jamming, we kept having to pick bullets up off the floor and reload the gun magazine and in the end the guy said I had to leave as he had "other people coming" so me and tuk tuk driver left and went back to bangkok Khao San rd area where he tried to get even more money out of me (standard).
 
So, 10 days later Im on koh tao riding my moped back from snorkelling and there is a police road check and they stop me (and everyone else). The police guy puts his hand in my bag and pulls out a live 9mm bullet. I thought it was a joke or a way of blackmailing me at first but he was serious and i was arrested.
 
Long story short I had to get a friend to post 80,000 THB bail. I am having to go to court and it looks like I will be deported and blacklisted after being fined.
 
I am absolutely devastated to say the least and this is a warning to only go to proper gun ranges and maybe use a little common sense that unfortunately i did not on the night.
 
I can only assume the bullet fell into my open bag (I took mt camera phone out and it was below the shooting table) when the bullets were jamming in the gun as the "range" had zero safety measures (i wasn't even given ear defenders just them orange platic things for sleeping better).
 
Anyone with similar experience?
 
 

I think you got what you deserved, anybody wanting to visit a gun range of any type after 7-8 Chang’s needs their head examined


Sent from my iPad using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

[Stradavarius37]

You would have been better off with the ladyboy....

Sent from my SM-N920C using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

[BritSte]

not exactly helpful comments from some but the world is full of people who want to hinder rather than help and so the world is in the state it is.

 

I went to a gun range after a few beers, big deal, it was not breaking the law.

 

There are some people using this forum who seriously want to re-evaluate their life energy, life has a way of dealing with people who give negative energy.

[ClutchClark]

Wish I had some good advice for you.

 

I don't understand exactly. You say gun ranges are legal so is your trouble the posession of a bullet outside the confines of the range? If the round was a failure to fire then it should have a dimple in the primer to help support your story. Seem that the range would be the responsible party for fsiling to secure all rounds and shell casings. Maybe an attorney could help? Any chance you can leave out the part about your knowledge it was not an authorized range?

 

Posession of a single 9-mm round would have gotten you 10 years in a Mexico prison with zero chance of parole. 

 

I wish you good luck and try an ignore these idiots with their callous responses...their brains have been pickled by booze. 

[mstevens]

12 minutes ago, BritSte said:

I went to a gun range after a few beers, big deal, it was not breaking the law.

I think you shot a gun at some individual's residence.  From your description it really didn't sound like it was a gun range.

 

That said, I do feel sorry for you.  It sounds like the ultimate price you pay could be quite high.  Being blacklisted isn't that likely, I reckon.  Deportation likely - if found guilty, but blacklisting for that?  I'd doubt it.

[Briggsy]

Pay up. Go home to farangland and get on the generous welfare system. It will reimburse your expenses. Seriously consider if Thailand is for you or your current job as a screenwriter is your real calling.

[ClutchClark]

10 minutes ago, Briggsy said:

Pay up. Go home to farangland and get on the generous welfare system. It will reimburse your expenses. Seriously consider if Thailand is for you or your current job as a screenwriter is your real calling.

 

Huh? 

 

Generous Welfare System? 

 

Reimburse Expenses? 

 

Its pretty early to be drinking.

[Briggsy]

3 hours ago, ClutchClark said:

Its pretty early to be drinking.

I am not drinking. Please re-read. You have misunderstood.

[BritSte]

On 10/12/2017 at 11:27 AM, Briggsy said:

Pay up. Go home to farangland and get on the generous welfare system. It will reimburse your expenses. Seriously consider if Thailand is for you or your current job as a screenwriter is your real calling.

What the hell are you on about? screen writer, generous welfare system? 

[richard_smith237]

Well, OK... Its a fair warning and the Op recognized his own lack of commonsense.... 

 

But, I suspect the sort of person who is likely to be going to a gun range while drunk with a TukTuk driver is a little unlikely to have the smarts to check ThaiVisa and research such adventures before leaping off stupidly into the unknown.... 

 

 

[BritSte]

1 minute ago, richard_smith237 said:

Well, OK... Its a fair warning and the Op recognized his own lack of commonsense.... 

 

But, I suspect the sort of person who is likely to be going to a gun range while drunk with a TukTuk driver is a little unlikely to have the smarts to check ThaiVisa and research such adventures before leaping off stupidly into the unknown.... 

 

 

To be fair mate, it's hardly the stupidest thing you can do in Thailand. I had a few chang, a tuk tuk driver offered me a trip to fire guns, i thought "yeah that sounds cool" and off I went.

 

At the end of the day mate, life isn't about judging other people. I look inwardly at myself and try to make myself a better, more focused and positive individual and keep my criticisms of others to myself because really it serves no purpose other than egotism.

 

Have  a great day :)

[richard_smith237]

5 minutes ago, BritSte said:

To be fair mate, it's hardly the stupidest thing you can do in Thailand. I had a few chang, a tuk tuk driver offered me a trip to fire guns, i thought "yeah that sounds cool" and off I went.

 

At the end of the day mate, life isn't about judging other people. I look inwardly at myself and try to make myself a better, more focused and positive individual and keep my criticisms of others to myself because really it serves no purpose other than egotism.

 

Have  a great day :)

 

It wasn't a criticism of you. I also think it was an interesting story of how things can go so pear-shaped so very quickly over here.

 

My point was more along the lines of... its is the very people who's worlds turn pear-shaped in this manner who are unlikely to be checking for advice or researching their activities, especially on ThaiVisa.com.

 

Example at hand: Did you ever carry out any research on Gun Ranges in Thailand (either on ThaiVisa.com or elsewhere) before you got into a little trouble ?

 

 

 

 

 

[BritSte]

2 hours ago, richard_smith237 said:

 

It wasn't a criticism of you. I also think it was an interesting story of how things can go so pear-shaped so very quickly over here.

 

My point was more along the lines of... its is the very people who's worlds turn pear-shaped in this manner who are unlikely to be checking for advice or researching their activities, especially on ThaiVisa.com.

 

Example at hand: Did you ever carry out any research on Gun Ranges in Thailand (either on ThaiVisa.com or elsewhere) before you got into a little trouble ?

 

 

 

 

 

No because the general consensus of most travellers (myself included) is that you won't normally get picked up by a tux til driver and taken to what appears to now be somebody's home shooting range.

Yes it was rather unthought out at the time but being caught up in the excitement of Bangkok, having a few beers and an opportunity being presented to do something a bit out of the ordinary I thought "why not " on the spur of the moment. 

 

it's a little naive  to think everybody is sensible ALL THE time.  I am sure you have made impulsive decisions and regretted them after,  because everybody has. 

 

Mine unfortunately had as bitterer  end than most but hey what c as n you do. 

 

Hence the post to be a bit of a warning to others. 

 

The problem with this and every other forum on the Net is there are always negative,  trolling  types who instead off adding positivity,  revel in the negative. 

 

 

[richard_smith237]

Agreed - everyone does something silly from time to time and your warning is a good reminder for us all... 

 

Regarding the negative comments, you will always get those whatever you write, it comes with the territory of posting unanimously on a web-forum. 

 

If you read back on some of the comments, the negativity isn't quite as severe as you imagined... you may perhaps be being a little oversensitive as this is 'your' thread. 

[BritSte]

22 hours ago, richard_smith237 said:

Agreed - everyone does something silly from time to time and your warning is a good reminder for us all... 

 

Regarding the negative comments, you will always get those whatever you write, it comes with the territory of posting unanimously on a web-forum. 

 

If you read back on some of the comments, the negativity isn't quite as severe as you imagined... you may perhaps be being a little oversensitive as this is 'your' thread. 

no mate, I'm not oversensitive, I just call a spade a spade. Been nice chatting to you though, all the best.

 

[DavisH]

On 12/4/2017 at 4:43 PM, Stradavarius37 said:

You would have been better off with the ladyboy....

Sent from my SM-N920C using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app
 

Most of them shoot blanks...after all. Much safer!

[scorecard]

On 11/28/2017 at 1:28 PM, BritSte said:

bump

 

 

skip

 

[scorecard]

On 1/24/2018 at 5:59 PM, BritSte said:

No because the general consensus of most travellers (myself included) is that you won't normally get picked up by a tux til driver and taken to what appears to now be somebody's home shooting range.

Yes it was rather unthought out at the time but being caught up in the excitement of Bangkok, having a few beers and an opportunity being presented to do something a bit out of the ordinary I thought "why not " on the spur of the moment. 

 

it's a little naive  to think everybody is sensible ALL THE time.  I am sure you have made impulsive decisions and regretted them after,  because everybody has. 

 

Mine unfortunately had as bitterer  end than most but hey what c as n you do. 

 

Hence the post to be a bit of a warning to others. 

 

The problem with this and every other forum on the Net is there are always negative,  trolling  types who instead off adding positivity,  revel in the negative. 

 

 

 

Who is that desperate to fire off 20?? rounds and pay 4,500Baht for it?

 

 

[BobbyL]

I have done some pretty daft things in my life, mostly at home in England,  but going to a homemade, illegal gun range in a foreign country on my own is thankfully something I would never EVER contemplate. 

 

Good luck.