Lifelong passion behind new Turners Falls gun store

By LISA SPEAR

Recorder Staff

Published: 04-29-2016 10:00 AM

TURNERS FALLS — “Clink, clank” goes the sound of a shotgun barrel as Norm Emond Jr. demonstrates how to load and unload a gun. He is standing in front of a row of semi-automatic weapons in the Gun Rack, a shop that opened just a few days ago at 157 Avenue A in Turners Falls.

A demonstration like this is given to customers who leave the store with a new rifle, pistol or any kind of gun.

“This is how you load, this is how you safely unload. If you have a firearm, don’t even take a sip of alcohol. Don’t set foot on school property,” said Emond, 41, the store owner and long-time gun enthusiast. A life-long resident, he lives in Turners Falls with his wife and two children. His interest in guns started early, at age 16, when he learned how to shoot a gun in the Boy Scouts. His father would take him out on his grandfather’s land in Montague for target practice. He never hunts, but loves spending time at the shooting range.

After nearly 23 years of installing satellites to earn his living, he decided it was time for a change. Through his lifelong passion for firearms, the Gun Rack was born.

The store is the product of nearly two years of forethought and planning and a lifetime of handling guns. By opening the gun store, Emond’s goal is to provide everything and anything related to guns, while obeying state and federal guidelines.

The store will also buy guns from residents on consignment. For those who might not want to or be able to drive to the store, Emond can visit resident’s homes to retrieve firearms.

He also wants to make sure the store, his customers and the community are safe. With about 100 firearms already on display, he spent at least $10,000 on security equipment. Custom bars line the windows. About 14 high-definition cameras are inside and outside the store. A sensor can detect if the glass is broken. There is an alarm system and every gun has a lock that only Emond has the key to. “Now, if they break the glass, they have to get through the bars, and then the locks,” he said.

He wants to reassure the community that the guns are secured and will only be sold to residents with the proper licenses. He has full discretion to deny a customer the purchase of a gun for any reason.

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He said he is open to receiving questions from concerned members of the community.

“If anyone is upset or worried about it, come in. I will show them. Come on in and check it out,” he said. “I only want what’s best for the community. I will never do anything to hurt the community.”

He anticipates some of his customers will be hunters. Others will be homeowners looking for a self-defense weapon. Some will come looking for a gun to use during target practice. Others will want to carry a concealed weapon. The store also sells safes, ammo and holsters.

Safety and security, he says, are a top priority. He learned this as a child from his father, and also taught his 11-year-old son the proper handling of a gun. If a child comes across a gun in the household, you want them to know what to do and what not to do, he said.

The store will also offer safety-training sessions for future gun owners. “I want people to know that we are not just throwing guns out, we are also doing training,” he said.

After a year of getting through the red tape of the federal and state licensing process to open to store, Emond’s shop is ready for business.

You can reach Lisa Spear
at lspear@recorder.com
or 413-772-0261, ext. 280

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