culture

Visitors to the Meari Shooting Gallery say in unison that the charm of the Meari Shooting Gallery is always to do live firing. 

The laser gun, electronic pistol and archery ranges, too, attract many people but the middle-aged as well as young people visit the live firing ranges first.

Guide Kim Hyang Mi said that all guides of the 50m rifle, 25m pistol and outdoor shooting ranges are crack shots and that many visitors to the places have become marksmen with the help of the guides.

“I have had a good time here on holidays for two years. Today I am going to show my friend my marksmanship,” said Choe Yong Jin, a customer, before taking a firing position, adopting a firing posture skilfully and calmly pulling the trigger.

The score of 10.4 flashed up on the screen.

Not only his friend but also other spectators wondered at the score, expressing doubt. Then guide Pae Il Sim said that in general the highest mark in shooting is ten and that experts, however, get higher marks than ten, that is, 10.1 to 10.9, depending on who hits the centre of the target more accurately than others.

The friend applauded his astonishing marksmanship and went up to a guide to ask her to teach him the knack of a bull’s-eye.

After telling him about the five factors for that, that is, correct shooting posture, breathing, weapon balancing, correct aiming and triggering, the guide said that if he made efforts, he would become a good shot like his friend. And she encouraged him, telling him to learn well and compete with his friend in marksmanship later.

The sound of gunfire came from the 25m pistol range in succession.

Having taken a seat in the auditorium there after finishing shooting, Kim Chang Bok, a staffer of the Ministry of Construction and Building-materials Industry, said that he felt good as he had shot to his heart’s content like during his military service. The following Sunday he would bring his wife with him to shoot together, he added.

Ri Mi Hyang, a woman who had drawn the attention of visitors by hitting targets in a charming posture, said smilingly that the thrill of hitting targets by calmly pulling the trigger while loading the rifle with a shot after another could be felt only at the shooting gallery.

Not only the 25m pistol and 50m rifle ranges but also the outdoor shooting range, where you can shoot live animals, are crowded with people.

Hyon Chol U, a 46-year-old man living in Inhung-dong of Moranbong District, Pyongyang, carefully fired three bullets at pheasants.

People around saw, to their surprise, a guide bringing four pheasants and the guide congratulated the man, saying that one of the three bullets had hit two pheasants at a time.

“When I was aiming at live pheasants at the outdoor shooting range at the foot of a mountain, I felt as if I was a hunter. It is really regrettable that I cannot fully express the pleasure of live firing,” he said, adding that whenever he enjoys himself at such a fine shooting gallery, he feels deep gratitude to the policies of the country that shows great concern and care for the cultural life of the working people.