“Holy Shit,” Jill exclaimed with an expression that was somewhere between
horror and exhilaration. The man standing behind her watched nervously,
hoping the kick of the Ak47 wouldn’t cause her to lose control and rip a
fusillade of shells in his direction. The other men looked equally concerned. I
doubt they see many women here.

Jill and Sean are typical Lonely Planet reading, off-the-beaten-path tourists.
Not quite hippie backpacker or terminal traveller types, but they would like to
be. They are entrepreneurs back home, and like taking risks.

“Shoot! I thought the explosion would be bigger,” Sean said, as the Chinese
grenade exploded with a dull thud, in the muddy pond.

When the taxi driver in Cambodia’s capital city, Phnom Penh said “I take you
shoot gun,” Jill looked at Sean and asked, why not? After their trip to the
killing fields of Cheoung Ek, and the Tuol Sleng Museum, it seemed grimly
appropriate.

Cheoung Ek and Tuol Sleng are memorials to the millions of lives lost during
the atrocities of Khmer Rouge ethnic cleansing campaign.

I’m not sure if Thunder Ranch Shooting Range is a genuine military outpost,
but it looks like it could be. Not like Fort Dix or Paris Island – but this is
Cambodia. There are other shooting ranges here too, but this one is well
organized, well maintained, and you don’t get the feeling the guns are going
to get turned on you. After all, the Khmer Rouge still has sympathizers.

If you are timid on the trigger you can get primed with a few
Angkor beers or a bite to eat. You can also get really drunk. Drink, Guns,
hmm? Food and drink aren’t on the menu though.

The menu is reserved for guns. It features the M16, AK47, Uzi, K50, K54
Takarov, Colt 45, Ruger 22, and others. 30 rounds from “zee uzi 9 millimetre”
will set you back $30, A Chinese grenade $15, or a rocket for $25. Business
must be good, there’s no bargaining here. Then again, these guys have guns.

Warning: If drunken tourists with automatic weapons, gun oil in your face and
the smell of gun powder aren’t your thing, you might be better off wandering
the ruins of Angkor Wat or sunbathing in Sihanoukville.