Shooting ranges in the United States have seen a surge in tourists from China, especially young travelers who are itching for more-exciting vacation experiences.

Chen Yu, a Beijing engineer, fired off a few rounds this year at a gun club in Hawaii, where American gun tourism first started to take off.

"The pop of gunfire filled the air," the 35-year-old recalled. "I was half scared, half excited when I entered the club. It was the first time in my life to try a real gun. I presented my identification and, after taking a 15-minute gun-safety class, I was allowed to shoot whatever gun I wanted."

Chen said most of his fellow customers were Japanese, yet tourism experts expect to see a growing number of Chinese at US shooting ranges in the future, thanks partially to the relaxed visa policy.

"In recent years, we have seen more tourists from China," said Cui Kaiwei, who manages a travel agency in Las Vegas that caters for Chinese tourists. Two year ago he started offering a gun-shooting package, then a niche market.

"Most of our customers are young, between 20 and 40, and have never had the opportunity to shoot a gun," he said. "They want to test weapons they've seen only in Hollywood movies. It's very exotic for them, and it's exhilarating. About half of them are women."

Cui collaborates with three shooting ranges in Las Vegas, one of the US cities most visited by Chinese. All the instructors are either Chinese or speak Chinese, and they show visitors how to safely hold and discharge a weapon.

The clubs offer a buffet of firearms, from small pistols to powerful AK-47 military assault rifles. Guests can choose from packages ranging from $150 to $300, depending on what type and how many guns they want to shoot.

"Most prefer small-caliber guns that have minimum kickback," Cui said. "Few can stand the kickback when they progress to more powerful firearms that provide a bigger bang."

The number of guests varies from day to day, in line with the tourism seasons, but firing ranges in the US are proving increasingly enticing for Chinese travelers, he added.

Despite a never-ending debate over gun control in the US, American gun culture is unique and is a hot tourist attraction, especially for those from countries with strict gun controls.

"It's human nature to be curious about something that is forbidden," Tetsuo Yamamoto, a Japanese native who emigrated to the US 30 years ago and runs a shooting range, the Huffington Post quoted.

Tourists from countries with the strictest gun laws, such as Japan and Britain, are the biggest visitors to Hawaii's gun clubs.

But there are also concerns resulting from more Chinese tourists attending US shooting ranges. At Yelp, a website that offers user-generated reviews, some people have complained that Chinese tourists at gun clubs have not been careful, taking pictures and pointing the guns at other people.

A user with the name Kritin T wrote, "They just had no care for where they were pointing the guns, just cared about taking their videos and pictures I felt unsafe."

(China Daily USA 04/17/2015 page4)