How Old Do You Have to Be to Go to a Gun Range?
Short answer: it depends on the range, because there is no single national age. At Strip Gun Club, shooters aged 10 and up can shoot with a parent or legal guardian present, and anyone 18 or older can shoot on their own.
That’s the number most people came here for. But if you’re planning a family trip to Las Vegas and want to know whether your 12-year-old can actually stand behind an MP5, it helps to understand why the answer changes from place to place — because it means a number you read somewhere else tells you nothing about what you’ll find here.
Why there’s no single answer
Search for a gun range age limit and you’ll get numbers anywhere from 6 to 21, all presented as though they were the law. They’re not contradicting each other. They’re house policy, and house policy is set facility by facility.
There is no federal minimum age to fire a firearm at a supervised range in the United States. Federal law concerns itself with commerce and with unsupervised minors, not with a child shooting under direct instruction at a licensed facility. That leaves the decision to each range, and each range answers it differently based on its insurance, its layout, its staffing, and who it’s built to serve.
A members-only indoor range where people practice alone in a lane has very different considerations from a guided experience where a range safety officer stands at your shoulder for every round fired. The second model can safely accommodate a much younger shooter, because supervision isn’t optional there — it’s the entire structure of the visit.
So the only figure that matters to you is the one published by the specific range you’re booking. Ours is below.
Strip Gun Club’s age requirements
Here is our policy in full, with nothing buried in the fine print.
Ages 10 and up may shoot, accompanied by a parent or legal guardian.
Ages 18 and up may shoot on their own. No accompanying adult required.
Every adult shooter must present a valid, government-issued photo ID on arrival. A driver’s license or passport works. Have it on you — we can’t make exceptions.
We don’t publish a height or weight minimum. Age and guardian accompaniment are the requirements. Every package includes a dedicated range safety officer who provides hands-on instruction and stays on the line with you for every round fired. If you’re unsure whether a specific firearm suits a younger or smaller shooter, call us at (702) 777-4867 before you book and we’ll talk it through.
Additional requirements apply to every shooter regardless of age. You cannot be intoxicated or under the influence, cannot be legally prohibited from handling firearms, and cannot be pregnant. On the intoxication point we’re stricter than the state: Nevada has decriminalized marijuana, but the federal agency that regulates our industry has not, so a marijuana odor will get you turned away. That’s a federal compliance issue, not a preference.
What Nevada law says about minors and firearms
Nevada handles this under NRS 202.300. The statute makes it an offense to allow a child under 18 to handle a firearm — unless the minor is under the direction or supervision of a parent, guardian, or an adult with legal charge of them. It also carries explicit exceptions for minors learning safe firearm handling, practicing at a firing range, or taking part in shooting competitions with parental permission.
In other words, the supervised-minor case in Nevada isn’t a loophole or a gray area. It’s written into the statute. That’s a large part of why Las Vegas is one of the more straightforward places in the world to introduce a young person to shooting sports properly, and why the city’s ranges can set their minimums where they do.
Does the adult have to be an actual parent?
Yes — a parent or legal guardian. This is the single most common booking problem we see, and it’s worth sorting out before you plan around it.
An uncle, an older sibling, a family friend, a coach, or a group leader does not satisfy the requirement, however responsible they are. If a bachelor party wants to bring along the groom’s 16-year-old brother, the brother’s parent or legal guardian has to be there too. If you’re coordinating a family trip where the kids are arriving with grandparents, resolve this before you book rather than at check-in.
The guardian is present, or the minor doesn’t shoot. There’s no paperwork substitute.
Can a 10-year-old shoot full auto?
This is the part that surprises people, and the answer is yes.
Both of our full-auto experiences carry the same 10+ minor tier as the rest of the menu. That means a supervised 10-year-old is eligible for the Submachine Guns Package — the HK MP5, HK UMP and FN P90, 50 rounds each.
Eligible isn’t the same as advisable for every kid, so here’s the honest version. Full auto is less violent than films suggest, particularly with the pistol-calibre guns on the submachine gun package. The P90 produces very little recoil for what it is, and first-time shooters routinely put their tightest group of the day through it.
What actually determines whether a young shooter enjoys it is recoil tolerance and the ability to follow instructions, not the number on a birth certificate. Your RSO loads every magazine, demonstrates every gun, sets grip and stance, and stands at your child’s shoulder for every round fired.
The best starting point for a young shooter
If this is a first firearm experience for a 10- or 12-year-old, start small and work up.
The Deuces Wild Package exists for exactly this. It’s .22 calibre throughout — two 25-round magazines through a .22 rifle and two 10-round magazines or cylinders through a .22 pistol or revolver. Minimal recoil, minimal noise, plenty of trigger time, and enough repetition for fundamentals to actually stick. It runs about 20 minutes and starts at $99.95.
From there, the Build Your Own Package lets you set the progression yourself: one pistol plus two long guns to start, expandable up to six long guns. Adult and minor pricing are identical, and you select every firearm before you shoot, so you can build a session that starts mild and escalates only as far as your shooter wants to go.
A note on gear: eye and ear protection are included with every package, and what everyone wears matters more than people expect — closed-toe shoes and a high neckline, for adults and kids alike. Hot brass finds open sandals and open collars with impressive consistency.
Younger children who aren’t shooting
If you have a child under 10 travelling with you, call us at (702) 777-4867 before you book so we can talk through your specific group. We’d rather sort it out on the phone than have you arrive with a plan that doesn’t work.
One detail that catches families out is transport rather than the range itself. Our complimentary Strip shuttle is not classified as public transportation under Nevada law, which means children under six years old or shorter than 57 inches can’t ride without a proper child restraint — and we don’t provide or install them. If that describes anyone in your party, plan on making your own way to 2235 South Las Vegas Boulevard.
International visitors
A significant share of our shooters are visiting from the UK, Australia, Japan and across Europe, and for many of them this is the only place they’ll ever legally fire an automatic weapon. Our age rules apply identically regardless of nationality: 10 and up with a parent or legal guardian, 18 and up alone.
Federal law does place restrictions on firearm possession by some categories of non-immigrant visa holders, with exceptions that cover most ordinary tourist visits. If you’re entering the US on anything other than a standard tourist entry and you’re unsure where you stand, contact us ahead of your visit, and bring your passport and travel documentation with you.
Book a family session on the Strip
Strip Gun Club is the only luxury indoor range located directly on the Las Vegas Strip, which means no long drive into the desert and no half-day gone from your itinerary. We’re climate-controlled indoors, reservations are never mixed in with walk-ins, and complimentary round-trip transport is available from any Strip or downtown hotel.
Booking takes under two minutes. Browse all shooting packages, or call (702) 777-4867 if you want to talk through what fits your group before you commit.
Ages 10+ with a parent or legal guardian. 18+ to shoot unaccompanied. Valid government-issued photo ID required for all adult shooters.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a federal minimum age to shoot at a gun range?
No. Supervised range shooting isn’t governed by a federal age floor, so each range sets its own minimum.
How old do you have to be to shoot at Strip Gun Club?
Ten, with a parent or legal guardian present. Eighteen to shoot without one.
Can a 12-year-old shoot a handgun here?
Yes, with a parent or legal guardian present and a range safety officer supervising every shot.
Does my child need ID?
Minors don’t. Every adult shooter does — a valid, government-issued photo ID, no exceptions.
Can my nephew shoot if I’m not his parent?
No. A parent or legal guardian must be present for any shooter under 18.
Is there a height or weight requirement?
We don’t publish one. Age and guardian accompaniment are the requirements. Call us at (702) 777-4867 if you have questions about a particular shooter.
Can kids shoot full auto in Las Vegas?
At Strip Gun Club, shooters aged 10 and up may shoot full auto with a parent or legal guardian present.
Does a young shooter need experience?
No. Most guests on every package we run have never fired a firearm before. A few range basics help, but instruction is included and your RSO handles the rest.