This month’s issue of Murfreesboro Makers deals with a hot topic. We will be discussing guns, including ownership, rights and safety, as well as where you can find firearms and all the necessities that come with owning them.

I got the opportunity to visit with the new owners of Bullseye Gun & Range, located at 130 Shelby St. here in Murfreesboro, and ask them about themselves and their thoughts regarding firearms. The new owners are husband and wife Caleb and Alex Gregory and their business partner, Matthew Smitty.

I remember growing up on the farm until the age of 13 or so where guns were in my house and my grandparents’ house. I knew where they were kept but was taught to leave them alone. I remember going rabbit hunting and dove hunting there on the farm, or maybe even possum hunting late at night with my brother and grandfather. It was a real treat to get to hold the flashlight so I could spot a possum in the persimmon tree on the back part of the farm.

I also remember getting a BB gun for Christmas, like so many other 10-to-12-year-olds, and the anticipation of shooting my first bird. I remember one summer day I saw a woodpecker pecking away at a tree and I thought of the red, white and blue Woody Woodpecker. I sighted my BB gun and pulled the trigger and all I heard was a snap when the BB hit him and the poor fella fell from the tree. I ran as fast as I could to where the woodpecker had fallen and I looked down and he was dead. At that moment I began bawling and crying like a baby at what I had done to this defenseless woodpecker. I also thought about Opie Taylor when he shot the bird with his slingshot. Neither bird flew away. I had guilt after this and I never again intentionally killed anything in my life.

But I remember in high school many of the boys had gun racks in the back windows of their trucks. After school they would head to the fields to hunt dove. Growing up, many folks around here carried guns, mainly for hunting. Heck, I remember on Saturday afternoons folks would show up on the Square and shoot blackbirds off the courthouse because of all their poop messing things up.

Whether you have a firearm or not, we live in a society that has the right to bear and own arms. I believe it’s up to each individual to take ownership of their guns, including the safety precautions of owning them. To be honest, I am not a big gun person; however, I do carry with a permit to protect myself and loved ones. I do not hunt. You can thank Woody Woodpecker for that.

But on to the story, a conversation with the owners of Bullseye Gun & Range:

Mr. Murfreesboro: Tell me first, where are y’all from?
Matthew Smitty: Eagleville, Tennessee, 37060, and proud of it!
Caleb Gregory: I was actually born in California but my parents moved to Tennessee when I was 3, so I’ve been in Tennessee almost my whole life.

How did Caleb and Alex meet?
Caleb Gregory: We actually met at the Sonic on Cason Lane when we were both in high school.

Where does Smitty come into the picture?
Gregory: I met Smitty from the gun shop. I was actually part owner of Bullseye before (as a minority owner). Bullseye has been in the community for nine years. I guess I’m the one who drug my wife and Smitty into the firearms industry. He is a gun guy as well and would come in regularly and we became friends and had done a couple of real estate deals together. When the opportunity [to purchase the store] arose I knew we had to jump on it. Knowing he enjoys firearms and a good business opportunity I gave him a shout. It’s a great store with great customers, and the people in the community love it. Plus, who doesn’t love working around guns all day?

Why guns?
Smitty: Math. Per a Gallup poll in 2020, 44 percent of Americans polled said they were gun owners. My goal is to see that every law-abiding, able and willing American owns a gun for self defense, and to keep in check the ever-growing tyranny of government.
Gregory: I do love firearms! Also, though, I believe it is a very important part of being an American citizen to have the right and ability to own firearms. We have a right as Americans to have the ability to defend ourselves and our loved ones.

Did you all grow up in a city or the country?
Smitty: My family lived in both the city and country during my childhood. Whether living in or out of town I have always had a great love for agriculture and currently live on a working farm.
Gregory: We lived in the country for awhile and then moved to a neighborhood in Murfreesboro. I enjoy country living more. We a currently live on a farm in Beechgrove and we love it out there.

Were guns always around or a part of your lives?
Gregory: Yes, my parents always owned guns and my dad got me into hunting at a young age.
Smitty: No, they were not. I would say my father never owned a gun. I became interested in gun collecting, buying and selling guns around 15 years ago.

How old were y’all when you first shot a gun? How old were you when you first bought or owned your first gun that you bought with your own money?
Smitty: I purchased my first .22 handgun, which I still have, when I was 18 years old, from my cousin. That’s the first time I ever fired a weapon.
Gregory: At 7 years old my dad bought me a single shot .410 and I had a single shot .22 long rifle that was passed down through the family. I started buying my own firearms as soon as I was of legal age, which is 18.

Do y’all like to hunt, or shoot skeet or clay targets?
Smitty: I enjoy target shooting. However, I’m actually not a hunter at all. Just a collector, dealer and advocate.
Gregory: Yes, I’m pretty big into hunting and enjoy the time in the woods. I have also done some competitive shooting as well.

What’s your thoughts on gun safety?
Smitty: Gun safety should start the minute a gun is purchased and at all times thereafter.
Gregory: Gun safety is huge. Just having knowledge of firearms and how they operate and how to handle them is very important. Most firearm accidents are simply from people who don’t have the proper knowledge about how they work or how to properly handle them.

What’s too young or old to own a gun and operate one?
Smitty: The age is dependent on the person. A child with a parent that is well versed in guns may start shooting as early as 5 years old. And like driving or any other task, once you lose your abilities to do so, you should stop for your own safety and the safety of others.
Gregory: I don’t believe there is a certain number that fits all, I believe it’s more of a maturity-level call.

Should a gun be taken away from a person for any reason (for example, mental dysfunction or cognitive thinking)?
Gregory: I believe in everyone’s right to be able to defend themselves. However, if the person doesn’t have the mental capability, then the firearm should be taken away for their own protection and others around them.
Smitty: If you are not “able” to own a firearm, you shouldn’t.

Where do most criminals get their guns from?
Gregory: Off the streets and from other criminals.
Smitty: Theft is a major contributor to the ownership of guns by criminals.

What are your thoughts on a background check?
Gregory: I believe they are an infringement on our rights as an American citizen.
Smitty: The Second Amendment reads, “A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.” A background check “infringes” the right of the citizen to freely purchase a firearm. A background check is just a hindrance to a law abiding citizen. The people that “shouldn’t” have a gun do not purchase guns from places that are required to run a background check.

Who influenced you the most?
Smitty: My parents, grandparents, sister and close friends have all had a great influence in my life, including the great Bill Wilson himself! In my professional life Dale Sanford, a farmer and business owner and Mr. Frank Crosslin Jr., past owner of Crosslin Supply Company, had a profound impact on my professional career.
Gregory: Probably my grandfather and my dad and mom.

How old are y’all?
Smitty: 44.
Gregory: 34.

What’s it like being a young business owner and entrepreneur? Smitty, you can skip this one!
Smitty: Bill! I feel young half of the time! That’s better than nothin’.
Gregory: It’s great but it’s also a lot of work. It is very rewarding building and shaping something into a reality from a vision you had. It feels great when people come in and tell you how they have enjoyed the experience.

Why did y’all buy Bullseye Gun & Range?
Gregory: With me being part of Bullseye before and helping build it, I had a passion for it.
Smitty: Buying Bullseye was a great opportunity to keep a business with a strong foundation moving forward. We all enjoy the gun business so much, it only took us literally 10 minutes to make the decision.

What is your mission, personally and professionally?
Smitty: To live a full, independent and fun life. And to make Alex Gregory rich while doing it!
Gregory: Taking care of my family is always first. Being a great husband to my wife and father to our sons is for sure my personal mission. Professionally, I always think [about] if all of my business ventures around the community will bring something for the people and that area.

What do you think is different from the days of Minutemen till today?
Smitty: I’ll begin with a quote. “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.” — Margaret Mead. Unlike in the times of the Minutemen, we have a much harder time pulling 100 people together all of one strong accord in any cause. That’s why they are remembered.
Gregory: Now, we live in a world of distractions, instant gratification, lies, constant comparing of people on social media. Back then, keeping your word and standing for something true and important was something people took serious and even to the grave. Nowadays there isn’t much that people take serious and would actually put their lives on the line for.

What are your passions in life?
Gregory: Family, firearms, farming, golf, entrepreneurship.
Smitty: Auctions, real estate, firearms, agriculture and my nieces and nephews.

What are your hobbies when you are not working or tending to family?
Smitty: Attending auctions, farming, shop work, gardening and collecting.
Gregory: Messing around on the farm, hunting, shooting, hanging out on the lake.

What type of music do you listen to?
Smitty: Hank Williams Jr. and George Jones for life!
Gregory: Country mostly, but I do like some rock ’n’ roll every once in a while.

What podcasts do you watch or listen to?
Gregory: I listen to a lot of different motivational and business-based podcasts.

What TV shows series do you watch?
Smitty: I’m still an ole Andy Griffith, Dallas and Gunsmoke kinda guy. In more modern times, I have enjoyed The West Wing.

Favorite movie?
Smitty: Smokey and the Bandit!
Gregory: Tombstone—I love cowboy movies.

Favorite food?
Smitty: Biscuits and gravy, cornbread and sweet tea.
Gregory: Nashville hot chicken. I’m a sucker for spicy food.

When you were a kid did you play cowboys and Indians? Which one were you?
Smitty: I did, I was always a cowboy!
Gregory: Oh definitely! I’ve always wanted to be a cowboy and still do. Doc Holliday is the man!

What do you think is the answer to all the gun violence and public shootings that happen today?
Smitty: If more people were armed, criminals would be much less likely to attempt violence in public or otherwise.
Gregory: Well, this problem is not a gun problem, it’s a people problem. Guns are just a tool, no different than a hammer or saw. People want to kill other people because of something in them and how they feel. If it’s not a gun, then they would use a knife or a car. I can’t say what exactly would fix it, but I do believe a lot of this is caused from the technology we have at our fingertips and social media. A lot of people live a fake life just to try and impress people on social media. It blows me away!

Should children be permitted to play with toy guns or play video games where killing is the object of the game?
Smitty: No! Guns are not toys, period. What you teach a child in their youth carries on throughout life. If gun safety is taught and practiced in the home in this manner, many of our “gun problems” would start to be solved.

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Bullseye Gun & Range is located at 130 Shelby St., Murfreesboro, just behind the Cracker Barrel off of South Church Street. For more information, visit bullseyeboro.com.

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