Football fans in Texas for the World Cup have been embracing American gun culture, flocking to a Dallas shooting range for an experience “we don’t get in England”.
The DFW Gun Range and Academy in Dallas has hosted a “little conga line of multi-cultures”, with various teams’ fans visiting since the World Cup started.
Staff member Carlos Castaneda reported that visitor numbers have “kicked up” notably in the past two days, coinciding with the arrival of Three Lions supporters.
Matthew Connell, 28, from Preston, said that the shooting range was “packed with fellow England fans”.
“It’s been hot, it’s been very hot,” he said.
“It’s full of English fans here. You can tell everyone’s just come down here to try it out because it’s something we don’t get in England and it’s really good.”
He said that the size of Dallas and the surrounding areas hosting the World Cup meant supporters had spread out across the region rather than gathering in one location.
“There’s so much to do and it’s so spread out here and Dallas is such a massive place – everyone’s just all over the place,” he said.
“In other tournaments people might be all together but not here.”
Mr Connell said the trip had highlighted cultural differences between the United States and England.
He said: “Even though you look at America and think it’s quite similar to England, it is a massive change in culture.
“The size of the cars being one thing, the big SUVs they drive.
“And the whole gun culture – like here, the way they all talk about it, it’s just so normal for them and it’s like, wow.”
Commenting on his experience at the range, Mr Connell said: “You quickly realise that it’s a lot different to the video games, all the little intricacies with it, but yeah, it’s really good – I’d recommend it to anyone over here.”
Asked whether he would like similar access to firearms in Britain, he replied: “No, I think we’re good without them.”
Mr Castaneda said the World Cup had brought in an influx of overseas visitors.
“The last few days have been hectic – the Netherlands, the Japanese and now the British,” he said.
“It’s fun – it’s like a little conga line of multi-cultures.
“It feels like we’re hosting a very, very big get together.”
Mr Castaneda said almost all of the foreign visitors had told staff they were in Texas for the World Cup.
Speaking about how many England fans he had seen, he continued: “The last two days have kicked up.
“Saturday and Sunday there was a lot of Dutch and a lot of Japanese, then into Monday we started seeing a lot more British.
“But today it’s been nothing but British.”
Mr Castaneda would not be drawn on how well Three Lions fans had fared at the shooting range, saying: “There’s no comparison, everyone starts somewhere, there’s no judgment.”
He added: “But in terms of personality, as customers you guys have been nothing but phenomenal.
“Very, very personable people, very enjoyable – a lot of questions, a lot of answers, very informative also.”
Mr Castaneda explained that people from all over the world viewed the shooting range with “different perspectives”.
He said: “They come here and it’s kind of like a hobby almost, a recreation.
“It’s no different for us than going to Topgolf, or going to a driving range or doing other kinds of recreational sport.
“But yeah, different people, different lives.”
