First Firing Range in Simi Valley Opens : Weapons: Councilwoman squeezes off first few shots to celebrate. Police will practice at the public facility four or five times a month.

An intense barrage of shooting Friday in Simi Valley brought no police to the scene--but a city councilwoman pulled out her own pistol and joined in the gunplay.

It was opening day at the city’s first firing range, and Councilwoman Sandi Webb fired the opening shots, hitting the bull’s-eye repeatedly.

At session’s end Webb did not blow smoke from the tip of her compliant weapon, but she did hand the pock-marked paper target to an admiring bystander.

Webb, who caused a local sensation recently when she admitted illegally carrying a loaded gun on trips to Los Angeles, said she is thrilled to have a shoot facility so close to home.

“People who own firearms should practice,” she said. “I know for myself I haven’t practiced as much as I should.”

Webb has led a five-year battle to open a range in Simi Valley, where early efforts were shot down by residents who did not want their neighborhoods marred by a range that they feared would be noisy and dangerous.

The range is now housed in a former Easy Street warehouse on the west end of town, far from residential areas.

The 11-lane Shooter’s Paradise is designed specifically to accommodate the city’s Police Department. While the Shooter’s Paradise in Oxnard has 50-foot lanes, the 11 lanes at the Simi Valley center are half again as long. And between practices police can stash their gear in a special storage room at the range.

Starting in June, police will practice at the range four or five times a month rather than driving to an outdoor range in Camarillo. The city has agreed to pay Shooter’s Paradise $100,000 a year for the service, saving about $25,000 on the cost of using the Camarillo range.

Sgt. Bob Gardner, Simi Valley police spokesman, said he is impressed with the new range.

“It’s a real nice, state-of-the-art place,” he said. “They went all out to meet our needs.”

On Friday, the sour, heady odor of paint that was still wet filled the show room of a shop that clearly strives to live up to its name.

A rotating book rack dubbed the “Information Center” is loaded with such titles as “Armed & Female,” “The Green Beret’s Guide to Outdoor Survival,” “The AK-47 Assault Rifle” and “Glock--The New Wave in Combat Handguns.”

Half a dozen gun safes stand in one corner and the shelves are stocked with safety glasses, gun cases, bullets, targets, guns racks and a gun-cleaning product called Gunk Out.

And of course there are the guns. Hundreds of them, from a palm-sized .22 to a 35-pound, .50-caliber weapon called the Grizzly. There are guns for sale from $89 to $2,700 and guns to rent at five bucks a pop for a day on the range.

To entice shooting enthusiasts, Shooter’s Paradise is offering a two-year membership for the price of one year through today. Individual memberships run $120. Membership for a family of four costs $195, while companies with up to 30 employees can join for $500. The more casual shooter can pay $10 and shoot for a day.

“Already the response has been amazing,” said Manager Andy Dickson. “We’ve had mothers walking by with strollers asking when we’re opening. It’s really been great.”