Oldham County Police moving headquarters into closing Crestwood gun range

CRESTWOOD, Ky. (WDRB) -- A gun shop and shooting range in Oldham County is closing at the end of the year, making way for new police headquarters.

Barry Laws, president of Openrange in Crestwood, is retiring after 18 years in business. The building was purchased by the Oldham County Fiscal Court for $2.8 million and will be used by the county's police department.

"This has actually been brewing for about three years now and I just wanted to be healthy, happy and ready to have a good retirement so it's time," Laws said. "It's time."

Laws approached the Oldham County Police Department about purchasing the building, which comes with a large shooting range and several bays. It will become the department's new home.

"It creates a lot of additional space for us that we don't have at our current police station, some officers are in one building, our detectives are in another building," said Oldham County Judge Executive David Voegele.

Other departments will be able to train and shoot at the facility as well.

Over the years, Laws has held safety classes for school faculty and church congregations on how to protect yourself in active shooter situations. Safety has been Laws' top goal.

"The minute they walk in our doors they learn safety," Laws said. "The minute they address their firearm they learn safety so even if they didn't take a class just by being here and learning our rules they learned a lot."

Edward Uber, 85, stopped by Openrange one last time on Wednesday to work on his skills.

"I think it's something that we don't just learn once, it is a continual learning process, at least for me," Uber said.

Everything inside is being sold, including supplies and displays in the building's paintball room.

Openrange's final day will be Dec. 31. An additional $500,000-$700,000 will be put into remodeling the facility for police. The new department headquarters are expected to open within the next year.

"Whatever I brought to the community for a purpose-built facility is going to be going on into the future with them so it is going to keep other people safe in the community and I appreciate that," Laws said.

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