'Love talking guns': Baker City man opens Fire Mission Arms Company
BAKER CITY — Kemp Larsen is three days from opening his gun shop in Baker City, and the mere sight of price tags dangling from several trigger guards are causing him almost physical pain. Larsen has revived. . .
BAKER CITY — Kemp Larsen is three days from opening his gun shop in Baker City, and the mere sight of price tags dangling from several trigger guards are causing him almost physical pain. Larsen has revived some of these rifles, tinkered with their intricate parts so they shoot straight again. The prospect of watching a customer walk out with one of these provokes excitement as well as disappointment. “A lot of these are from my personal collection,” Larsen said. “It hurts to think of them going. ”But he knows that each transaction at Fire Missions Arms Company, which opens Friday, Aug. 21, will also come with a story. And Larsen, 31, is eager to swap tales with people who come to 2306 Broadway St. , just west of the corner of Broadway and Fourth, whether they’re customers or not. “I love talking guns,” Larsen said on Tuesday morning, Aug. 18, as he prepared to open the store. “I love hearing stories about an old hunt. I want this to be a place where people can come in and ask questions. ”Larsen, who moved from North Carolina to Baker City with his family around 2010 and graduated from Baker High School, said his ultimate goal is to tap into what he sees as the area’s rich firearms culture. Hunting is part of that culture, he said, but so is target shooting. “We are a great melting pot of the kinds of shooting we like to do,” Larsen said. “It’s just fun. ”Shop name inspired by military serviceAfter graduating from high school, Larsen served in the Oregon Army National Guard for 12 years. He was part of a mortar infantry company, an experience that inspired the name of his shop. Mortars are portable artillery weapons that support infantry attacks and other operations. A job for a mortar company is a fire mission, Larsen said — hence the business name. He said he had thought for many years about opening a gun shop. He has experience in the business, including managing the gun section at Ace Hardware in La Grande. Larsen said when he left the National Guard last year, his decision was due in part because he wanted to finally pursue his business goals. Initially, Fire Mission Arms Company will have a variety of new and used guns, including bolt-action hunting rifles, sporting rifles in the AR-15 style from several manufacturers, shotguns and handguns. Larsen said he also plans to sell guns through consignment. He also has a selection of knives and firearm accessories, including repair parts, as well as a small display of ammunition, including in some relatively rare calibers. Larsen said he hopes to start a “build shop” in the store where enthusiasts can assemble guns to their personal specifications. He also will sell noise suppressors. Larsen said he hopes younger generations of gun enthusiasts will protect their hearing better than the elders have done. Larsen said he is pursuing his gun safety teaching certificate through the National Rifle Association. Gun safety is paramount, he said. “Everybody should know the basic rules of gun safety,” he said. Larsen said a longer term goal is to be able to sponsor the Baker High School Trap Club, which won two straight state championships in 2024 and 2025, and placed second this year. He said the club’s coach, Zack Kimball, has done a “fabulous” job, and he would like to help the teenagers compete at national events. Unusual gunsLarsen walks along the line of racks bolted to the wall and selects a bolt-action rifle that looks as though it might have been carried by a soldier in the trenches of World War I. But this gun is actually older still. This is a Swiss 86/11 straight pull, an unusual rifle that dates to 1886. As its name implies, the user pulls the bolt straight back, rather than having to lift the bolt and then pull it back. Larsen said he found the Swiss rifle at an auction. It’s one of the guns that will be hard to part with, he said. A few spaces down the wall he points to a Tikka, a Finnish “combination gun” that has a 12-gauge shotgun barrel on top of a . 223 rifle barrel. Larsen said his initial schedule for the shop will be Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a. m. to 5 p. m. His phone number is 541-239-4275. Larsen said he couldn’t have created Fire Mission Arms Company without the support of family and friends. “That’s been so important,” he said.