Recently, I drove to a somewhat lonely stretch of parkway in exurban Loudoun County, where I parked among a sea of military and pro-gun bumper stickers. I entered a Walmart-size building and met up with Jason Brown, the cofounder of XCAL Shooting Sports and Fitness . He led me past fancy gym equipment and through a cigar lounge, which would later be the site of a podcast event hosted by a defense-tech CEO. We stopped to talk by a gun safe emblazoned with the words united we stand and a caseful of assault weapons.
Shooting ranges aren’t unusual in our area, but XCAL is something odder: a $30 million, 95,000-square-foot combination gun hub and wellness center. It offers yoga, spa services, and other activities more associated with lifestyles of the urban and progressive. Under one huge ro