Graton’s got guns!
A full-service gun shop opens in Graton
Graton has it all! Thirteen winetasting rooms, three great restaurants, art galleries, antique stores, parks, community spirit—and now guns. Yes, right here in West County, a young couple raised in Sonoma County has opened a full-service gun shop.
Hanzo Tactical was founded by Jonathan and Koihana Hebel, who have 15 years of experience in the gun industry, but just recently began their retail operation.
“My wife and I just got tired of being treated like second-class citizens when we went to gun shops—so we decided to open our own,” he said.
This is emphasized on their website: “Are you tired of walking into one of the big box stores, taking a number and then waiting for hours on end? SO WERE WE! And that is why we started Hanzo Tactical. The Hanzo Tactical experience is completely different…Whether you are a new shooter looking for your first gun or your hundredth gun, you will be treated like an old friend and experience the best service around.”
“We aren’t a traditional retail store like a sporting goods store,” says Jonathan. “People can make an appointment to come in and meet with us and pick out that perfect firearm, ask as many questions as they want. We want to ensure they are happy with the firearm they have selected and that it will meet their needs. This is something that a lot of retail gun stores just won’t do, and what separates us from them.”
I should probably admit right now that this interview was not an easy reach for me—over the years, I’ve developed a visceral fear of guns. I hunted as a kid with my dad, and I was in the Army, so I have handled plenty of weapons. But times have changed and, in light of so many mass shootings, so have I.
However, Jonathan was quite different from what I had imagined. He was friendly, self-deprecating, and polite.
Of course, my first question was: “West County? Really?”
In response to what is undoubtedly everyone’s first question, Jonathan smiled and easily answered, “We’ve been residents of Sonoma County all our lives and for the past 15 years in West County,” he said. “There aren’t many places to buy firearms in Sebastopol, and we got tired of being treated poorly in other stores or having to drive all the way to Petaluma. We decided to offer a local option.”
The retail experience described on the website seems accurate based on my observations. The meeting room, located next to the counter, is welcoming and conducive to conversation. The wall is mostly lined with hunting weapons.
He says their customers include a mix of people who are afraid of violence and want protection, including a large proportion of LGBTQ individuals. The rest are mostly sports hunters and gun hobbyists.
“A lot of old West County ranchers and farmers,” Johnathan said. “I had one customer come in who said he never wanted a gun again in his life until a particularly senseless killing happened in his neighborhood, which brought him to us.”
The name Hanzo comes from a legendary samurai, Hattori Hanzo. Since both Jonathan and Koihana are part Japanese and from the samurai class, they first named their dog Hanzo. They liked the name so much that they used it for their business, with their now-deceased dog as the company logo.
They do much more than just sell weapons. They offer gunsmithing, servicing, training at their family-owned range in Cloverdale, and quality laser engraving as part of their service package.
I was amazed when I visited their website, hanzotactical.com, to see that over 2,400 types of weapons are available, from small pistols costing a few hundred dollars to custom shotguns priced over $5,000. (I had no idea there were so many types of weapons.) Some of the guns on the site are legal in California and other are not. Guns that are not California-compliant can only be sold to residents in other states. In that case, the customer places an order with Hanzo, and the gun is shipped to a dealer in the customer’s state.
Hanzo Tactical sells California-compliant guns in the showroom and online. When a potential customer visits their Graton showroom, they discuss the type of weapon they want and its intended use. This conversation takes place in the showroom’s living room area, and drinks are offered. Hanzo stocks many California-compliant guns, and customers can also order from the catalog. In accordance with California state law, after a purchase is made, a background check is carried out, followed by the mandatory 10-day waiting period.
Hanzo Tactical is located at 9133 Green Valley Road, Suite 104, in Graton. You can find them on the Web at hanzotactical.com.
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I can't help wondering why there is even one assault weapon in the store? How would the owners feel if that were used in a West County mass shooting? Hunting weapons? Okay. Assault weapons? I see no need for them.
I also hate guns but I am still glad that sport shooters and others have a family owned place to obtain firearms.