TR PHOTO BY LANA BRADSTREAM Jake Kessler works on developing firearms for his customers. His business, Project 51, is new to Marshalltown and sells, transfers and repairs firearms.
A new firearms business – Project 51 – has opened in Marshalltown.
Firearms are a part of owner Jake Kessler's life, and he wanted to share it with others.
“I'm just a down-to-earth guy who wants to help people who love guns,” he said.
Kessler's history with firearms began at a young age.
“Growing up with my dad and grandpa, I took a lot of pictures,” he said. “I only fired 22 seconds, shotgun. I'm a great hunter.”
Kessler remains heavily involved with firearms throughout his law enforcement and military career. The latter he served in the Iowa Air National Guard ten years ago, reaching the rank of technical sergeant. Mr. Kessler is also a sergeant at the Tama Police Department.
“I am a firearms instructor for a police department in Iowa and I run the firearms program,” he said. “I've been to several armored schools for law enforcement, and I have several more instructor and specialty schools this summer.”
Kessler chose Project 51 as his business name for two reasons.
“This was a project that I started and was my badge number after I became a sergeant,” Kessler said. “We wanted to tie law enforcement into it.”
He said Marshalltown doesn't have many stores that specialize in firearms, so people are happy to see one open.
“Especially someone who does more than sell guns,” Kessler said. “I'm the person they go to when they have problems or questions.”
He has relied primarily on Facebook to spread the word about his new business. So far, we've had a good response.
“[The number of customers] Spurt,” Kessler said. “One week there might be none, the next week there might be four or five.”
service
He expects business to pick up in earnest in the coming months, especially since it's an election year. Kessler has noticed more clients talking about the political environment. Gun sales across the U.S. typically increase because the outcome is not known before an election.
“I think sales will pick up,” Kessler said. “It's going to be insane. It's going to be really hard to find things for a while, but it'll calm down after a while.”
He has access to almost all firearms, but does not keep them in stock. Rather, Kessler orders dealers to obtain the firearms the customer wants.
“It usually arrives in two to four days, unless there's a weekend,” he says.
So far, the most popular firearms Kessler has ordered from customers are bolt-action and lever-action rifles, and some revolvers.
There are limits to what Project 51 can acquire. He said items that require tax stamps, such as short-barreled rifles and suppressors, also known as silencers, are not available.
To legally sell firearms, a business must first obtain a Federal Firearms License (FFL) from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. The licenses are only available to businesses that meet certain requirements, including notifying a law enforcement official of their intent to obtain an FFL and ensuring safe gun storage and safety devices are installed on the premises.
“Do you get it [the FFL] in February,” Kessler said. “From then on, I was responsible for most of the sales and work.”
In addition to sales, Project 51's services include the transfer and repair of handguns, revolvers, shotguns, and rifles. A transfer is the transfer of ownership of a firearm from one owner to another. Kessler said as an example of a transfer, if you purchase a firearm online, it must be sent to an FFL dealer. The buyer can select Project 51 to complete the transfer.
Since officially opening, Kessler has devoted equal time to each type of service. The most common type of firearm repair and maintenance he performed was installing parts, scopes, and optics. He also solved many problems with bicycles.
“It's for people who don't take good care of their guns. It's dirty and sticky and needs a deep, deep cleaning,” Kessler said.
To help with the business, he's also halfway through a two-year gunsmithing degree.
“Gunsmiths go into more detailed processes like troubleshooting, repair, and refinishing,” Kessler says.
Eventually, he hopes to open a brick-and-mortar store called Project 51, but until then he's working from home. Once Kessler has a storefront, he hopes to have inventory on hand, including ammunition. Some of his big dreams when the brick and mortar opens is to incorporate a gun range and provide firearms instruction to people.
“It would be great to have a shooting range on site,” Kessler said. “If you're going to have a shooting range, the location needs to be right outside of town. It's really hard to get them into town. I don't think a lot of city councils really like that idea.”
Given his background in law enforcement, Project 51 does not have set business hours. He said he has times and days that are convenient for his customers and himself. Interested customers can call his number, message him on Facebook, or send him an email.
Project 51 information
telephone number: 641-351-7705
Facebook: Project 51
Email: kessler.project51@gmail.com
Contact Lana Bradstream at 641-753-6611, ext. 210 or lbradistream@timesrepublican.com.
