CHARLOTTE, N.C. - "I've actually been around guns my whole life," says north Charlotte resident Robert McGinn.  He owns seven firearms, likes to hunt and also enjoys the shooting range.  He says, "I just enjoy the feeling of having that much power and being able to use it in the correct way."

But even he, a lifelong gun enthusiast, has questions for which he'd like reliable answers.  "[Like] getting a little more info on the best time to hunt," he says.

Enter Gunway.com.  The free social networking site is the brainchild of native Charlottean Charlie Pratt.  The idea came to him after he experienced a scattered knowledge base on the Internet.

Gunway's aim: to connect and grow the firearm community in a way that Facebook and Twitter can't, says Pratt.  "There were people who wanted to connect and there was no way to do it," says Pratt.

Pratt and his business partners have been working on Gunway for about a year.  They hope the site attracts hunters, shooters, military, law enforcement, gun newbies and even people who may not like guns.  Pratt says, "People read the headlines and they see a lot of news about irresponsible people with firearms and that's one of the things we really wanna combat."

In addition to sharing news and photos, users will also be able to ask questions and get answers from peers and experts.
McGinn says he'll be online as soon as the site goes live, looking for reliable knowledge about the activity he loves.  He says, "Just to try to develop my skills in that way a little bit more."

Gunway.com launches November 14.  The CEO says the fastest growing demos in the shooting sports are women and people under the age of 18.