Governor's Club Gun Range Gets City Approval To Serve Alcohol

Bullets And Booze? Gun Range Approved To Serve Alcohol
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beer and guns don't mix.

Bullets and booze: What could go wrong?

A gun shop in Powder Springs, Ga., has received permission from local officials to open a firing range that serves alcohol, WSB Atlanta reports.

“Georgia law allows persons with gun permits to bring their weapon into a restaurant that serves alcohol. We are taking it even a step further,” Kristina Brown, co-owner of the Governor’s Club gun shop, told WSB.

Speaking to city council members Monday, Powder Springs Mayor Pat Vaughn said he shared residents’ concerns about mixing firearms and booze, but nevertheless supported the council’s decision to approve the liquor license, West Cobb Patch reports. “I think they have some pretty good safety measures in place,” Vaughn said.

One of those safety measures prohibits customers who order a drink from re-entering the firing range, which will be separated from the club's cocktail lounge, Brown tells WSB.

“It’s not really anything new. It’s what things are changing to,” Brown told city council members during Monday's hearing, according to Patch, asserting that alcohol is served at firing ranges in Arizona and Kentucky.

Lee Hill, a spokeswoman for the Arizona Department of Liquor Licenses and Control, told HuffPost that licensing records did not show any gun ranges in the state with an alcohol permit. Kentucky alcohol officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Brown, who runs the club with her husband, Bert, is only the latest gun store owner to capitalize on rising sales in America by offering something extra with their weapons. Tracey's Dream Weavers Salon and Sporting Goods in Kansas sold haircuts with its pistols up until last month, when its owner was arrested for providing firearms to a felon.

Construction of the new $3.5 million range at the Governor's Club is now underway. Brown expects it to open for business some time around Christmas, Patch reports.

“We have a $3.5 million investment here,” Bert Brown told the Powder Springs city council, according to Patch.

“Unfortunely [drinking] is part of our society,” he added, “and this is hard even coming from my mouth, but there’s a certain amount of concern that we would not be successful with this type of product if we did not have the ability [to serve alcohol].”

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Before You Go

Pivotal Moments In The Federal Gun Control Debate
1981: The Attempted Assassination Of President Ronald Reagan(01 of10)
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on March 30, 1981, President Reagan and three others were shot and wounded in an assassination attempt by John Hinckley, Jr. outside the Washington Hilton Hotel in Washington, D.C. Reagan's press secretary, Jim Brady, was shot in the head. (credit:Ron Edmonds, AP)
1993: The Brady Handgun Violence Act (02 of10)
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The Brady Handgun Violence Act of 1993, signed into law by President Bill Clinton, mandated that federally licensed dealers complete comprehensive background checks on individuals before selling them a gun. The legislation was named for James Brady, who was shot during an attempted assassination of President Ronald Reagan in 1981.
1994: The Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act(03 of10)
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The Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act, signed into law by President Bill Clinton in 1994, instituted a ban on 19 kinds of assault weapons, including Uzis and AK-47s. The crime bill also banned the possession of magazines holding more than ten rounds of ammunition. (An exemption was made for weapons and magazines manufactured prior to the ban.)
2004: Law Banning Magazines Holding More Than Ten Rounds Of Ammunition Expires(04 of10)
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In 2004, ten years after it first became law, Congress allowed a provision banning possession of magazines holding more than ten rounds of ammunition to expire through a sunset provision. Brady Campaign President Paul Helmke told HuffPost that the expiration of this provision meant that Rep. Gabby Giffords's alleged shooter was able to fire off 20-plus shots without reloading (under the former law he would have had only ten).
2007: The U.S. Court of Appeals For The District Of Columbia Rules In Favor Of Dick Heller(05 of10)
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In 2007 The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia ruled to allow Dick Heller, a licensed District police officer, to keep a handgun in his home in Washington, D.C. Following that ruling, the defendants petitioned the U.S. Supreme Court to hear the case.
2008: The NICS Improvement Amendments Act(06 of10)
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Following the deadly shooting at Virginia Tech University, Congress passed legislation to require states provide data on mentally unsound individuals to the National Instant Criminal Background Check System, with the aim of halting gun purchases by the mentally ill, and others prohibited from possessing firearms. The bill was signed into law by President George W. Bush in January of 2008.
2008: Supreme Court Strikes Down D.C. Handgun Ban As Unconstitutional(07 of10)
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In June of 2008, the United States Supreme Court upheld the verdict of a lower court ruling the D.C. handgun ban unconstitutional in the landmark case District of Columbia v. Heller.
Gabrielle Giffords And Trayvon Martin Shootings(08 of10)
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Gun control advocates had high hopes that reform efforts would have increased momentum in the wake of two tragic events that rocked the nation.In January of 2011, Jared Loughner opened fire at an event held by Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.), killing six and injuring 13, including the congresswoman. Resulting attempts to push gun control legislation proved fruitless, with neither proposal even succeeding in gaining a single GOP co-sponsor.More than a year after that shooting, Florida teenager Trayvon Martin was gunned down by George Zimmerman in an event that some believed would bring increased scrutiny on the nation's Stand Your Ground laws. While there has been increasing discussion over the nature of those statutes, lawmakers were quick to concede that they had little faith the event would effectively spur gun control legislation, thanks largely to the National Rifle Association's vast lobbying power.Read more here: (credit:AP)
Colorado Movie Theater Shooting(09 of10)
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In July of 2012, a heavily armed gunman opened fire on theatergoers attending a midnight premiere of the final film of the latest Batman trilogy, killing 12 and wounding scores more.The suspect, James Eagan Holmes, allegedly carried out the act with a number of handguns, as well as an AR-15 assault rifle with a 100-round drum magazine.Some lawmakers used the incident, which took place in a state with some of the laxest gun control laws, to bring forth legislation designed to place increased regulations on access to such weapons, but many observers, citing previous experience, were hesitant to say that they would be able to overcome the power of the National Rifle Association and Washington gun lobby. (credit:AP)
Sikh Temple Shooting(10 of10)
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On August 5, 2012, white supremacist Wade Michael Page opened fire on a Sikhs gathered at a temple in Oak Creek, Wis., killing six and wounding four more before turning the gun on himself. (credit:AP)