Gun control

Playing With Fire? Oklahoma City Shooting Range Granted Liquor License

Former Staff Writer

June 10, 2014 2 min read

While many people think that guns and alcohol just don't mix, a hybrid enterprise -- called the "guntry" club -- is looking to challenge that theory. And two Oklahoman entrepreneurs are setting their sights on the controversial business model.

Next month, Wilshire Gun in Oklahoma City will represent the state’s first-ever shooting range that also boasts a liquor license. The $6 million establishment will house 24 firing lanes, a dedicated archery section and a restaurant where alcohol is served.

Though it may sound like a precarious pairing under one roof, guns and alcohol will be kept strictly separate, Wilshire’s owners told CNN. Customers’ driver’s licenses will be scanned so that they can’t reenter the shooting range after having had a drink.

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“You cannot drink before shooting, you cannot drink while shooting and you cannot drink while you have a firearm on you,” co-owner Jeff Swanson told the Today show.

The company is aiming, moreover, to create a clubhouse atmosphere assembling customers’ collective interests. And in an era where “guns are the new golf,” according to Wilshire co-owner Jane Moran, its proprietors intend for Wilshire Gun to become schmoozing grounds for local business associates.

Spokesman Larry McAlister said that similar guntry club models already exist in Georgia, Florida and Texas. In Oregon, Ken’s Sporting Goods & Liquor Store -- which has been in business for 36 years -- also vends guns and alcohol under the same roof.

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