Turns Out A Lot Of People Don't Love That Plan To Put A Bar In A Gun Range

By Stephen Gossett in News on Apr 26, 2017 7:09PM

Getty Images / Photo: Scott Olson

We did a whiplash double take earlier this week when the not-an-Onion-headline news came through that a so-called "gun-try club" is currently under consideration in the the southwest-suburb backyards of Chicago. For the uninitiated, the proposed Willowbrook club would have a gun range—but also a bar.

It's like a combination Pizza Hit and Taco Bell, but with shooting and drinking instead. What could go wrong?

Apparently, ours weren't the only furrowed brows. More than 50 people packed a three-hour meeting of the Willowbrook Village Board on Monday—most of them expressing no small amounts of skepticism—as public and city officials discussed a potential permit, according to the Pioneer Press.

"You're making us the nexus of guns, ammunition and alcohol in the area. We do not want this business," said resident Robert Blackburn, via Pioneer. Opponents of the range also took out an ad in the local paper, according to ABC7.

The large-scale facility—which is being spearheaded by the Chicago Gun Club—would take over a vacant corner patch in Willowbrook. It would reportedly span 31,000 square feet, include 32 firing bays, feature training classrooms and also incorporate retail space—which would include gun sales. There would also be two membership lounges, one of which would have a bar that serves alcohol.

The mayor of Willowbrook said that the facility would have officers stationed and noted its proximity to a police station, NBC points out. He also said that owners wouldn't allow patrons to booze before shooting.

But after all sides were aired, the "gun-try" future is still up in the air. A later follow-up meeting was reportedly scheduled for May 22.