DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – In a major reversal, the Daytona Beach City Commission pushed through a gun range, restaurant and bar that once worried city planners.
[RELATED: Gun range hopes to sell alcohol]
In June, the owner of Volusia Top Gun gave Local 6 News a tour of the new facility, promising to keep bullets and beer apart.
"To the critics I say, you're right. I'm not trying to mix the two. I'm trying to give you a nice meal before you go home. If you choose to have an alcoholic beverage and go home, that's on you. It's no different than them leaving here and going to Outback," owner Ron Perkinson said.
Volusia Top Gun will have a restaurant and gun range, separated by a retail space. And now, they'll also sell alcohol.
Initially, the planning board balked at the idea of selling booze where there's a firing range.
"I didn't think it was that big of a deal because I knew how safe it was," Perkinson said. "When it got shot down, I realized I needed to bring more to the table to show them how this business runs."
And Wednesday night, Perkinson reassured city commissioners with a few safety rules:
- A computer system will track who has been drinking.
- If you drink, you can't shoot for the rest of the day.
- If anyone in your group drinks, none can shoot.
"I firmly believe it will be safer than any restaurant in Florida," Perkinson said.
He said he plans to have his business up and running the second week of November.