Most people don't bring an arsenal with them to the bar. I have a couple friends who are former military, like to shoot and love to drink. But they don't mix the two. They grab their gear, head to the range or the quarry, fire off a few thousand rounds, truck their gear back home, clean it and put it away, then they go bar-hopping and get plastered. Some things just don't mix, and I'd say that anyone who is a serious shooter will tell you that firearms and alcohol are on that list.
I'm less concerned about the gun aspect, honestly. My bigger issue is that people tend to drive to gun clubs, not walk. And I don't want to encourage people to have a drink or two before they get behind the wheel. It's just irresponsible. Granted, you'll see that with all sorts of venues; bars, pool halls, gambling parlors, poker games, casinos, vineyards and any number of places where people are likely to drink. But there's no real reason to add a bar on to a firing range. Why not just make it a separate place next door? It takes away most of the arguments against its existence by making it a separate entity, and the gun club doesn't appear to be encouraging reckless behavior by having it on the premises.
The difference is that at any other establishment that serves alcohol, you can get the alcohol while engaging in the activities offered by the venue. If I go to a theater that serves alcohol, I can drink while I watch a show. If I go to a pool hall that serves alcohol, I can drink while I play pool. If I go to a casino that serves alcohol, I can drink while I gamble. If I go to a bowling alley that serves alcohol, I can drink while I bowl. There's an arcade here in town that lets me drink while I play arcade games; pretty groovy, right? So why would a place start serving alcohol when you expressly cannot use it while making use of their primary facilities? You don't see a restaurant telling you, "OK, you can start drinking, but we can't serve you any food after you start." It doesn't make sense to offer booze as a service when it makes your primary reason for existing inaccessible.
#2 is what makes #1 a concern for me. If I go to a pool hall and have a drink, they don't make me stop playing pool; I still have something to entertain myself while I sober up. If you drink at the gun range and they don't let you back in, what are you going to do, sit around at the bar drinking water? Maybe you would because you're a socially responsible fellow, as we all are on ATOT, but your average patron probably isn't going to take that extra time twiddling their thumbs. Add in the fact that firing ranges are often not in residential areas and people carry a lot of equipment to them and it makes it more likely that people are driving there (and thus going to be driving home) as compared to bars which are often found in or near residential areas (and can be easily walked to/from). It doesn't add up in my mind.
