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NRA warns against alcohol at gun shows

13 August 2014 By Lauren Eads

The US National Rifle Association (NRA) has spoken out against proposals to allow the sale of alcohol at gun shows in Texas warning that it could have a “devastating impact” on the industry.

Allowing alcohol at gun shows would have a “devastating” impact, says the NRA

The Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission announced on Friday proposals to allow the sale of alcohol at gun shows.

Currently, if a gun show is held at a venue licensed to sell alcohol, the sale of alcohol is prohibited during the time it takes to set up, conduct and dismantle the gun show.

If this proposal is approved, organisers of gun shows would be required to disable all firearms on show for sale and forbid live ammunition and prohibit buyers from taking possession of their weapons on site.

The request to amend the rules is reported to have come from a gun club in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.

However the NRA has slammed the proposals warning its approval would result in too many restrictions and could “end these events as we know them”, as reported by The Wire.

“The proposed rules as currently written, could have a devastating impact on Friends of NRA (FONRA) events in the Lone Star State,” it said.

“And even though, as mentioned earlier, these new regulations were ostensibly drafted to allow alcohol sales at gun shows, they could actually end these events as we know them – even if the promoter had NO plans to sell alcohol on-premises,” it added.

A Texas affiliate of the National Rifle Association said called the proposal “confusing” questioning why anyone would want to attend a gun show if they could not take possession of their gun .

A 30-day public consultation will be held before any decision is made.

Earlier this year a gun range in Oklahoma was given permission to serve alcohol before it had even opened.