Gun range owner, patrons discuss SOTU

FULTON COUNTY, Ga. — The issue of gun control is being debated once again after President Barack Obama pushed for stricter laws in his State of the Union address Tuesday night.

Channel 2 Action News stopped by a North Fulton County indoor shooting range to gauge the reaction.

Most of those practicing, not surprisingly, don't like the idea of controlling the sales and ownership of weapons. There were a few shooters, though, who support the idea.

Kaisar Bregeth owns several weapons and was at Sharp Shooters USA with his son and 15-year-old daughter shooting an assault rifle.

Bregeth said he supports the idea of universal background checks for anyone trying to purchase a gun. He doesn't like the idea of an assault weapons ban, however.
 
"I think responsible people can be good owners," he said.

Nearby, Sue Carpenter was at the range with a group of women from her office. It was her first time shooting a gun.

"I do agree with gun control," Carpenter said. And that includes an assault weapons ban.

"I could see someone walking out of here with a high-speed rifle and cases of bullets and going crazy. I think if you have whatever you need to defend yourself and abide by the rules, life will be good," Carpenter said.

The owner of Sharp Shooters USA, Tom Deets, said the talk in Washington, D.C. should be about stricter sentencing for those caught breaking the law, not about taking guns out of his potential customers' hands.

"It's not addressing the problems. We've got to keep firearms out of the hands of people who shouldn't have them -- prohibited individuals, convicted criminals and then people who are mentally unstable," Deets said.

Deets said one thing is for sure -- every time discussions heat up about gun control, foot traffic in his business picks up. He expects that to hold true again in the coming days.

WSBTV