A church in Jemison, Alabama, has opened a gun range to attract more people into the congregation and put to use a land that once was full of the invasive kudzu plant and snakes.
"We had quite a number of church members, some elderly ladies, for example, and some not so elderly women that had purchased guns, but didn't know how to use them," Pastor Phillip Guin of the Rocky Mount United Methodist Church told TV station WIAT.
The idea to establish the Rocky Mount Hunt and Gun Club started a year ago, buoyed by the fact that many of the church members hunt or are gun enthusiasts.
The land behind the church was originally used to teach firearm safety. The gun club is a way to bring in more members to the church, Guin said.
"This is an opportunity for us to reach out in the name of Jesus Christ in a setting that is completely unique—even odd by some people's standards. But who's to say that church can't happen right here," he said.
The range has been frequented by the Jemison Police Department to train on a regular basis and offer training courses to the public, said Deputy Chief March McMinn.
To use the gun range, one has to be a member of the gun club or be a guest of a gun club member.
"We also ask that anyone who comes and shoots here sign a release of liability form and agree to the terms of the release," Guin told The Clanton Advertiser. "We also have a sign with the rules for the range posted, and ask those that come to review the rules before they begin shooting."
