Machine gun tourism in spotlight after Vegas shooting
- 7 years ago
The latest mass shooting in the U.S. didn't just happen anywhere - It happened in Las Vegas - where gun culture and entertainment have been taken to a whole new level.
I'm Reuters Jane Lanhee Lee, and ads like this one, shoot a 50 caliber for only 29 dollars are easy to find here in Vegas and there are several other outfits offering up machine gun tourism as well.
(SOUNDBITE) (English) GENGHIS COHEN, OWNER OF MACHINE GUN VEGAS, SAYING:
"It's become a very very popular attraction without a doubt."
Genghis Cohen owns and operates Machine Gun Vegas, a firearm EXPERIENCE business. Here, clients can shoot automatic weapons, and even kids can join in. Most of the customers are from overseas countries where guns are either harder to get or banned for citizens.
Following the shooting, Cohen closed his business for two days and posted a statement on the website calling for stricter gun laws.
(SOUNDBITE) (English) GENGHIS COHEN, OWNER OF MACHINE GUN VEGAS, SAYING:
"There is absolutely no reason for an average citizen who wants to have a gun to have a 100 round magazine. There is no reason for them to buy something that makes the gun almost fully automatic."
Police say more than half of the 23 firearms found in the lone shooter's hotel suite were fitted with a device called a bump stock to speed up firing.
The incident has brought machine gun tourism into the spotlight.
While Cohen closed his doors as a show of respect to victims' families, many other gun ranges offering automatic weapon experiences remained open.
Website:
Facebook:
Twitter:
I'm Reuters Jane Lanhee Lee, and ads like this one, shoot a 50 caliber for only 29 dollars are easy to find here in Vegas and there are several other outfits offering up machine gun tourism as well.
(SOUNDBITE) (English) GENGHIS COHEN, OWNER OF MACHINE GUN VEGAS, SAYING:
"It's become a very very popular attraction without a doubt."
Genghis Cohen owns and operates Machine Gun Vegas, a firearm EXPERIENCE business. Here, clients can shoot automatic weapons, and even kids can join in. Most of the customers are from overseas countries where guns are either harder to get or banned for citizens.
Following the shooting, Cohen closed his business for two days and posted a statement on the website calling for stricter gun laws.
(SOUNDBITE) (English) GENGHIS COHEN, OWNER OF MACHINE GUN VEGAS, SAYING:
"There is absolutely no reason for an average citizen who wants to have a gun to have a 100 round magazine. There is no reason for them to buy something that makes the gun almost fully automatic."
Police say more than half of the 23 firearms found in the lone shooter's hotel suite were fitted with a device called a bump stock to speed up firing.
The incident has brought machine gun tourism into the spotlight.
While Cohen closed his doors as a show of respect to victims' families, many other gun ranges offering automatic weapon experiences remained open.
Website:
Facebook:
Twitter: