Georgia gun club offers weapon-wielding photo ops with Santa

Dec. 13, 2014: Dasha Washington and Imani Bowman pose with Santa at the Sandy Springs Gun Club in Georgia. "We just came in to shoot. We're so excited that Santa is here today," said Washington. (Photo Courtesy Sandy Springs Gun Club)

Dec. 13, 2014: Neal Arnold from Buckhead poses with Santa and his dog. "I plan on putting my picture on a Christmas card," he said. "I've never had one with me and my dog and Santa before." (Photo courtesy Sandy Springs Gun Club)

Dec. 13, 2014: Sandy Springs Gun Club co-owners Cara Workman and Robyn Workman Marzullo pose with Santa and other staff. (Photo Courtesy Sandy Springs Gun Club)

Taking aim at some holiday fun, a special event at a Georgia gun club Saturday featured assault weapon photo ops with a red-suited Jolly Old Saint Nick.

Gun enthusiasts who showed up at the Sandy Springs Gun Club and Range got to pose for a photo with Santa Claus while holding an AK-47, AR-15 or FN-SCAR-17.

“You don’t often get to pose with Santa with a gun so I thought it was a great opportunity to have one taken to send to my family and friends,” Daniel Jespersen, 25, of Atlanta, told FoxNews.com.

Justin Hosp, 32, of Alpharetta was smiling as he posed for a picture with Santa while holding an AR-15. The photo also included his 12-year-old daughter, Ella.

“It was fun, I enjoyed it,” the girl said, while confessing that she did not ask Santa what she wanted for Christmas.

The suburban Atlanta gun club furnished the guns. They were all inspected, unloaded and deactivated for safety precautions. No one under 18 was allowed to hold a gun in the photo shoot with Santa.

The gun club asked participants to bring canned food or cash to donate to a local food pantry.

“We wanted to do something to get into the holiday spirit and give back to the community,” owner Robyn workman Marzullo told FoxNews.com.

Marzullo told MyFox Atlanta Friday, the day before the event, that the gun club was not trying to send any message.

“I think it’s important to note Santa goes to the mall,” she said. “He goes to car dealerships. He goes to sporting events and Santa’s coming here to see our customers. So we just happen to be a gun club and range.

The event was billed to last from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. But Marzullo said it was extended an hour due to the response.

She said several hundred people took the opportunity to grab a firearm photos with Santa.

Mike Gilmartin, of Brookhaven, posed for his photo with Santa with two friends.

"This is just a real cool opportunity to get a ridiculous picture with Santa Claus," he said.