Gym's New Gun Policy Causes Uproar in C'ville

A major player in the Central Virginia health club scene, ACAC, is getting some blowback from members after quietly allowing concealed weapons. Hawes Spencer has more.

Allison Wright joined in January and says the workouts did wonders, but the relationship soured Wednesday after a local paper revealed that the club allows firearms. Wright says she spoke to a manager.

"I called and told her that I'd be canceling my membership effective immediately. She said, 'You are not alone in this.'"

The C-ville Weekly reported that a member's handgun tumbled to the floor in one recent meditation class, but Wright says the lack of notice is what motivated her move.

"That's not a decision I take lightly, and it's not one I wanted to make."

In addition to Central Virginia, ACAC has clubs in Maryland and Pennsylvania. In Charlottesville, Hawes Spencer for WCVE News. # IMAGE: Founded in Charlottesville, ACAC mixes sweat with contemplative spaces. (Flickr/Bill McChesney) ##