An Arizona gun club is offering a chance for children and their families to pose for photographs with Father Christmas while holding weaponry such as AK-47 rifles and grenade launchers.

One image shows Santa Claus in a wingback chair with a snowflake background, a Christmas tree behind him and flanked by an $80,000 machine gun and a tripod-mounted rifle. Next to Santa is a man standing behind a boy, who is holding an unloaded AR-15 with an attached grenade launcher.

In another photo, Santa cradles a toddler dressed in camouflage, while a man and woman stand close by with rifles with foldable stocks. In another image, five young women pose with AR-15 and other rifles.

Ron Kennedy, general manager of the Scottsdale gun club, said the business got the idea for the photographs last year when a club member happened to come in dressed as Santa Claus and other members wanted their picture taken with him while they were holding their guns.

"Our customers have been looking for a fun and safe way to express their holiday spirit and passion for firearms," said Kennedy, noting people have used the photos for Christmas cards and Facebook posts. About 500 people showed up to the first of two sittings on Saturday.

Kennedy, whose facility offers guns for sale and to rent and has a 32-lane indoor shooting range, said the event was not aimed at children, but the club supports the right of parents to include children in the photos.

The guns used in the photos are not loaded and have had their firing pins removed, and their chambers are regularly cleared to ensure safety, Kennedy said.

To buy a semi-automatic rifle in the US, a buyer must be at least 18 years old and cannot be a convicted felon. The requirements for prospective buyers of fully automatic machine guns include being at least 21 years old, not being a convicted felon and getting a special license from federal firearms agents.

Democratic state Representative Steve Farley, who proposed an unsuccessful ban on large-capacity gun magazines like the one used in the 8 January mass shooting in Tucson, Arizona, that killed six people and wounded congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords and 12 others, said the gun club's photo event was inappropriate.

"To involve machine guns and Santa in a celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ is the worst kind of heresy I can imagine," said Farley. "I would suggest that the people who created this read some of the New Testament."

Kennedy said the club is simply trying to provide a safe holiday event that's an expression of their passions. "It's more of a celebration of their Second Amendment rights," Kennedy said.

He said the club will continue holding the events in future years if there's a demand from customers for it.