In the aftermath of a bar shooting that injured two bystanders Saturday night, Vicksburg Mayor Paul Winfield said establishments that serve alcohol should have metal detectors or some type of security device to scan customers for weapons before they enter.

“I’d like to see it at all bars in the city,” Winfield said Tuesday. “Some places do this already. They’ve done it to me,” he added with a laugh.

Deputy police Chief Mitchell Dent agrees.

“We’re all on the same page,” Dent said. “We want to see a city that has a vibrant night life, but we want it to be safe for the people.”

The shooting occurred at Bottom Up, a Marcus Bottom restaurant permitted to sell beer, at 2618 Halls Ferry Road. Within hours of the 10 p.m. shooting, three Vicksburg men were arrested and charged: Victor Lee Parson, 37, 1435 Ironwood Drive, and his brother, James Tyrone Parson, 35, 2607 Hannah Ave., and Franklin Lee Crook, 39, 1708 Openwood Lane.

Each was charged with seven counts of aggravated assault, because police believe seven shots were fired in the club, police Sgt. Sandra Williams said. In addition, Crook was charged with being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm and had been on probation from federal custody since March, she said.

The three had argued and fought with another man at the club, at which about 50 people were gathered. That man was not injured, police said, but two bystanders required hospital treatment after they were shot when the three men opened fire.

Bottom Up also was the site of a fight in January that sent a man to the hospital with head injuries.

Dent said he and police Chief Walter Armstrong met Tuesday with Alvin Sanders, a Gibson Road resident who owns the building Bottom Up occupies.

“We talked about a lot of things that the owner is going to relay to the proprietor,” he said. “We want to help them help themselves.”

Armstrong and Dent suggested improvements to lighting, signage and security, he said, including the possibility of armed security guards and the use of metal detectors. They were also concerned about insurance and liability, he said.

The licensed operator of Bottom Up is Emma Jackson, 59, who lives on Bowmar Avenue, just around the corner from the club.

Winfield said he planned to meet with Sanders and Jackson, as well as calling a larger meeting with club owners across the city.

Jackson said Tuesday that police closed Bottom Up Saturday night following the shooting, but it has been open for business each night since. Dent previously said the business had been shut down temporarily.

“It may have been a miscommunication that just didn’t get passed along,” Dent said.

Where there is an investigation of criminal activity, temporary shutdowns are requested, not necessarily ordered, he said, to facilitate the investigation and prevent corruption of the crime scene. The measure is not intended to be punitive, he said.

In this case, “our officers on Saturday night were able to obtain enough information to conduct a thorough investigation,” he added.

Any permanent closing of a club requires legal action by the Board of Mayor and Aldermen, but Winfield said he hopes to avoid that by requiring that clubs have adequate security.

“When you get alcohol in the mix, a lot of times people are much more susceptible to making the wrong decision,” said Winfield. “I’m not so quick to shut folks down. I want people to make money.”

But Winfield added that his board “will take action, fairly and straight up,” if businesses can’t ensure their patrons’ safety.

Establishments that serve beer along with a full-service food menu are not required to obtain a special alcohol license, and a public hearing to consider licensing is not required, city inspector Dalton McCarty said.

If a building is in a properly zoned area of the city, owners may apply for a city privilege license, he said. The building department and the fire department then inspect to sign off on the property before a license may be granted.

The license fee for a restaurant is based on the number of employees who will be working there, McCarty said.

Bottom Up was licensed May 28, 2010.