|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
Dublin has entered into a temporary moratorium on the establishment of new firearms retailers and shooting ranges, as well as their expansion or relocation, with the City Council hitting the pause button after an inquiry from a prospective dealer who might want to open near a future school site.
The moratorium signaled a 45-day suspension of regulations that typically allow shooting ranges in commercial and industrial zones with proper clearing or permitting and firearm dealerships by right in zoning where retail uses are allowed, according to a staff report prepared by Dublin community development director Amy Million.
During the suspension period, city staff intend to review land-use and regulatory frameworks governing such uses. Additionally, the operations of existing firearms retailers will not be impacted, since the ordinance applies to new permits or relocations requiring a permit, according to city attorney John Bakker.
The Dublin City Council greenlit the moratorium effective immediately during a special meeting Jan. 20 via 4-0 approval of an urgency interim ordinance – absent Mayor Sherry Hu — following a discussion lasting under 10 minutes.
“Council needs to be really well-informed on the differences in the rights of merchants, as it pertains to both retail firearms and shooting ranges,” Councilmember Michael McCorriston said during the meeting.
Sparking the ordinance before council was an inquiry to city officials about establishing a firearms dealership with an indoor shooting range near where a school is being constructed along the Dublin Boulevard corridor in the downtown area, according to the staff report.
While federal and state law restrict firearm possession within 1,000 feet of a school, the laws do not prohibit firearms dealerships and shooting ranges in the area, Million wrote in the report.
“The inquiry nonetheless raised questions about whether the city’s existing regulatory framework needed further study,” she added.
During public comment two people expressed opposing opinions on the ordinance, with one citing the danger that guns pose to youth and the other rejecting the idea that gun retailers are a threat.
According to the staff report, city staff are set to return to the council for policy direction and the 45-day period “could be extended to allow staff time to prepare and implement necessary amendments to the municipal code”.
Dublin is set to lose its only gun store with indoor shooting range business soon, with the owner of Guns, Fishing & Other Stuff at 6705 Amador Plaza Road announcing its impending closure in December.
