Newton Residents Push For Strong Regulations At Gun Shops

NEWTON, MA— More than 500 people logged into a four-hour zoning meeting Monday night to hear about a controversial proposal that would strictly regulate gun shops in town.

The proposal was largely met with approval, though several residents asked for more strict regulations —if not a ban. Several others argued against any regulation, calling the scramble for such "hand wringing," and an infringement of rights.

Monday, the City Council's Zoning and Planning Committee presented a comprehensive draft of the special permit process for any firearms businesses looking to open in town, which includes relegating firearm businesses to specific retail zones and areas that are 100 to 1,100 feet from schools and houses of worship.

"Newton residents overwhelmingly oppose gun stores in our city," said Alexandra Wolf, a founder of the Stop Gun Stores in Newton Facebook group, which has more than 2,000 members. The group recently presented an online petition to the city with more than 9,000 signatures asking for the strictest regulations on shops. "Gun stores in our midst will make our city less safe."

Wolf and others pointed to statistics that indicated the presence of guns can increase the chance of homicide twofold, three-fold for suicide and fatal domestic rates go up five-fold, she said, urging the city to pass the most restrictive rules possible.

More than three dozen people from middle school and high school students to grandparents spoke during the public hearing, the bulk of whom indicated they would rather not have a gun store in town. A woman spoke of experiences with an abusive husband, one woman said her neighborhood was filled with immigrants who came from places where guns were normalized and cherished that Newton felt safe, in part, because you could not purchase a gun in this city.

"I feel threatened by this," said Ilene Solomon a Newton realtor and resident of 50 years, echoing many. "I feel sick about this."

Several urged the city to ensure gun stores were not near schools.

"Having a gun store in the vicinity of a school will inevitably make students feel unsafe," said Ariana Foster, a fifth grade teacher in Newton, speaking on behalf of the Newton Teachers Association, asking stores be kept from schools and school walking routes.

Constantinos Zackarakis, a junior at Newton South High School said he and his fellow classmates have only known a school life that includes lock down drills and practicing looking for hiding place, should a shooter enter their school.

"Having a gun store in our city literally makes it easier for a gun to be purchased and used nearby," he said. "Our city should be doing everything in its power to protect us and make sure nothing like that happens."

Not everyone was against the gun shops

But about a third of the speakers said the city should allow gun stores, siting that the Second Amendment guarantees a right to bear arms.

Tom Mountain, chairman of the Newton Republican Committee held up the Declaration of Independence and chastised those who supported more strict regulation, saying they were infringing on Constitutional rights.

"You are trying your best to keep out a lawful business," he said. "This scam isn't going to work, you're going to be challenged in court... the Constitution rules, you don't."

Isaac Fine, who grew up in Newton, challenged that sentiment.

"The Second Amendment protects the person's right to bear arms, not to sell them," he said. "The right to bear arms and the right to sell arms are two different things."

Other supporters of the gun shop in the city pointed out that Massachusetts is one of the most difficult to get a license to carry, which is required before purchasing a firearm from a gun shop.

"A kid cannot just walk in and purchase a firearm," Matthew Tocci said. "You need a license to carry, you have to be vetted."

Several others echoed that, adding it takes months to qualify for a license to carry because of the in depth background checks.

"It's hand wringing," said Lucas Stilianos of the anti-gun shop sentiment.

Stilianos and others said the only type of people who would frequent the shop would have to be the law-abiding citizens.

Citizens like the two men who said they carry guns when they go to synagogue, with the permission of their rabbis, so they can protect themselves should something happen there, or the gay man who said he carries it to feel safer. Others argued zoning shouldn't be driven by popularity or bias.

Where did the discussion come from?

Monday was the first time residents had the chance to weigh in on the proposed zoning regulations the city council drafted in response to pushback on a possible gun shop opening in Newton.

Although the mayor was alerted that the licensing process in late March, residents learned of the proposed shop around April 15. They set to work and petitioned the city to do something to regulate their location, if not ban them. Within 12 hours, hundreds had signed the petition.

On April 16, the day after the petition launched, the mayor and City Council docketed proposed amendments to limit the dealers to certain zoning districts, require special permit approval from the City Council, and buffers between a store and sensitive locations.

Then a week later, the city's Inspectional Services Department issued a stop work order at 709 Washington St., because the store owner did not have a building permit, which is necessary to do the type of renovation work being done, according to the city.

The City Council's Zoning and Planning Committee began deliberations last week on how to regulate where firearms can be sold in Newton. For two hours, councilors discussed everything from whether the city had the power to ban the sale of guns, to the possibility of creating a specific zoning ordinance specific to gun shops.

The zoning committee is set to meet again Thursday to discuss this meeting.

Related:

• Residents Protest Gun Store Set To Come To Newton
• Newton Issues Stop-Work Order To Planned Gun Store
• Owner Of Proposed Gun Store Applied In January ...

Watch the four-hour meeting courtesy of NewTV: