As a Goleta gun shop prepares for its grand opening next to a preschool, alarmed elected officials are pushing for new rules that would prevent firearms sales near schools and child care centers.
The Goleta City Council on Tuesday will explore potential new limits on gun and ammunition retailers. Options on the table include amendments to city zoning and land use laws that could lead to the shop’s closure.
That same day, the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors will consider a proposal from members Laura Capps and Joan Hartmann. Among other restrictions, it would prevent gun and ammunition sales within 1,000 feet of preschools and K-12 schools.
“We want to do more to protect the places where our children learn and play, where families gather, and where people come together to worship and build community,” Supervisor Capps, who represents the Second District, said in a statement.
The two hearings come in response to the relocation of Goodland Guns. It’s moving from Old Town Goleta to a former 7-Eleven market at 7443 Hollister Ave.
Parks, playgrounds and religious establishments
The gun shop in July secured a long-term lease. It’s next to to the Here We Grow Early Learning Center, a daycare center and preschool. In addition, the shop is located a little more than half a mile from Ellwood Elementary School.
The shop will celebrate a grand opening sometime this week, owner Dan Ashton told the News-Press.
In the past two weeks, parents sought help from the Goleta City Council and Goleta Union School Board. They condemned the store’s relocation as a danger to children. The school board on Aug. 20 passed a resolution urging Goleta city officials to create 1,000-foot buffers.
The county proposals would only apply to future decisions across unincorporated neighborhoods.
In addition to schools, the county proposal envisions a 1,000-foot buffer around child care centers, parks, playgrounds, and youth centers. The buffer would also include religious establishments as well as other gun shops.
The supervisors also will consider new gun shop security requirements. And they’ll weigh a temporary, 45-day moratorium on new gun shop approvals—giving county planners time to develop permanent restrictions.
In addition, the board will consider requiring new gun shops obtain a county conditional use permit, which would negate over-the counter approvals and give the public a chance to weigh in, Capps and Hartmann said.
Nelson opposes the change
At the county, the proposed changes appear likely to receive some resistance.
Board Chair Bob Nelson, who represents the Fourth District, said research he’s seen shows gun crimes go up near firearms stores in big urban areas—and down around stores in suburban settings.
“I actually think guns make people more safe,” Nelson said. “It’s the incorrect use of guns, and criminal use of guns, that makes people unsafe.”
Among his concerns, Nelson questioned a proposal by Capps and Hartmann to prohibit firearms and ammunition sales by home-based sellers.
Several federally licensed North County dealers work from their residences, Nelson said.
“Criminal activity shouldn’t be a dispositive thing for legal activity,” he said.
Different approaches
Goleta currently regulates the storage of firearms in homes and the unlawful discharge of guns. No existing zoning rules govern where shops sell firearms, according to a city report.
Firearms and ammunition shops in Goleta are classified as “general retail” stores under existing city codes. This allows them to operate in certain commercial zones as long as they have a business license.
While Capps and Hartman teed up a menu of specific potential regulations and land use amendments, Goleta council members will more broadly discuss changes to operational, licensing, and security standards.
For example, the council is expected to discuss buffers, but city officials did not yet suggest distance requirements.
Possible closure
When the Goleta updated zoning rules in 2020, officials didn’t consider special regulations on firearms retailers, Councilmember Stuart Kasdin said. Goodland Guns is in his Fourth District.
“Across the whole region, nobody really thought about that,” Kasdin said, adding he’s looking forward to a wide open conversation Tuesday.
“The public will be able to come in and look at these various alternatives and say what should be appropriate,” he said.
In a report to the council, city staff say certain zoning changes could lead to the business being declared “non-conforming,” which in turn could result in it being more heavily regulated or shuttered.
Under one scenario, Goleta could prevent Ashton from expanding the building or changing its use.
In another, a process known as amortization, the city could shut down the shop, according to a city report. Amortization can take years; Goleta would need to give the business time to perhaps move or recover its investments first.
Ashton said he worries his and other local gun shops would suffer unnecessarily under new rules.
“It took three years to find a location in Goleta suitable to relocate Goodland Guns,” Ashton said in a statement. “Placing additional local regulations on an industry that is already heavily regulated at both the state and federal levels will make it nearly impossible for any new firearms retailer to open or operate in this city.”
