success for parents who dont want gun stores near their schools often depends on a variety of factors: the political climate in a town, state firearms laws, buy-in from local officials. Opponents say restrictions harm small businesses or potentially infringe on Second Amendment rights. (Getty Images) (Icy Macload/Getty Images)
Ashley Singleton never thought of herself an activist until a gun store opened next to her sons elementary school.
While the nondescript brick storefront was under construction, she passed it twice a day in the school car line. Shed assumed it might be a doctors office; it looked like many other small businesses in Madison, a middle-class suburb in North Alabama known mostly for its good schools and proximity to the city of Huntsville, a tech hub thats become the states fastest growing metro.
But one morning in the school drop-off line, Singleton saw the business had a new sign: Rocket City Armory.
After dropping off her first-grader at school, Singleton went home and looked up the business.
It was a firearms customization and repair shop that would also sell guns. Its property line sits less than 500 feet from that of Midtown Elementary, which has nearly 900 students in pre-K through fifth grades. Around the corner, about the same distance away, is Primrose School, a private preschool and child care center. The armory has four large front windows and its sign bears a rifle crossed with a Saturn V rocket, a nod to Huntsvilles history in NASAs Apollo space program.
My son can see (the gun store) from the school playground, Singleton said. Hes 7. If the store was anywhere else, I would not care. But who in their right mind would put anything to do with guns almost directly between a preschool and an elementary school?
Its a question more communities have begun grappling with as parents and policymakers look for solutions to combat a rising tide of gun violence and school-based shootings. More than two-thirds of American parents say theyre concerned a shooting could happen at their childrens school. Late last year, gun violence surpassed car accidents as the leading killer of children and teens in the United States. Active shooter drills are as common as fire drills in American schools.
At the state and federal levels, debate over gun violence prevention remains intensely partisan and mostly gridlocked. Democratic lawmakers push for tighter restrictions around guns while Republicans refuse to support policies they see as infringing on Second Amendment rights.
But in some communities, pockets of parents like Singleton are pushing for change at the most local of levels: municipal zoning ordinances. In the past few years, dozens of towns across the country, from California to Nevada to Massachusetts, have enacted local laws to ban gun stores from operating near sensitive areas like schools and child care centers.
I would say these efforts have been mostly successful, said Allison Anderman, senior counsel and director of local policy at GIffords Law Center, a nonprofit focused on ending gun violence. We zone lots of businesses away from sensitive areas because they pose heightened risks: cannabis shops, adult businesses, even car repair shops. Theres no reason sellers of lethal weapons could not also be included.
But success for parents who dont want gun stores near their schools often depends on a variety of factors: the political climate in a town, state firearms laws, buy-in from local officials. Opponents say restrictions harm small businesses or potentially infringe on Second Amendment rights.
For Singleton and a group of fellow Madison city parents, their ultimate goal is to get the armory moved somewhere else. Theyve contacted the mayors office, their city council members, local police, spoken at city council meetings, done spots on local TV news and circulated petition thats garnered more than 800 signatures. They also hope to push the city to create zoning restrictions that would prevent gun stores from opening near any other schools in town.
Im an introverted person; Im not a social justice warrior, said Singleton. But I cant take a backseat on this one because not only could this affect (my sons) physical safety, but for me its also about his mental health. School shootings have such an impact on our kids lives, and their learning, and how they navigate their campus.
Now they can see a visible reminder while theyre outside playing basketball.
Lauren Zack, whose 4-year-old daughter attends Primrose, first noticed the Rocket City Armory sign as she was dropping off her daughter at preschool. As soon as she got home that day, she said called the Madison Police Department and asked what the active shooter protocol was for her daughters school.
Thats not something I ever thought I would need to do, she said. My biggest concern is that somebody could stand in that parking lot and shoot up the Primrose playground and be gone before anybody could call the police.
A 1990s-era federal law bans guns within 1,000 feet of a school, but the law has several exceptions, including for private property that isnt part of a school campus.
The owner of Rocket City Armory, Jared Hill, acknowledged parents concerns about the proximity of his business to the schools in an emailed statement to Reckon.
When Rocket City Armory opens, we promise to uphold all firearm laws including the requirement that all firearms are to be unloaded before entering and leaving our establishment, he said. We will not allow unaccompanied minors to enter our store without adult supervision. The safety of children and neighbors in Madison is critically important to our Rocket City Armory family.
The storefront is not yet open, but its Facebook page currently has more than 1,300 followers. Hill said in his statement that he wants his business to raise awareness about firearm safety standards in Alabama, as well as teach about the history and artistry of the trade of gunsmithing, which involves the repair, design and modification of firearms.
Last year in North Carolina, state Sen. Natalie Murdock proposed legislation that would have created a statewide study to determine whether banning gun stores within 1,400 feet of schools or child care centers would improve safety of school-age children.
The idea was to put forward a new, out-of-the-box solution, said Murdock. I still support universal background checks, red flag laws and safe storage laws. But what if we can also not make it convenient for someone to go to a gun store, then walk up the street to a school? If thats not common sense, I dont know what is.
Research is scant on the impact of gun stores operating near schools. One 2020 study in California found the proximity of gun stores to schools was significantly associated with an increase in students bringing guns onto school campuses.
Most states have a state law that specifically restricts how local municipalities are allowed to regulate firearms, including firearms sales. California is one state that does not, and Anderman said at least 29 jurisdictions have enacted local laws banning gun sales near child-sensitive areas like schools, daycares, libraries and parks.
More are starting to follow that lead.
In February, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors called for an ordinance that would require a 1,000-foot buffer zone between gun stores and child-sensitive areas like schools. In March, after several months studying potential gun safety regulations, officials in Redwood City, Calif., proposed an ordinance that would create a 300-foot buffer between gun stores and sensitive facilities like schools, daycares, libraries and parks.
Anderman said guns and gun stores can be high value targets for theft. Last year, she joined her neighbors in Phoenix to oppose the city granting a permit to a gun dealer to sell weapons from his home near an elementary school.
At the hearing a police officer spoke, she said, saying its a terrible idea (to allow a gun dealer to operate near a school), citing the number of times he had to chase a suspect whod stolen guns.
In that case, the gun dealer actually withdrew his request for a permit.
Hill, the armory owner, told the public at the city council meeting that he was committed to upholding strict firearms storage and handling requirements for his customers, and had installed state-of-the-art security systems.
But some Madison parents who spoke with Reckon said they worried that an incident at the armory such as an accidental discharge or a disgruntled customer making threats could send the nearby schools into lockdown.
The bottom line is, how close would you want your children to be to an area where guns are handled regularly, without you there? said Alex Vaughn, the parent of Midtown Elementary students, at the city council meeting. Would you want oversight of that area? I think you would.
Other parents said they worry more about the mental and emotional impact of their children seeing a gun store so near their school campuses.
My third-grader is at an age where shes really taking in information and able to process things like this, said Rebekah Faris, who has three children at Midtown Elementary. She told me she and her friends were talking at school about the Nashville shooting in which three students and three staffers were killed by an armed assailant at Covenant School in March.
She and her friends know whats going on, they know about school shootings and they express their fears and anxiety, Faris said. Of course we want them to be physically safe, but its also troubling for them, mentally, to drive by this every day and see a gun store right next to their school.
Nationally, efforts to create buffer zones around schools tend to succeed when community stakeholders can generate support among enough local leaders, including local law enforcement, said Anderman. Getting zoning laws revised is less likely when the new restrictions would displace an existing small business, she said.
Singleton acknowledged the chance of getting the armory moved isnt high, but shes determined to keep pushing: My new goal is to ultimately do something about zoning like this in the future so we dont have this same situation.
Meanwhile, the city of Madison recently approved the construction of Big Blue Marble Academy, a 12,000-square-foot child care center scheduled to open this autumn, just across the street from Rocket City Armory.
Visit link:
Should gun stores be allowed near schools? These parents are ... - Reckon
- The Future of the Second Amendment - Berkeley Law - April 18th, 2024 [April 18th, 2024]
- Mental Health Firearms Bill Divides Second Amendment Supporters in State House - NH Journal - April 18th, 2024 [April 18th, 2024]
- Biden Administration Unlawfully Expands Background Checks on Firearms Sales - Kevin Cramer - April 18th, 2024 [April 18th, 2024]
- The Second Amendment and 18-to-20-Year-Olds - Reason - March 29th, 2024 [March 29th, 2024]
- Chatbots like crime, hate firearms: A Second Amendment study - Washington Examiner - March 29th, 2024 [March 29th, 2024]
- OK: Oppose H.J.R. 1034, Unless Amended! | GOA - Gun Owners of America - March 29th, 2024 [March 29th, 2024]
- Republicans blast Biden admin's 'Red Flag Operation' as one that will 'violate' Second Amendment rights - Fox News - March 29th, 2024 [March 29th, 2024]
- Gordon Signed Four Second Amendment Bills, Vetoed Another - WyoToday.com - March 29th, 2024 [March 29th, 2024]
- A new resource center in the DOJ has a lot of people worried about their Second Amendment rights - Tri-State Alert - March 29th, 2024 [March 29th, 2024]
- 'It Has Everything to Do With Race': Protesters Clash Outside Kyle Rittenhouse Event - Yahoo News UK - March 29th, 2024 [March 29th, 2024]
- Governor signs firearm bills, vetoes bill to repeal gun-free zones - Buckrail - March 29th, 2024 [March 29th, 2024]
- FISA and the Second Amendment: Gun Owners Beware - RealClearPolicy - February 3rd, 2024 [February 3rd, 2024]
- Second Amendment protects the rest | Commentary | norfolkdailynews.com - Norfolk Daily News - February 3rd, 2024 [February 3rd, 2024]
- Ricketts Signs Brief to Defend Gun Owners and Second Amendment - Rural Radio Network - February 3rd, 2024 [February 3rd, 2024]
- Dems bow to local control on guns then take it away | BRAUCHLER - coloradopolitics.com - February 3rd, 2024 [February 3rd, 2024]
- Augusta County Second Amendment guy wants to protect schoolkids from books? - Augusta Free Press - February 3rd, 2024 [February 3rd, 2024]
- The 2nd Amendment is not about Hunting - WIBC - Indianapolis News & Politics - October 27th, 2023 [October 27th, 2023]
- Opinion: Protecting Our Second Amendment Rights in St. Louis ... - The Missouri Times - October 27th, 2023 [October 27th, 2023]
- Statement by Vice President Kamala Harris on the Mass Shooting in ... - The White House - October 27th, 2023 [October 27th, 2023]
- Letter: Second Amendment matters more than ever - Quad-City Times - October 27th, 2023 [October 27th, 2023]
- The Supreme Court is seriously considering whether domestic ... - Vox.com - October 27th, 2023 [October 27th, 2023]
- Letter urging House Speaker to act on gun violence sent hours prior ... - Woodland Daily Democrat - October 27th, 2023 [October 27th, 2023]
- Vermont: Gun-Controllers Are Abandoning Their Rural Roots - NRA ILA - October 27th, 2023 [October 27th, 2023]
- Foundation prepares to disburse roughly $32 million in legal aid ... - The Florida Bar - October 27th, 2023 [October 27th, 2023]
- Critics Sock Sean Hannity Over His Bizarre Personal 'Plan' For Mass ... - Yahoo! Voices - October 27th, 2023 [October 27th, 2023]
- Second Amendment Roundup: Fusillade of Amicus Briefs Filed in Rahimi - Reason - October 12th, 2023 [October 12th, 2023]
- 12 Defensive Gun Uses Bare Absurdity of Attacking Gun Rights - Daily Signal - October 12th, 2023 [October 12th, 2023]
- Horrific Attack In Israel Shows Critical Importance Of Second Amendment In America | David Hookstead - Outkick - October 12th, 2023 [October 12th, 2023]
- OPINION: Second Amendment rights deserve protection - The ... - Stanly News & Press - October 12th, 2023 [October 12th, 2023]
- Noel Hudson: What, exactly, was the well-regulated militia? - VTDigger - October 12th, 2023 [October 12th, 2023]
- Berkshire residents and officials join the debate at the statehouse ... - Berkshire Eagle - October 12th, 2023 [October 12th, 2023]
- Old gun controls that were constitutionally repealed are not precedents for modern gun control - Reason - October 7th, 2023 [October 7th, 2023]
- Rahimi: The Case That Might Turn the Court Even More Extreme on Guns - The New Republic - October 7th, 2023 [October 7th, 2023]
- Second Amendment proponents fear public health emergencies ... - The Statehouse File - October 7th, 2023 [October 7th, 2023]
- UGA political groups debate the Second Amendment at political ... - Red and Black - October 7th, 2023 [October 7th, 2023]
- From the Second Amendment to OxyContin Settlements, Here Are ... - WTTW News - October 7th, 2023 [October 7th, 2023]
- Goldwater Institute Urges Supreme Court to Respect Second ... - The Creative Corner - October 7th, 2023 [October 7th, 2023]
- I carry a firearm daily. Second Amendment rights are not absolute. - Daily Kos - October 7th, 2023 [October 7th, 2023]
- Free Lecture - To Trust the People with Arms: The Supreme Court ... - Buckeye Firearms Association - October 7th, 2023 [October 7th, 2023]
- Federal Judge Enjoins Several Maryland Restrictions on Carrying ... - Reason - October 7th, 2023 [October 7th, 2023]
- Guest columnist Lee Armstrong: Taking 2nd Amendment to extremes - GazetteNET - August 26th, 2023 [August 26th, 2023]
- Analysis: ACLU Warns of Government Overreach in Second ... - The Reload - August 26th, 2023 [August 26th, 2023]
- Madison's Militia: The Hidden History of the Second Amendment, by ... - Shepherd Express - August 26th, 2023 [August 26th, 2023]
- Massachusetts Judge Rules Law Against Carrying Guns Across ... - The Reload - August 26th, 2023 [August 26th, 2023]
- It's Not Hard to Tell Good Guy From Bad Guy, as 12 More Defensive ... - Heritage.org - August 26th, 2023 [August 26th, 2023]
- NRA-ILA Files Friend of the Court Brief Urging the Eighth Circuit to ... - NRA ILA - August 26th, 2023 [August 26th, 2023]
- Panhandling ordinance amendments pass first Council vote - Mountain Xpress - August 26th, 2023 [August 26th, 2023]
- Florida's New Concealed Carry Law: What You Need to Know - Hernando Sun - August 26th, 2023 [August 26th, 2023]
- Why did PragerU lie about being approved in Texas schools? - Reckon - August 26th, 2023 [August 26th, 2023]
- No longer a cold war, the Tennessee House and Senate are not ... - News Channel 5 Nashville - August 26th, 2023 [August 26th, 2023]
- What's News, Breaking: Tuesday, August 22, 2023 - Brooklyn Daily Eagle - August 26th, 2023 [August 26th, 2023]
- Sparse turnout for gun rights rally with Kyle Rittenhouse after Michigan gun reform laws signed Michigan Advance - Michigan Advance - July 21st, 2023 [July 21st, 2023]
- Tom Huckin: A misinterpretation of the Constitution leads to disastrous consequences - Salt Lake Tribune - July 21st, 2023 [July 21st, 2023]
- Debate on Second Amendment | News, Sports, Jobs - Williamsport Sun-Gazette - July 21st, 2023 [July 21st, 2023]
- Sorry, Gov. Newsom, but Citizens Want to Use Guns to Defend ... - Heritage.org - July 21st, 2023 [July 21st, 2023]
- D-Wave Quantum Inc. Enter into the Limited Waiver and Second Amendment to Loan and Security Agreement with PSPIB Unitas Investments II Inc -... - July 21st, 2023 [July 21st, 2023]
- Federal Judge Rejects Lawsuit to Uphold Texas Suppressor Law for ... - The Texan - July 21st, 2023 [July 21st, 2023]
- Governor's Council approves all 7 of Healey's pardon ... - WBUR News - July 21st, 2023 [July 21st, 2023]
- Jonah Goldberg: Why July is the cruelest month for GOP presidential ... - The Winchester Star - July 21st, 2023 [July 21st, 2023]
- Second Amendment Roundup: U.S. Seeking Cert on Prohibited Persons % - Reason - May 30th, 2023 [May 30th, 2023]
- 2nd Amendment Quotes for Hot Topics - Everyday Power - May 30th, 2023 [May 30th, 2023]
- ICYMI: Buffalo News Editorial: Gun Laws and a More Sensible ... - ny.gov - May 30th, 2023 [May 30th, 2023]
- Opinion | Prince William needs gun-free zones - The Washington Post - May 30th, 2023 [May 30th, 2023]
- Second Federal Judge Expands Block on Biden Pistol-Brace Ban as ... - The Reload - May 30th, 2023 [May 30th, 2023]
- Editorial: Mayor's order of support for trans citizens contrasts with the ... - St. Louis Post-Dispatch - May 30th, 2023 [May 30th, 2023]
- Simple answer isn't workable - Las Vegas Sun - May 30th, 2023 [May 30th, 2023]
- DeSantis and the Road to the White House - The Media Line - May 30th, 2023 [May 30th, 2023]
- Hawaii Agrees to Drop Baton Ban After Losing Court Fight - The Reload - May 30th, 2023 [May 30th, 2023]
- Demise of S.F. exaggerated. It's still a great city to visit - San Francisco Chronicle - May 30th, 2023 [May 30th, 2023]
- ESAs consult to amend technical standards on the mapping of ... - ESMA - May 30th, 2023 [May 30th, 2023]
- 'Not tools of self-defense': Ferguson makes case for Washington's ... - The Columbian - May 30th, 2023 [May 30th, 2023]
- Lawrence ODonnell Airs Old Clip of Republican Chief Justice Calling the Second Amendment a Fraud on the American Public - Mediaite - March 31st, 2023 [March 31st, 2023]
- Marshall University Prof: Cops and Vets Earn Their Second Amendment Rights Through Months of Training - The Truth About Guns - February 28th, 2023 [February 28th, 2023]
- Interpretation: The Second Amendment | Constitution Center - January 27th, 2023 [January 27th, 2023]
- Senate panel okays Tax Laws (Second Amendment) Bill: Fixed tax scheme gets nod to bring 2m retailers into tax net - The News International - December 23rd, 2022 [December 23rd, 2022]
- Gohmert: Without a change to how children are taught, 'We're going to have to get rid of the Second Amendment' - Fox News - December 18th, 2022 [December 18th, 2022]
- Minim, Inc. and Cadence Connectivity, Inc. Enter Second Amendment to Loan and Security Agreement with Silicon Valley Bank - Marketscreener.com - December 18th, 2022 [December 18th, 2022]
- Opinion: Let's talk about repealing the Second Amendment - The Connecticut Mirror - December 12th, 2022 [December 12th, 2022]
- The right to bear arms: what does the second amendment really mean ... - November 21st, 2022 [November 21st, 2022]
- Texas judge rules law preventing adults under 21 from carrying handguns ... - November 21st, 2022 [November 21st, 2022]