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Council work session ignites gun ordinance debate

Gun and gun shop owners filled the council chambers last night to show opposition to the current gun ordinance that was being discussed at the work session for the Galesburg City Council.

City Manager Todd Thompson and Attorney Brad Nolden presented the ordinance that would require firearms dealers to coordinate with Galesburg Police to test alarm systems with in 30 days of submitting the yearly license, among other things. They were looking for direction from the council on the direction to go with the policy.

Nolden detailed specific sections of the ordinance, but “At this point the concern is making sure that there is an alarm system that works in every place that sells guns.”

Nolden says that language was added to the current ordinance to provide better detail on what information was required for the firearm dealers license. He highlighted the addition of the requirement for an operating alarm security system.

Aldermen had many questions, and concerns regarding the policy and any research done to help draft the policy.

Local attorney and President of the Guns Save Lives Organization Steve Davis spoke to the board where I informed the council that 1 in every 100 gun theft is committed against dealers. He was also critical of some of the language in the ordinance, asking the council to pay close attention to it.

An elected official who gave public comment opposing the ordinance was City Treasurer Elisha French – who voice concern over a fine of up to $1,000 that gun shops could receive under the policy changes. French said, “Instead of talking to our police force about how we can give you resources, how do we help you combat the things that are out there – like having scanners on cell phones so they know when you’re coming. How do we combat those things? Instead our answer as a city apparent to this is that we’re going to stick it to the victim and make them have more requirements.”

Tom Rosenberg, who owns Tom’s Gun Shop – which twice was broken into last winter – gave his thoughts to the board last night targeting the fines he’d received because of the break ins, “Unfortunately the city found I hadn’t been mistreated enough, and I was fined $200 for alarms that I think was very unfair. And at a very bad time when money was a little bit stretched, as you might imagine.”

Both Mayor John Pritchard and several aldermen gave suggestions and offered some direction to where city administration could redirect the ordinance. Alderman Peter Schwartzman encouraged a follow-up discussion with gun shop owners that he could attend. Asking the community to come up with suggestions for the council to consider.

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