You don’t have to live in Pleasant Hill to be concerned about the ramifications of allowing Home Gun Dealers to operate in residential neighborhoods. Guns don’t stay where they are sold. And illegal guns all start out as legal guns. Sales of firearms and ammunition, two dangerous products, belong in a commercial business zone with proper security and oversight, not in a residential neighborhood. The Contra Costa Brady Campaign urges you to attend the following meeting and SUPPORT A BAN on home or kitchen table gun dealers.
SPECIAL MEETING: CITY OF PLEASANT HILL CITY COUNCIL
WORKSHOP ON FIREARMS & AMMUNITION SALES IN RESIDENTIAL-ZONED AREAS
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2012, 6:00 P.M.
Pleasant Hill City Hall Community Rooms, 100 Gregory Lane
Here are 10 good reasons why you should be concerned about having your next door neighbor (Federal Firearms License or FFL dealer) selling guns and ammunition out of his home:
- The safety of residents in close proximity to home-based firearm and ammunition sales poses concerns about its negative influence on children, the possible increase in violence and/or criminals in city residential neighborhoods, trafficked firearms, and the infrequency of federal and state inspections to adequately regulate these business operations once established;
- Fire and/or explosive hazard caused by potentially large quantities of stored firearms and ammunition in close proximity to the homes of neighboring residents;
- Potential theft of firearms and ammunition through burglary or robbery;
- Inability to safely and securely store such firearms and ammunition in a home-based business where children are commonly present;
- No assurance that appropriate measures are being taken to prevent the
accessibility of firearms/ammunition by individuals prevented by law from
possessing them (ATF has found that FFLs are the largest source of trafficked firearms. In 2007, over 30,000 firearms were missing from FFLs’ inventories with no record of sale.); - Increased vehicular and foot traffic in residential areas caused by a firearms and ammunition sales business that could change the neighborhood’s character and harm the quality of life;
- Probable negative impact on neighboring property values and requirement to “disclose” presence of home gun dealer upon sale of neighbors’ homes;
- Increased demands on local law enforcement resources to monitor numerous home gun dealers, or lack of any oversight by local police department;
- Lack of sufficient federal or state inspections due to limited resources. (ATF
reported in 2007 that it inspects each FFL, on average, only once every 17
years); - Home gun dealers selling over the Internet are difficult to monitor. According to ATF, home-based Internet FFL gun dealers typically operate by setting up a website offering a variety of firearms and ammunition. The dealer responds to requests by placing orders to the manufacturer, and the firearms are sent to the dealer’s home. He then sells them out of his house or redistributes them through the mail to another FFL dealer out of the area.
Because of these concerns, cities and counties throughout California have adopted laws prohibiting kitchen table gun dealers. Keep your neighborhood safe by making your voice heard on November 15th. http://goo.gl/xb7Nz
