Wicked Local
Mayor Ruthanne Fuller said she first learned about a gun shop planning to open at 709 Washington St. about two weeks before city councilors, according to an email she sent April 29.
Many members of the City Council, including President Susan Albright, said they only found out about the firearms dealer after receiving emails from worried constituents about rumors they had heard.
“During the week of March 29, NPD [Newton Police Department] moved forward the paperwork on the application and I first learned that a gun store was proposed for Washington Street,” she said in the email. “Internal discussions began focused on the approval process for firearm sales licenses and what powers and options we have as a city.”
Wicked Local
With a gun shop looking to open at 709 Washington St., next to Garden Remedies, a marijuana dispensary, many city councilors and upset residents are taking parallel steps to prevent this from happening.
There are currently no restrictions on where a gun store can be located in Newton. Proposed zoning amendments were released on Friday, April 16. The City Council, which was due to meet on April 20, will likely refer these amendments to the Zoning and Planning Committee (ZAP) for a public hearing on May 10, according to the city’s Law Department.
The proposed amendments “would only allow firearms sales related uses in certain zoning districts in the city,” according to an email from Mayor Ruthanne Fuller. They “will also require firearms sales uses to be approved by special permit by the City Council. Finally, it will create specific special permit criteria, including a buffer zone between a firearms dealer and residences and schools.”
Wicked Local
With a gun shop aiming to open on Washington Street, city councilors and upset residents are taking parallel steps to prevent this from happening.
There are currently no restrictions on where a gun store can be located in Newton, according to the city ordinances. There were firearm shops in the city in the past, including one in West Newton.
If approved, the new store would open at 709 Washington St., next to Garden Remedies, a marijuana dispensary.
Interim Police Chief Howard Mintz would not comment on the possibility of a gun shop on Washington Street until Mayor Ruthanne Fuller released a statement later Friday afternoon.
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UpdatedTue, Apr 6, 2021 at 4:26 pm ET
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Middlesex District Attorney Ryan speaks to the press about the investigation into the death of Michael Conlon who was shot by Newton police in February. (Jenna Fisher/Patch)
NEWTON, MA The family of Michael Conlon, who was fatally shot last month by police during a mental health crisis, is calling for more police training. Given that 1 in 5 US adults experiences mental illness, 1 in 20 US adults experiences severe mental illness, and 17 percent of youth experience a mental health disorder, we feel training is not only called for, but also necessary, they wrote in a letter to the Boston Globe, citing National Alliance on Mental Illness statistics.