A new gun store now open on Halstead Avenue in Harrison is generating concern among residents.
Nearly 3,400 residents of Harrison, and nearby communities, as of press time, have signed an online petition on Change.org protesting the location of L&L Sports, at 261 Halstead Ave., a gun store located less than 1,000 feet from Parsons Memorial Elementary School and also near St. Gregory the Great’s Church.
The petition alleges that the location of the shop undermines the Gun-Free School Zones Act, a federal law which regulates the possession of guns on school grounds or within 1,000 feet of a school. However, gun stores are specifically exempt from that law.
The law does require that firearms are unloaded and placed in a locked container when traveling within a 1,000-foot perimeter of any school.
Petitioners have focused their attention on members of the Harrison Town Council, asking them to take additional efforts to prevent the store from opening, and asking them if they’ve explored other options—including town ordinances which could have put tighter restrictions on the Gun-Free Schools Zone Act—before OK’ing the store.
Harrison Mayor Ron Belmont, a Republican, said there is little the town can do to regulate what kind of store opens in any storefront. The council did not have to review the site because there was no change of use; the storefront was formerly used for retail purposes. And, the store has received all its necessary permits from the town Building Department, according to town officials.
“My primary concern as the supervisor is the safety and welfare of all residents,” the mayor said. “But I also have a responsibility to make sure everyone’s rights are upheld.”
Store owner Louis Zacchio, a retired paramedic and 17-year resident of the town, said opening the store is within his legal rights, adding that he has followed all state and federal guidelines to protect his inventory from the possibility of theft.
The store’s website has tabs designated for handguns, rifles, shotguns, accessories, optics and training, although there are no items listed for sale.
“He meets the state and federal guidelines,” Belmont told the Review, “that’s where these things are regulated.”
The petitioners are also inquiring what kind of safeguards the town has or will put in place.
“We’re relying on customers coming from outside areas to know the federal law, [which says] that they may not traverse this area unless the guns are unloaded and put inside a locked container,” said Joe Liberti, a parent of student of the Parsons School. “So [the store’s location] really does threaten the maintenance of this federal law.”
