The village of Rye Brook plans to propose a local law that would regulate where gun retailers would be allowed to open stores within the village. The pending legislation comes in the wake of the recent opening of a gun store in a contentious area in Harrison last month.
According to Rye Brook Mayor Paul Rosenberg, a Democrat, that legislation “will seek to, on a local level, dictate where gun shops may be located within the village of Rye Brook.”
Rosenberg told the Review that legislation could be proposed as early as the Dec. 13 village board meeting, and added that a first draft of that legislation had already been written. Both Rosenberg and Chris Bradbury, the Rye Brook village administrator, said the specifics are still being investigated by the village attorneys to prevent potential legal backlash of an overreaching law.
Meanwhile, village officials have asked for collaboration from members of the Harrison town board in proposing the law.
In a letter addressed to Harrison officials, Rosenberg asked them to join Rye Brook—and potentially other neighboring communities—in considering the adoption of legislation that would restrict the location of gun stores regionally.
Bradbury and Harrison Mayor Ron Belmont, a Republican, said they have since discussed meeting.
Similarly, the city of Rye has formed a gun safety committee in response to the location of the Harrison shop. That committee could look to propose similar legislation to regulate where guns could be sold within the city. However, city officials have not collaborated with officials in Rye Brook as of press time.
Rosenberg’s letter to Harrison expressed specific concern about the location of L&L Sports, the gun store at the center of controversy. The shop opened in early November on Halstead Avenue in Harrison, and is less than 1,000 feet from Parsons Memorial Elementary School. Its proximity to the school and also two churches has drawn concern from town residents and its neighboring communities; an online petition protesting the store’s location has garnered nearly 3,500 signatures, as of press time.
However, Harrison officials have said that there is nothing they can to prohibit the business from operating.
The federal Gun-Free School Zones Act prohibits someone from carrying a gun within 1,000 feet of a school unless the weapon is unloaded and kept in a locked case. However, that law has a provision that allows gun stores to operate within a 1,000-foot zone.
Westchester County Legislator Catherine Parker, a Rye Democrat, said she may also look to propose a countywide law regulating the location of gun stores, adding that local legislation could help generate interest. “As a precursor to doing something at a larger level, it would be great to show that there is a desire to do something on a local level,” she told the Review.
When asked by the Review if the county executive would support a countywide gun store zoning legislation, spokesman Phil Oliva said the Astorino administration would prefer to leave the decision to regulate municipal zoning laws in the hands of local officials.
