Newcastle citizens will consider amending the town’s core zoning code during a special town meeting in Lincoln Academy’s Nelson Bailey Gymnasium at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 15.
Cumulatively, the amendments define a retail firearm sales facility and would restrict retail firearms sales from occurring within 300 feet of a primary or secondary school or dormitory associated with a school.
As proposed the amendments define a retail firearms sales facility as “a business that publicly displays or offers firearms … for sale to the public, where such firearms are available for purchase on the premises.” The definition does not include online-only displays or offers.
At a public hearing in September, multiple attendees spoke in favor of the proposed amendments, stating they were glad to see the town is working to regulate retail sales of firearms near educational institutions.
In response to public interest at the September public hearing, Newcastle Planning Board Chair Ben Frey said the language specifying the 300-foot distance around school facilities within which retail firearms sales would not be allowed aligns with state law, which prohibits the discharge of a firearm or archery equipment within 100 yards, or 300 feet, of a dwelling or building without the permission of the building owner or resident.
“It was a familiar one that we felt people were used to because folks in the hunting community know that rule,” Frey said Sept. 19.
The planning board spent nearly five months working on the proposed amendments, beginning after Newcastle voters approved enacting a moratorium to prohibit the review, consideration, or issuance of any permits or approvals for individuals looking to buy, sell, or trade in firearms during a special town meeting on May 13.
The moratorium is set to expire on Saturday, Oct. 19.
The Lincoln Academy gymnasium is located at 81 Academy Hill Road.
To view the special town meeting warrant which includes the proposed amendment language, go to bit.ly/3U0iz9h.
(Correction: An earlier version of this article online and on page 2 of the Oct. 10 edition stated the Newcastle special town meeting would take place on Monday, Oct. 15. The meeting will actually take place on Tuesday, Oct. 15. The Lincoln County News regrets this error.)
