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Disclosure: I am sharing this opinion as an individual Select Board Member and not on behalf of the full Select Board.
I encourage residents of Sudbury to vote in favor of the proposed Firearm Safety Business Use bylaw (Article 16) at the May 6 Annual Town Meeting. I believe it is a proactive, smart, and common-sense approach to increase local control and safety if a firearm business ever seeks to operate in Sudbury. In this piece, I would like to offer some additional context and details related to questions I have heard from residents.
In Sudbury, we have specific zoning processes in the form of special permit review for many specialized businesses, including animal kennels, autobody shops, and senior care facilities. A special permit allows the government reviewing entity to conduct extra review and establish additional requirements. Currently, Sudbury has no unique local zoning regulations or special permit process for firearm businesses. This means if a new firearm business were to seek to operate in Sudbury, it could potentially open in any of our commercial business areas, including the Sudbury Farms, Shaw’s, and Whole Foods plazas. Any review would require adherence to State firearm business regulations but would not allow for additional scrutiny or protections deemed necessary at our local level. As a result, the proposed Firearm Safety Business Use bylaw requires special permit review, establishes additional safety and security requirements, and restricts businesses to Sudbury’s commercial Industrial Zones with 250-foot setbacks from sensitive areas.
In Massachusetts, at least 9 other communities have successfully implemented zoning regulations to increase local control over firearm businesses, including Acton, Newton, Wellesley, Littleton, Plainville, Brookline, Westwood, Dedham, and Watertown. Stow, Maynard, and Westford are currently working on drafting similar bylaws.
In Sudbury at the May 2023 Annual Town Meeting, a citizen petition for a complete Firearm Business ban was defeated. At the meeting, the Sudbury Select Board issued a statement committing to work on a zoning regulation similar to the aforementioned Massachusetts communities. Throughout the past year, the Select Board has discussed and worked on the bylaw in 15 public meetings. On March 28, the Select Board held a public information session where members of the public were able to ask questions (see link to the Information Session presentation and other important bylaw information).
Over the past year, the Select Board worked with Town staff (Town Manager and Director of Planning and Community Development) to draft a bylaw that is comprehensive and in line with other communities. Additionally, it has consulted extensively with Town Counsel to make the bylaw as legally thorough and defensible as possible. On April 10, the Sudbury Planning Board held a public hearing on the proposed bylaw and, upon completion, voted unanimously to recommend approval of the bylaw to Town Meeting.
Some questions have been raised about the likelihood of a firearm business seeking to operate in Sudbury. While this is impossible to predict with certainty, it is important to take note of the recent situation with the Littleton Firearm Shop cluster where nearly 80 shops were operating in one location. Currently, some of these businesses are seeking to relocate, and nearby communities such as Stow, Westford, and Acton have had inquiries of interest. All three of these communities have or are now creating zoning regulations.
A critical component of the proposed bylaw is the established setbacks from sensitive areas. The Select Board created a list that is more comprehensive than many communities, including schools, religious organizations, senior communities, daycares, public parks, and the future Bruce Freeman and Mass Central Rail Trails. Because of the layout of Sudbury’s commercial areas and rail trails, an analysis conducted with Town Staff concluded that the largest possible setback is 250 feet. A larger setback would require removing sensitive area categories, such as the rail trails. It is important to highlight that Sudbury’s bylaw setback is property line to property line while many other communities measure firearm business to property line.
I hope I have been able to offer additional context and clarification about the proposed Sudbury Firearm Safety Business Use bylaw. As a Select Board Member, I have been a consistent supporter of this action because I believe it is a proactive and common-sense measure that will increase local control, oversight, and safety related to potential future firearm businesses. Additionally, it is an approach that has been successfully implemented in a growing number of communities around Sudbury. I encourage residents to come to Town Meeting on May 6 7:30pm at Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School where Article 16 and many other important articles will be presented for consideration.