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A resident told me she heard about a new bylaw that would let gun shops open up on Rt. 20. She wanted to know if that was true.
This is how I answered:
Whether to allow gun shops to open in Sudbury is a high-profile issue, and a major safety concern especially for parents. Gun shops can change the character of Sudbury. Sudbury has not had gun shops in town for as long I have lived here, 42 years. No one can remember a gun shop, so any change would be a big deal, and surely should have resident input.
A couple of members of the Select Board have discussed a gun shop bylaw between themselves, off the record, and out of public view, for months. Drafts of a bylaw allowing gun shops have been circulated at Select Board meetings, but residents have not been invited into those discussions.
Several residents have asked the Select Board to open up the process and make it transparent by appointing a committee or a task force that includes concerned residents, to meet regularly and openly, or, to hold a forum before the bylaw is put before the town for a vote. That is what we do with major projects, like the community center, the rail trail, capital improvements and others. Gun shops fall in that category.
Gun violence and the availability of guns are major public concerns. Residents deserve a seat at the table and a voice when it comes to crafting a law which would allow gun shops in Sudbury. They want their questions answered first, not to be told to go along because that is what three members of the Select Board decide.
Three of the five member Select Board have blocked all efforts to open up the process. The Select Board was urged, in writings and at their meetings, to open the discussion up before any article was placed on the warrant. Now it is too late. The Select Board voted for a gun shop bylaw on January 31 which will be on the warrant at May Town Meeting. The Select Board has reluctantly said it will hold an ‘information session’ to tell you what they have already decided the gun shop bylaw will be.
The three members of the Select Board behind the gun shops article may say, ‘Well, residents had a chance to speak during citizen comment at Board meetings.’ However, those opportunities were limited to 3 minutes, and no discussion on the subject of the citizen comments was permitted. The Select Board rules do not allow citizens to ask questions directly to those behind the gun shops bylaw during meetings. Memos were sent to the Select Board, only to be ignored.
To their credit, two members of the Select Board who oppose the gun shops bylaw wanted to have public input with a subcommittee, a task force, or a forum. They were consistently voted down 3-2 by the gun shop bylaw supporters. As a result, the public has been frozen out of the discussion.
One of the three Select Board members in favor of the gun shops bylaw said, “This (the gun shops bylaw) is very confusing for all of us. But I can only imagine what this is like for the public.” She is correct, which makes it all the more worrisome that a complex and confusing bylaw was placed on the warrant for town meeting before residents had a chance to ask questions and without open discussion.
A second Select Board member in favor of the gun shops bylaw wrote that when he gets questions or comments from residents, “I plan to ignore, or do a “thanks for message, I will take into consideration.” One can imagine what that means.
The refusal of the three gun shop bylaw proponents to engage the public on a matter that is so important, and will have such long lasting effects, is disrespectful. The public has been shut out and shut down, because the process has not been open and transparent. That is why I am concerned. That is why I will vote against it.