Posted on 10/23/2001 11:58:32 AM PDT by Deadeye Division
New store annoyed by city's gun rules
Officials at Gander Moutain say the waiting period costs them sales.
Tuesday, October 23, 2001
Bruce Cadwallader
Dispatch Staff Reporter
Officials at a new Columbus hunting and camping store said they were unaware of the city's tough gun-permit law, which they contend cuts their potential firearms sales in half.
Columbus, which requires a background check that can take up to 10 days, has the most restrictive law of all municipalities and townships in Franklin County. Most follow the federal law that allows buyers to walk out with weapons after passing an instant FBI check.
"Somebody at Gander made a mistake, there's no doubt about that,'' said Todd Vance, vice president of the gun shop at the new store, which opened Sept. 6 in West Pointe Plaza on Hilliard-Rome Road.
Customers have complained about the permit process that forces them to travel to the city's license section on Greenlawn Avenue to pay a $5 fee for a background check.
Gander Mountain is a chain of 53 hiking-fishing-camping stores based in Wilmot, Wis., but John Goodwin, general manager of the Columbus store, said firearms lead sales.
"We had five other stores open at the same time, and I've been leading them in sales,'' said Goodwin of Michigan. "A big portion of the public is understanding.''
Gander Mountain is trying to make it up to customers with $25 store credits.
The gun shop sells rifles, shotguns and handguns, and it buys and sells used guns. It also sells equipment and clothing for camping and fishing.
A second Gander Mountain store opened Sept. 17 in Reynoldsburg, which requires only the federal instant check for gun purchases.
The Columbus law was enacted in 1989. The ordinance was challenged in federal court three times and parts of it were ruled unconstitutional.
It technically requires a seven-day background check, but because city offices are closed on weekends, it can take up to 10 days to complete.
In 1994, the federal Brady Law took effect, requiring background checks and a national five-day waiting period. Four years later, the waiting period was eliminated for licensed firearms dealers who call a toll-free number at the FBI to check on buyers.
Jerry Howard of Columbus said he'll shop at Gander Mountain for hunting supplies, but he'll buy his shotguns elsewhere.
"I can understand waiting for a handgun, but for hunters like me who like shotguns, I don't see it and I won't wait,'' said Howard, 42. "I've bought three guns in the past two years and none of them in Columbus.''
He especially avoids firearm dealers, who would charge him up to $7.50 for a background check.
Columbus city records show that 1,615 gun permits were issued last year, which brought in $7,700 in revenue for the city. So far, only 760 permits have been issued this year, said Barb Seckler, Columbus assistant safety director.
No one has complained to her about the city's law.
"I haven't heard about this issue for years, and I'm not aware of any discussion towards change in that area,'' Seckler said.
The blacks brought Birmingham to its knees boycotting just the bus line there; imagine what boycotting all businesses in Columbus could do - fast.
Of course no one complained, you idiot; they just went to another city or town that didn't have this stupid, unconstitutional law. I take it Ohio is not a pre-emption state in terms of gun laws?
A legal firearms owner/user shouldn't be made into a criminal just because he crosses a county line. Some counties require transport cased & unloaded and others this plus a trigger lock -- easy to become a violator on a technicality.
Starting a new business or expanding one?....Research, research, research!!!
FMCDH
The propagandists have already gotten to him. He has ceased to think, he merely spouts back the same drivel he hears on the news all the time. Harold won't wait to buy his shotgun, a weapon likely far more powerful than any but the most esoteric handguns, yet he doesn't mind other people having to wait, simply because it doesn't affect him.
This is the gun owner that we need to win back over to the pro-self-defense side. This is the gun owner that we need to bring back into the fold. This is the gun owner that we need to stop seeing other gun owners as different than himself.
I'm not sure how we will accomplish it, but we need to educate "hunters" and "sportsmen" about the farcical nature of such laws. Really, do the people of Columbus feel safer because someone might need to drive a few miles to get a gun today? I wonder if this legislation was supported by out of town gun shops seeking to use the government to give them a bit of a competitive edge?
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