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Lower Merion has passed a historic ordinance that limits where guns can be sold in the township.
The board of commissioners on Wednesday voted unanimously in favor of the ordinance — which many called a small step in the right direction to prevent gun violence — especially amid the slew of school shootings across the United States.
“Nothing is being shut down or being precluded, it’s just saying, ‘This is the wrong location to do it,’’’ said commissioner Dan Bernheim. If it “moves the needle ever so slightly … that’s the right thing to do.”
The township is using zoning code to restrict firearms sales. Starting now, firearms businesses cannot operate as home occupations and can only exist in four parts of the township, all commercial areas. They also cannot sit within 1,000 feet of public schools and must follow new safety regulations.
Commissioner Sean Whalen likened the ordinance to hitting a single. “Singles win ball games. If we start hitting singles and hitting a lot of them, maybe we can take a bite out of this.”
Community members waited hours to speak during public comment. All but one person supported the regulations. The meeting room erupted in applause after the commissioners voted.
Bala Cynwyd resident Joe Oxman said it was “democracy at work.”
“It just goes to show … that even at the municipal level, people have a voice,” Oxman said.
Joe Oxman, who helped write the ordinance to limit the sale of firearms in Lower Merion Township, spoke to commissioners at their Board meeting on April 19, 2023. (Kimberly Paynter/WHYY)
The fight for sales regulation ignited last year when a firearms business, Shot Tec, opened close to Oxman’s home in Bala Cynwyd near multiple schools, including Cynwyd Elementary School and Bala Cynwyd Middle School. Residents started a petition requesting the township close the business, which gathered more than 3,000 signatures.