cuchulainn
Member
"Near Schools" is a disturbing "for the children" trend. If schools, why not day care facilities .... or churches .... or hospitals ... or residential neighborhoods?
And, I would think that getting a quarter mile from a school would be pretty difficult in an urban area.
from the Star Newpapers
http://www.starnewspapers.com/star/spnews/news/22-sp2.htm
And, I would think that getting a quarter mile from a school would be pretty difficult in an urban area.
from the Star Newpapers
http://www.starnewspapers.com/star/spnews/news/22-sp2.htm
Orland board rejects gun sales close to school
Thursday, May 22, 2003
By Jef Rietsma
The Star
A majority of Orland Park's trustees Monday sided with Mayor Dan McLaughlin in approving an ordinance that prohibits the sale of firearms within a quarter-mile distance from a school.
The 5-2 vote in favor of the ordinance means Galyan's Trading Co. will not be allowed to sell firearms at its Orland Park Place shopping center location.
The much-debated topic was finally settled with this week's decision, but there is hope for supporters who rallied for the sale of so-called "long guns" at Galyan's.
Orland School District 135 is likely to place before voters March 16 next year a building referendum proposal. If the referendum is approved, the district is expected to build a new K-3 school in the southwest sector of the village, then close Center School and sell the property to Orland Park Place.
Optimistically, the soonest the new school would open would be the start of the 2005-06 academic year, meaning Galyan's has at minimum of two years before it can comply with the village's new firearms ordinance.
Center School's proximity to Galyan's was at the core of the debate, which has been ongoing for three months.
There are 23 classrooms and 535 students at the K-3 Center School.
Monday's vote makes Galyan's an unlikely, but important, backer of next year's District 135 building referendum.
Jim Lain, Galyan's regional vice president, said a Friday meeting involving top-ranking officials from the 37-store chain will decide what course of action may be taken next with the 6-week-old Orland Park store.
"I'll certainly mention the school district's referendum," he said. "I anticipate Galyan's will work closely with the local school district to help promote the referendum in any way we can."
Lain said reports that Galyan's is contemplating a lawsuit against the village were exaggerated.
Prior to the board's vote Monday, Lain said he perhaps would have thought twice about opening a store in Orland Park if he knew it would not be allowed to sell firearms.
"I challenge anybody to find a statistic out there that shows the location of a licensed firearm dealer has anything to do with a greater frequency of shootings in the surrounding area," Lain told the board.
Trustees James Dodge and Ed Schussler cast the dissenting votes.
Dodge said considering support for and against the ordinance was evenly divided based on the sentiment of the 50-plus people who attended Monday's meeting, he was comfortable with the restrictions included in the original proposed ordinance.
At the behest of McLaughlin, an amendment stating a business may not be closer than one-quarter of a mile to a school was added to the proposed ordinance.
"I place a lot of weight on the fact that (District 135) Supt. Pete Yuska, Center School's principal and its Parents For Education representatives were OK with the proposed ordinance after we went over everything with them last month," Dodge said.
Yuska has since said the school district is neutral on the issue and he would support whichever position the board takes.
McLaughlin last week and police Chief Tim McCarthy two weeks ago indicated they can't support an ordinance that would allow the sale of firearms within a quarter-mile radius.
Terry Knox, who spearheaded a campaign opposed to the sale of firearms at Galyan's, said the board did the right thing by voting its conscience.
"I think it's important to reiterate we are not opposed to the Second Amendment, we are not against the right to own guns and we are not against the sale of guns in Orland Park," Knox said afterwards. "It boils down to the sale of guns within a certain distance from a school."
McLaughlin, and trustees Kathy Fenton, Brad O'Halloran and Bernie Murphy concurred, voicing a similar concern. Trustee Pat Gira also voted in favor of the quarter-mile restriction ordinance.
Schussler argued a quarter-mile is too arbitrary of a distance and said the originally proposed ordinance was fair to both sides.
"I've yet to find a rational explanation why a quarter-mile is so significant," he said. "There's a greater risk to students being injured by a car or bus at Center School than any danger posed by a rifle or shotgun."
If there is a danger selling guns near Center School, Schussler added, then there is a danger to the entire community.
"Village hall is seven-tenths of a mile from Galyan's, Centennial Park is nine-tenths of a mile," he said.
Lain said the floor space originally designated for rifles and shotguns in the Orland Park store will be filled to include an expanded fishing gear display, electronics and, ironically, an assortment of pellet guns, and paintball and archery equipment.
Jef Rietsma may be reached at (708) 802-8810 or via e-mail at [email protected]
:banghead: 
