Kent residents aren’t happy about a proposed gun distributor
By: The Portager
Tags: Kent, Local Government

The gun shop would be located on a residential portion of West Main Street in Kent. Google Street View

Kent residents aren’t happy about a proposed gun distributor

By Gina Butkovich

News Lab

A Kent resident’s request to sell firearms from her home on West Main Street has drawn more attention than usual to the city’s planning commission, which will consider the application Tuesday.

Jessica West requested a conditional zoning certificate and a site plan review from Kent’s Department of Community Development to allow her business, West Arms FFL, to operate out of the home. Currently, that area of West Main is zoned as multi-family residential.

West has obtained her Federal Firearms License and hopes to act as a go between online gun shops and their customers. Someone will buy a gun online, the gun will be shipped to West, she will put it in her safe, and complete a background check on the person who bought the gun. Once the background check has been completed, West will give the gun to the person who bought it.

“So I will be getting a couple firearms shipped to me every week by adult signature only, so no packages left.” West said “I contact the person, make an appointment and they would come one at a time to pick up their firearm. And it does not leave my safe until they pass a background check and it leaves unloaded.”

Jack Amrhein, Ward 2 city council member, said several residents have approached him with concerns about West’s potential new business.

“And I agree with them,” Amrhein said. “I don’t think it’s a good idea in a residential neighborhood. You buy a house and you expect to be safe. I just don’t think it’s a good idea.”

Amrhein said most of the people who approach him have concerns about the safety of the neighborhood with a gun dealer nearby.

“It’s really even hard to put into words,” Amrhein said. “It’s a little disconcerting when you buy a house in a neighborhood and someone tries to open up a business. I have no problem with someone buying a gun at a gun store in a retail area. But when you’re in a family neighborhood with kids, pedestrians, it’s just kind of scary. That’s what I’m hearing from my constituents.”

Amrhein and Kent City Council, however, don’t have a say in zoning certificates or the question of whether West can sell firearms from her house. Instead, the Kent City Planning Commission will review West’s application and make the decision.

“A conditionally permitted use is one where it is possible to be used in a zoning district, if it meets certain conditions that the planning commission evaluates,” Kent Community Development Director Bridget Susel said.

There are six standards the request has to meet before it is granted. The request needs to be in accordance with the general objective of the city’s land use, it needs to be designed and maintained to be in accordance with the general area, it cannot be hazardous or disturbing to future or current neighboring uses, it should not be detrimental to property in the immediate vicinity, it should be served adequately by public facilities and roads and vehicle approaches cannot interfere with traffic.

“So what happens is, when a conditional permitted use comes before a planning commission they will look at all six of those general standards and evaluate the applicant’s submission in terms of: Does it meet that general standard or not?” Susel said. “And if it does not meet all six of the standards, the planning commission will deny the conditional zoning certificate.”

Public comment will be considered by the planning committee when they are deciding if the applicants submission meets the six general standards.

“I do not feel this type of business is a good fit for a residential area,” said Tiffany Jones, 42, who lives on Lake Street. “I feel there are already a high number of firearms dealers in Kent, perhaps more than are needed, and this seems out of character with the area that it is proposed for.”

Jones plans to attend the planning commission’s public hearing at 7 p.m. Tuesday. The hearing will be streamed virtually on the City of Kent’s YouTube channel. Comments will be accepted until noon Monday at phileh@kent-ohio.org.

This article was produced through a reporting partnership with the Collaborative News Lab @ Kent State University. Roger Di Paolo contributed reporting.

Correction: The headline of this article initially referred to the establishment as a gun shop. We subsequently were able to reach Jessica West, who clarified the nature of the proposed business. We have also updated the article with her comments.