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Smyth County panels recommend special-use permit for retail store selling firearms and ammunition
Summary
The Smyth County Planning Commission and Board of Supervisors recommended approval May 28 of a special-use permit for a retail store at 1220 South Fork Road in Marion. Commissioners pressed the applicant on safety, security and licensing; the commission voted 6-0 with one absence.
The Smyth County Planning Commission and Board of Supervisors on May 28 recommended approval of a special-use permit for a retail store at 1220 South Fork Road in Marion that sells firearms and ammunition.
Zoning Administrator Becca Creasy told the joint hearing that Brian Karriker previously operated under a 2019 home-occupation zoning permit but the business has since expanded and now operates from an accessory building on the property. Creasy said portions of that building will need to be brought up to code before full commercial operations could proceed.
During a question-and-answer exchange, commissioners raised safety and licensing issues. Creasy said she had concerns about the potential for explosion or fire because the business deals with guns and ammunition. Commissioner Mike Sturgill asked about on-site security; the applicant, Brian Karriker, said he maintains a yearly subscription-based alarm system and has cameras around the business. When Commissioner Robert Campbell asked whether there would be any shooting on the premises, Karriker replied there would be no shooting on-site and said a makeshift private range in a field at the back of the property was not part of his operation.
Board member Roscoe Call asked whether Karriker held an ATF license and whether he performed gunsmithing or commercially bought and sold firearms, reloading equipment and gunpowder. The transcript records the questions but does not include a recorded answer to those specific licensing and commercial-activity questions.
Commissioner David C. Buchanan Jr. moved to recommend approval of the special-use permit “as presented”; the motion was recorded as seconded and the Planning Commission’s recorded result was six yeas, zero nays, with one member absent (Paul Shepherd). The commission recommended approval of the permit to the Board of Supervisors.
Votes at a glance - Adoption of agenda: motion to approve carried (record shows 6 yeas, 0 nays, 1 abstain — Graham Davidson Jr. — and 1 absent, Paul Shepherd). - Approval of April 23, 2026 minutes: motion carried (record shows 6 yeas, 0 nays, 1 abstain — Graham Davidson Jr. — and 1 absent, Paul Shepherd). - Special-use permit (Brian Karriker, 1220 South Fork Road, Tax Map No. 67-A-1508): Planning Commission recommended approval, recorded as 6 yeas, 0 nays, 1 absent (Paul Shepherd).
The joint hearing concluded after the vote and the Planning Commission adjourned its portion of the meeting. The transcript indicates portions of the property and building must meet code requirements before commercial operations proceed; the Planning Commission’s recommendation forwards the matter to the Board of Supervisors for its consideration.
