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Residents accuse council of undermining repeal of Ordinance 267; chairwoman denies plans to restore it
Summary
Residents who turned out to repeal Ordinance 267 pressed the Coventry Town Council April 20, expressing skepticism about council actions and warning that revisiting the ordinance would undermine voter will; Chairwoman Lisa Thomas said Steering will only clarify process and denied plans to restore the law.
Hundreds of Coventry residents who voted last week to repeal Ordinance 267 pressed the Town Council during the public comment period on April 20, expressing concern that councilors might try to undo the vote.
John French, a Coventry resident, told the council he was "skeptical" that "nothing was going on" after a councilor requested an email about placing a repealed ordinance on a referendum be sent to Steering. French said the town saw a "historic" turnout to repeal the ordinance and thanked the roughly 550 people who voted. "This isn't about wanting to shoot guns in their backyards, but the fact that the community does not want the Council infringing on their property rights," he said.
Resident Cheryl Kuhn told the council the Firearms Safety Committee lacked genuine citizen representation and questioned the town's ability to police firearms, suggesting Coventry consider returning to State Police coverage to free local funds. She said revisiting Ordinance 267 after the March 31 special meeting would send the message that the public's vote "didn't matter."
In response, Council Chairwoman Lisa Thomas said a constituent's email asking whether a repealed ordinance could be placed on an election referendum had been sent to the Steering Committee to clarify procedural options in a public forum. Thomas said misinformation has circulated online and emphasized, "That is untrue," in reference to claims the Council intends to restore the repealed ordinance.
The public-comment period grew tense when some audience members attempted to transfer time to a speaker; Thomas said audience time could not be transferred and called a 15-minute recess to restore order. When the meeting resumed she warned that disruptive attendees could be escorted out.
The Council did not take formal action on Ordinance 267 during the meeting; Thomas said the Steering Committee will be asked to confirm and clarify the process for enacting ordinances in a public forum.
