Coventry council moves draft firearms safety ordinance to legal review, schedules public hearing after contested public comment

Coventry — The Town Council voted to send a draft Firearms Safety/Home Shooting Range Ordinance to town attorneys for review and to set a public hearing after hearing sharply divided public comment.

Council Chairwoman Lisa Thomas said the next steps were legal review followed by a public hearing and a final council vote on adoption. The council’s vote to move the ordinance forward was recorded as five in favor (Matthew Kyer, Jon Hand, Robyn Gallagher, Lisa Thomas and Peter Larson) and two opposed (Mark Wheaton and Julie Blanchard).

Why it matters: Residents came to the Jan. 5 meeting to press opposing views about whether the ordinance strikes an appropriate balance between safety and private-property rights. In public comment, Chris Kuhn of 70 Riley Mountain Road said the draft was “too vague,” singled out the absence of a grandfather clause for previously approved home ranges, and warned that the measure risked “infringing on 2nd Amendment Rights.” His wife, Cheryl Kuhn, described inconsistent guidance from police during a demonstration and said she was concerned the town or police chief would be made liable for inspecting home ranges.

At the same meeting, Jen Beausoleil of 1040 Cedar Swamp Road urged the council to proceed, citing community safety and a 1998 fatal shooting she said still shapes local views on firearm safety. “Finding a balance between the right to bear arms and common-sense safety guidelines is valuable to the community,” Beausoleil said, and she endorsed the distance setbacks and time restrictions included in the draft.

Council discussion focused on legal clarity and practical enforcement. Councilor Robyn Gallagher thanked the Firearms Committee for its work and suggested a language change to Section 66-78(b) to make clear that people discharging firearms on private property must select a four-hour window per calendar day in accordance with subsection (a). Special Projects Coordinator Alex Taylor said he had searched for an existing statutory definition of “Commercial Shooting Range/Private Gun Club” and found none, so the committee drafted a definition based on members’ experience.

Town Manager James D. Drumm told the council that the town’s primary legal reviewer had already completed an initial review and that revisions made since that review had made the ordinance less restrictive. Drumm said an updated attorney letter would be attached to the agenda when the public hearing is scheduled.

What the vote did (and did not do): The council’s motion authorized staff to submit the draft to the town’s attorneys and to publicize a hearing; it did not adopt the ordinance or set its final language. Thomas emphasized that further changes could be made after legal review and following the public hearing.

Next steps: The council voted to move the ordinance toward a public hearing (the draft called for a March 2 hearing in the motion on Jan. 5; the council’s edits that night later revised public hearing scheduling). Once legal review is received and a hearing held, the council will consider adopting a final ordinance.

The record: The ordinance discussion followed a 30-minute public comment period during which both critics and supporters addressed the council. The council recorded the motion to send the draft for attorney review and to call for a public hearing by roll call vote.