Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Home Occupation Firearms topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Council rejects application for in‑home small‑arms repair after safety and transfer concerns
Summary
A conditional‑use permit to allow a small‑arms repair business as a Level 2 home occupation was not approved after council debate over Federal Firearms License type, test‑firing and transfers; the main motion failed 4–5. Supporters and opponents addressed hours, FFL limits, and neighborhood safety.
The Chesapeake City Council declined to approve a request to allow small‑arms repair as a Level 2 home occupation at a 1.3‑acre Deep Creek property. Planning staff recommended approval with stipulations, but council members pressed the applicant and staff on testing, Federal Firearms License (FFL) type and whether retail sales or transfers would occur.
Applicant Harold Fennell, identified in the record as the owner, told council he was applying for a gunsmith Type 1 FFL and said he would not test firearms in his home: "I'm not testing any firearms in my home or anything nearby. No." Members asked whether transfers or retail sales would occur; Fennell said his work would be "just small repair" and that he did not intend to sell firearms. Council considered a substitute motion to add a stipulation prohibiting retail sales or transfers at the residence; after votes on the motions the main motion to approve the conditional use permit with the amended stipulations failed by a 4–5 vote, and the application was not approved.
Public speakers included a neighboring resident who opposed home gun repair on safety and regulation grounds during the public comment period. Council members asked staff to meet with the applicant to clarify outstanding issues and to return the matter to a future agenda if needed. The transcript records the council’s concerns about neighborhood compatibility, enforcement of stipulations, and the limits of a Type 1 FFL.
